You Say That I Am
It's been a long time since we've had a king in this country. The last one was King George III and he never even set foot here. Neither did any of the kings we had before him. None of us have known what it means to live under a king. Even my British friends, who still live under a monarchy, know that the hard power of governing lies not with the queen, but with the Prime Minister and Parliament.
For much of the modern world, the true concept of the king has been lost.
And I can't pretend to know what having a king would be like any more than the rest of you. But since when has not knowing about a subject ever stopped me from talking about it before?
The sovereign kings of the ancient world – from the kings of simple city-states to the pharaohs and emperors of mighty nations – ruled without question. In the Judea of Jesus' time, even within the Roman Empire (which itself was seeing the power of the emperors grow and the Senate wane), the Judean king, Herod Antipas, held near total power within his borders. As a client state of Rome, as long as Judea paid its taxes and raised its levies for the Roman armies, the king could pretty much do as he pleased.
For those of us who have only know life under a republic, we might not give much thought to what life would be like to live under the whims of one man.
We know the powers of a president are not absolute. That the legislature and the courts can curb and temper an over-reaching agenda. And that even if all levers of government are held by one party, that it still takes weeks, months, or sometimes years to move major changes.
That is not the case of the sovereign king. The all-powerful, almost God-like figure, who can rule by edict and be arbitrary in enforcing the law.
So when the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, asks the question, “Are you King of the Jews?”
He's not asking – are you an influential man?
Are you a leader of these people?
Do you hold sway and speak for them?
Those are all different questions from what Pilate wants to know.
What he wants to know is, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Do you hold their lives in your hand? Do the people follow your orders without question?
Is the power you have a threat to the power of Rome?
And Jesus tells Pilate about his kingdom. That it is not of this world. That if it were, his followers, and by this time he has thousands, would be fighting to keep him from being arrested. If Christ were an earthly king, held captive and questioned by Pilate, there would be riots in the streets. One word from Jesus and the streets of Jerusalem could be filled – his fame is wide, there have been throngs and crowds following him for years, Think of all the people who Jesus has healed, blessed, and created miracles for; and all the people who have witnessed such things; and all the people who went and told their friends and families about Jesus... If he wanted to, Jesus could raise an army with a single word.
But he doesn't.
Instead, he tells Pilate about his kingdom. And about his purpose. That his kingdom is not from this earth.
And when he tells of his purpose, he doesn't mention anything about sitting on a throne, wearing a crown, and wielding a royal scepter. That's what the people wanted of him. But that doesn't interest him at all.
The purpose of his coming is to testify to the truth. The truth of God. The truth of salvation.
Throughout the scriptures Jesus is given many different names and titles.
He is called Rabbi. Teacher. Shepherd. Son. Lamb. Lord. And King.
But he's not like any King the earth has ever known.
The humble carpenter's son from a dusty backwater by the Sea of Galilee.
A man who's praised in song and story with the not-so-kingly traits, “gentle and mild.” A man who's grand entrance into Jerusalem was on the back of a lowly donkey.
None of us have ever lived under an all-powerful earthly king. The sort of king that Pilate would have had in mind when he asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
We've never been subjected to life under that sort of king. We've never knelt before a throne, pledged our lives to a single man, or worried about a line of succession.
But we've all lived under the grace of the King of heaven, Jesus Christ. Whose kingdom is one of love, compassion, and service to each other. We don't live under the capricious whims of a man. But under the eternal love and endless mercy of a Creating God who cares for us as his own children.
The kings that ancient Israel knew – some were good, some were bad, some were utter tyrants – but those kingdoms could all change overnight if the king died, if there were some disaster, if there were a war, or even if the king simply had a change of heart.
But the kingship of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is based on God's heart of love, his heart for justice, his heart for joy, that never changes.
So when Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you King of the Jews?”
He cannot say he is, because he's not that kind of king that Pilate is asking about.
He's something else entirely. The king of heaven. The Alpha and the Omega. The king of something greater than anything that Pilate, Herod, or even the emperor of Rome itself, could possibly imagine. And we are blessed beyond measure to be subjects of that grand and glorious eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Creator,
We come into this week of Thanksgiving with much on our hearts to be thankful for. You have been generous with your blessings to all of us. We are especially grateful to live under your grace, your mercy, and your love. Lord, we praise you this morning for your holy kingdom and the all-surpassing sovereignty of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. For your mighty blessings and gracious mercies, we give you thanks in his name. Amen.
It's been a long time since we've had a king in this country. The last one was King George III and he never even set foot here. Neither did any of the kings we had before him. None of us have known what it means to live under a king. Even my British friends, who still live under a monarchy, know that the hard power of governing lies not with the queen, but with the Prime Minister and Parliament.
For much of the modern world, the true concept of the king has been lost.
And I can't pretend to know what having a king would be like any more than the rest of you. But since when has not knowing about a subject ever stopped me from talking about it before?
The sovereign kings of the ancient world – from the kings of simple city-states to the pharaohs and emperors of mighty nations – ruled without question. In the Judea of Jesus' time, even within the Roman Empire (which itself was seeing the power of the emperors grow and the Senate wane), the Judean king, Herod Antipas, held near total power within his borders. As a client state of Rome, as long as Judea paid its taxes and raised its levies for the Roman armies, the king could pretty much do as he pleased.
For those of us who have only know life under a republic, we might not give much thought to what life would be like to live under the whims of one man.
We know the powers of a president are not absolute. That the legislature and the courts can curb and temper an over-reaching agenda. And that even if all levers of government are held by one party, that it still takes weeks, months, or sometimes years to move major changes.
That is not the case of the sovereign king. The all-powerful, almost God-like figure, who can rule by edict and be arbitrary in enforcing the law.
So when the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, asks the question, “Are you King of the Jews?”
He's not asking – are you an influential man?
Are you a leader of these people?
Do you hold sway and speak for them?
Those are all different questions from what Pilate wants to know.
What he wants to know is, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Do you hold their lives in your hand? Do the people follow your orders without question?
Is the power you have a threat to the power of Rome?
And Jesus tells Pilate about his kingdom. That it is not of this world. That if it were, his followers, and by this time he has thousands, would be fighting to keep him from being arrested. If Christ were an earthly king, held captive and questioned by Pilate, there would be riots in the streets. One word from Jesus and the streets of Jerusalem could be filled – his fame is wide, there have been throngs and crowds following him for years, Think of all the people who Jesus has healed, blessed, and created miracles for; and all the people who have witnessed such things; and all the people who went and told their friends and families about Jesus... If he wanted to, Jesus could raise an army with a single word.
But he doesn't.
Instead, he tells Pilate about his kingdom. And about his purpose. That his kingdom is not from this earth.
And when he tells of his purpose, he doesn't mention anything about sitting on a throne, wearing a crown, and wielding a royal scepter. That's what the people wanted of him. But that doesn't interest him at all.
The purpose of his coming is to testify to the truth. The truth of God. The truth of salvation.
Throughout the scriptures Jesus is given many different names and titles.
He is called Rabbi. Teacher. Shepherd. Son. Lamb. Lord. And King.
But he's not like any King the earth has ever known.
The humble carpenter's son from a dusty backwater by the Sea of Galilee.
A man who's praised in song and story with the not-so-kingly traits, “gentle and mild.” A man who's grand entrance into Jerusalem was on the back of a lowly donkey.
None of us have ever lived under an all-powerful earthly king. The sort of king that Pilate would have had in mind when he asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
We've never been subjected to life under that sort of king. We've never knelt before a throne, pledged our lives to a single man, or worried about a line of succession.
But we've all lived under the grace of the King of heaven, Jesus Christ. Whose kingdom is one of love, compassion, and service to each other. We don't live under the capricious whims of a man. But under the eternal love and endless mercy of a Creating God who cares for us as his own children.
The kings that ancient Israel knew – some were good, some were bad, some were utter tyrants – but those kingdoms could all change overnight if the king died, if there were some disaster, if there were a war, or even if the king simply had a change of heart.
But the kingship of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is based on God's heart of love, his heart for justice, his heart for joy, that never changes.
So when Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you King of the Jews?”
He cannot say he is, because he's not that kind of king that Pilate is asking about.
He's something else entirely. The king of heaven. The Alpha and the Omega. The king of something greater than anything that Pilate, Herod, or even the emperor of Rome itself, could possibly imagine. And we are blessed beyond measure to be subjects of that grand and glorious eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Creator,
We come into this week of Thanksgiving with much on our hearts to be thankful for. You have been generous with your blessings to all of us. We are especially grateful to live under your grace, your mercy, and your love. Lord, we praise you this morning for your holy kingdom and the all-surpassing sovereignty of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. For your mighty blessings and gracious mercies, we give you thanks in his name. Amen.