The One True King

John 18:33-38

 “The One True King”

22 November 2015 St. Andrew’s Chapel Singapore

What a hard passage for us to hear. Here we see Christ not even try to plead for his life. Rather he just does what he always does and answers questions with more questions. He’s a rabbi to the core, no matter how frustrating it is to people, even the one that controls his physical life in that moment. Because we know the rest of the story, we know what comes next.

But, I’m not sure that is what really disturbs us about this passage. Sure, reading ahead may disturb us, especially the violence that Christ will endure. And our hearts may race a bit knowing that is quickly to come. However, this passage, this moment in time goes against everything that we expect of governments.

Here we have the appointed official of an emperor trying to determine if someone else is claiming the crown of his boss. In our society that prides itself on overthrowing the shackles of a monarchy, following a theology that shudders at a top down power structure, this passage stands against everything we know as a republic where our work ethic calls for us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. In this moment, Pilate knows Christ is King and wants him to admit it so he can pronounce sentence and be rid of him. He wants Christ to seal his own fate. For he knows Christ is innocent and is looking for a way out of this situation.

For us, this passage is convicting because it shows Christ has come not just to be King of the Jews, but he has come to be King of the world. Our King. And Americans don’t particularly care for Kings. We started a war to rid ourselves of one. But that war came on the heels of a religious war that had as one of its reasons, the need to get out from under a religious structure that had all the feel of a monarchy that was not looking out for the faithful.

Over time, scholars have attributed to Christ three major offices or roles: Priest, Prophet, and King. We are always ok with two of these three roles. Christ as priest is just fine by us. We want someone who is there to oversee the sacrifice and pronounce forgiveness for our sins. He will be there to clear the way and act as our mediator and intercessor to God, making sure we have that heaven ticket punched provided whenever we ask. Christ as prophet also gives us comfort. He’s there to show us where we go wrong, to guide us on the straight and narrow gently (sometimes a bit more harshly) correcting and nudging us to a moral life where we become “good Christians.”  That’s the Jesus we like and want, that’s the Jesus that society presents to us.

But, Christ has a way of turning things upside down. Like when he says he is the king of the world. And this isn’t a Leonardo DiCaprio Titanic moment, this is God proclaiming once and for all that through Christ, he is King, period. And we don’t like kings. Kings give orders, define our lives, kings tend to remove our personal choices, expect their subjects to give them everything, they tend to tax people excessively, they don’t care about our welfare. Kings scare people who have lived their entire lives in a representative republic.

However, we’ve all made a commitment to follow Christ in all we do and in all he does, prophet, priest, and king. So we need to look at all that King Jesus requires of us. We know he expects us to give him our all, to love him with all of our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. We can get behind that. What’s hard is doing what he asks because it rarely makes much sense to us. I don’t know why I or anyone else ever really expects Christ to make sense because he works in this world on a heavenly timeline and plan that I can’t fully comprehend. We only get glimpses of the Kingdom, so we have to pay attention with all of our senses to catch them.

C.S. Lewis understood Christ as King through Aslan in Narnia. This week I kept going back to Narnia, especially The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as I reflected on King Jesus. In it we see the Queen of the world (or at least how the White Witch is introduced to Edmund) in stark contrast to the one true King. Many people throughout history have done just this and attempted to impose their rule over the world, all have failed.

So all of us ask, just like Susan after dinner with the beavers, “Who is Aslan?” Who is Aslan indeed, and what does the Kingdom of Christ look like? Where can we find it? As we answer those questions, let the wisdom of the Professor with whom the wardrobe resided guide us, “[finding the Kingdom will] happen when you’re not looking for it. Don’t try to get there at all. You’ll know [who else has found the Kingdom]. Odd things they’ll say—even their looks—will let the secret out. Keep your eyes open.”

Christ leads an upside down Kingdom, one that Mark describes where the last are first, the first are last, and leaders must first become servants. This Kingdom is so counter-cultural that society will frequently discount the glimpses all around us.

There is a Twitter account called Occupy Advent that was tweeting out many short descriptions of what it means to call Christ Lord, or King. So I want to let that voice begin our description of Christ the King.

In the Roman world, Ceasar was Lord. To confess “Jesus is Lord” was unpatriotic, ungrateful, blasphemous, and illogical. And here we are. To confess “Jesus is Lord” is to deny every other person, thing, or allegiance that would lay claim to us. And let me tell you, this world rages when we say “Jesus is Lord” and mean it. If Jesus is Lord, then nothing else is. If Jesus is Lord, anxiety and fear are not. If Jesus is Lord, our retirement accounts are not. If Jesus is Lord, the approval of others is not. If Jesus is Lord, citizenship is not. If Jesus is Lord, our churches are not. If Jesus is Lord, our schedules and agendas are not. If Jesus is Lord, America is not. If Jesus is Lord, death is not. If Jesus is Lord, I am not.

Christ’s Kingdom isn’t like others, so it’s not one that should make us uneasy and we should rush to embrace Christ as our King. For his Kingdom is a humble one full of broken people doing what they can to help others as much or more than they help themselves. It is a Kingdom looking to make peace with the world and others. Where people care for creation as gardeners not consumers. People who love even their enemies as much as friends and never turn away refugees even if they may turn against them one day. It is inclusive and waiting for anyone to come into the kingdom at any time.

            As young Lucy learned about this Kingdom and King Aslan, she asked the question we all want to know about Christ:

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Cause he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

A safe Kingdom would never ask so much from us, but a good one does.

I leave us with a description of King Jesus by the Rev Shadrach Meshach Lockridge who was pastor of Calvary Baptist in San Diego from 1953-1993.

My King is: The king of the Jews-that’s a racial king. The King of Israel-that’s a national king; the King of glory; the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.

My king is a sovereign king. No means of measure can define his limitless love! No barrier can hinder him from pouring out his blessing!

He’s enduringly strong! He’s entirely sincere! He’s imperially powerful! He’s impartially merciful! He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world!

He’s God’s son! The sinner’s savior! The centerpiece of civilization! He stands in the solitude of Himself! He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology!

He sympathizes and saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and guides. He heals the sick. He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate.

I wish I could describe him for you, but he’s indescribable! He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible! He’s irresistible! 

You can’t get him out of your mind or off your hands! You can’t outlive him and you can’t live without him! The Pharisees couldn’t stand him, but they found out they couldn’t stop him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in him. Death couldn’t handle him and the tomb couldn’t hold him.

That’s my King, that’s my king, that’s my king and he’s the kingdom and the power and the glory Forever. AMEN!