Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising. (John 18:33-40 NIV)
I like our church’s name: “Christ the King.” I know that many of you were involved in changing our name from Mt. Olive to something more recognizable. I like what you chose! Two of the other churches I’ve served have been named after saints: St. Peter Lutheran Church and St. Paul Lutheran Church. That was fine, but I always thought: “It would be nice to have our church be named after Jesus!” With so much uncertainty in our world, “Christ the King” is a great name.
And today we hear from God’s Word what that means. What is Christ the King of? If I were to put you on the spot, could you answer that? You will! Our lesson today takes us to one of the most important events in history: Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate. Remember what day that was? Good Friday. Did you notice the very first question Pontius Pilate asked Jesus at his trial? “Are you the king of the Jews?” Whether Jesus is the King is important. Super important!
Surprisingly, Jesus didn’t answer right away. Instead, he asked for clarification: “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” “‘Am I a Jew?’ Pilate replied. ‘Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?’” Why didn’t Jesus just say “Yes! I’m the King!” right away? Well, do you realize the trap Jesus was in? If Jesus told Pilate that he was the king, what would he be guilty of? Treason! Then he would deserve to die on the cross. That’s what happened to rebels. But if Jesus said that he wasn’t the king, his followers would consider him a liar. See the trap? “Are you the king of the Jews?” What could Jesus say?
Jesus gave a profound answer: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” This is brilliant. Is Jesus a King? Absolutely! So Pilate should haul him away for treason, right? No. Why? Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Memorize those words from Jesus. “My kingdom is not of this world. I’m not the king of this little country of Israel. I’m not trying to be the king of Rome. Don’t worry about that! I am a King, but my kingdom is from another place.”
So what is Jesus the King of? Everything. You know the song, “He’s got the whole world in his hands”? That song really short-changes Jesus. Know why? Jesus has way more than the whole world in his hands. He has the universe and heaven and hell and angels and demons and the past and the present and the future in his hands. To limit Jesus’ rule to any one country would be like saying that the President of the United States is the major of Jenks. Now, no offense to Jenks, but the President would be like, “I have way more authority than the mayor of Jenks!” Understand this: Jesus didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom. He is so much more. Jesus is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). Christ is King, but his kingdom is not of this world.
Got it? Sadly, Christians are forgetting that. In Bible study, we’ve been talking about a false teaching in Christianity: Millennialism. Have you heard of that? Millennialism is the idea that Jesus is going to come and reign right here on earth for 1000 years—the millennium. Most evangelical Christians believe in millennialism. It’s all about Jesus’ kingdom on earth. There’s just one problem: Jesus. Because Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Watch out!
Here’s something even more concerning. Christianity in the United States is becoming more and more political. Agree? The word “evangelical” is more connected to politics than to the gospel of Jesus. Are you getting caught up in all that? Jesus isn’t. Watch out! “The future of Christianity depends on who’s in office.” Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” “We must support the nation of Israel.” Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” “We need to make this a Christian nation again.” Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” This is so important! Christianity doesn’t depend on any nation. Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
There’s one more person who needs to hear that. Do you know who’s most active building a kingdom on earth? Me! I’m noticing that more and more. I spend so much energy trying to build my kingdom. I bet you do too. I spend so much time working on my plans and trying to let my will be done and building my name and my reputation. Whether you realize it or not, I bet you’re doing the same thing. And Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Remember what Jesus taught us to pray? “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven.” It is so foolish, it is so sinful, when we focus our hearts on building earthly kingdoms. Can you see that? We need to get this into our heads over and over again: Jesus’ kingdom isn’t in this world!
The truth of the Bible is so much better: Christ is King of all. Not of this country. Not of this world. Of all! You don’t have to wait for things to change for Jesus to be in control. He is right now. I remember a night when I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about a decision I had made. Was it the right decision? I don’t know! Do you agonize over things like that too? But as I lay there and prayed, I realized I was asking the wrong question. Life doesn’t depend on my decisions. Maybe the better question is, “Is Jesus King?” What’s the answer? Yes! Then everything is in his hands. How much? Everything. That put my heart at rest. Christ is King!
Pilate actually understood that. “You are a king, then!” he said. But Jesus had one more important thing to teach him. He answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Lesson #1: Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Lesson #2: Jesus is all about the truth. And he wants us to be too. “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus doesn’t want you to base your life on maybes or assumptions or other people’s ideas. He came to testify to the truth!
Pilate’s answer is famous: “What is truth?” He would fit in really well today, wouldn’t he? “What is truth?” Sound familiar? That’s a classic 21st century answer. Many people today have given up on the idea of truth. “What’s true for you isn’t true for me.” Or, “everyone needs to find their own truth.” Like Pilate, how many politicians today sacrifice the truth to grow their power? Watch out! If you’re buying into the idea that truth doesn’t exist, you’re not listening to Jesus.
But there’s another side today. On the one side, people are denying that there is any absolute truth at all. On the other side, people are insisting that they have found a secret truth that everybody needs to know. I’ve run into so much more of this in Oklahoma than I did up north. “Pastor, you need to listen to my sources.” “Pastor, I’ve finally found the people you can trust.” Sound familiar? Have you gotten caught up in all that? Watch out! If that “source” isn’t Christ the King, then the answer is always, “Maybe.” “Have you heard that…?” Maybe. “Is it true that…?” Maybe. “Do you know that…?” Maybe. Are you basing your life on “maybes”?
Hear Jesus’ words again: “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Are the “sources” you’re turning to for truth listening to Jesus’ voice? Are the people promising you “truth” finding that truth in Jesus? If not, why are you filling your ears and hearts with their voices? There is only One King who always keeps his promises. There is only One King who knows what the future holds. Every other source is just a “maybe.” If you believe that Christ is King, then know that he came to testify to the truth, and everyone on the side of truth listens to him. So listen to him!
And remember that this is how Christ’s kingdom spreads: Through the truth. Through the Word of God. I’m concerned that Christians in America seem to be identified more and more by a cross and a gun. Have you noticed that? Understand this: Guns serve a lot of purposes in our world, but they do not serve any purpose in the kingdom of God. Christianity spreads through preaching the Word of God. Christianity is defended by preaching the Word of God. The sword of the Spirit—the Christian’s weapon—is the Word of God. A gun can’t extinguish the flaming arrows of the devil, but God’s Word can. A gun can’t destroy the attacks of false teachings, but God’s Word can. Arm yourself with the most powerful weapon in the world: A Bible. If we want this country to be blessed by Christ the King, then we need to preach the Word of God.
Jesus’ word convinced even Pontius Pilate that he was innocent. Pilate went back to the people and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” That’s a powerful vindication. Jesus was innocent! But Pilate didn’t just let Jesus go. He was too concerned about his earthly kingdom. So he offered the Jews a deal. Since it was Passover time, he offered to release one Jewish prisoner. He hoped it would be Jesus. “Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” But the people shouted, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” We don’t know much about Barabbas, except what it says next: “Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.” Barabbas was a real rebel. The Jews wanted Barabbas set free in place of Jesus. They wanted Jesus to die in place of Barabbas.
This is really amazing. Do you know what the name Barabbas means? We can figure it out together. “Bar” is a common Aramaic word. You’ve heard it. Like “Bar Mitzvah.” It means “son.” “Abba” is another common Aramaic word. You’ve heard it in the Bible. “Abba” means “father.” So what does Barabbas mean? “Son of the father.” Isn’t this ironic? One “son of the father” was set free, while the real “Son of the Father” was condemned to die in his place. The One who died wasn’t the criminal. It wasn’t the rebel. It was the King. With a crown of thorns and a purple robe and a sign about his cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
That sign was right. The King died for you. This is the most important thing for you to know and believe about Christ the King. He died for you. That King of everything died for you. That King of perfect truth died for you. This is the Gospel! Christ the King of so much more than this world loves you and me so much that he gave his life in our place to save us from our sins. The rebel got to go free, because the King died in his place. You get to be forgiven, because the King died in your place. This is why there is no King like Christ the King. This is why when his plans don’t make sense, I can still trust in him. This is why when I don’t understand, I can still trust in him.
I’m glad our church is called “Christ the King,” because that’s who Jesus really is. Jesus is Christ the King! But his kingdom is not of this world, and your kingdom shouldn’t be either. Jesus is Christ the King! And everyone on the side of truth listens to his voice. So listen to his voice! Jesus is Christ the King! And he loves you so much that he died for you. What a King!
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