John 18:35 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”
In these times of fake news and alternatives facts, it is so refreshing to hear Jesus solemnly proclaim that he was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. The basic truth is that God is love and loves the world he created so much that he sent his own Son to save it. I ask myself how important truth is for me, and to what extent am I committed to find it and live by it. I ask for the grace to seek and listen to his voice.
‘My kingdom is not from this world’. From the rest of Jesus’ words and especially from his actions it is obvious that he does not mean that his kingdom is totally other-worldly, having nothing to do with matters of this world. He means that it is not built on power-seeking at all costs and on violence, like most ‘kingdoms’ of this world, but on other values, mostly on love, mercy and universal solidarity. I consider how much my faith in Jesus influences my decisions in the concrete world
There is always a certain ambiguity in giving Jesus the title of king. This is partly due to the varying attitudes to kings throughout history and in different cultures. But the greatest ambiguity surfaces in today's reading. Jesus has to correct Pilate's understanding of Jesus' role: "My kingdom is not from this world" or "My kingdom does not belong to this world". In spite of this warning we have sometimes celebrated this feast in a (worldly) triumphalist manner that does not harmonise with Jesus' self-understanding.
Two boys were bored on a rainy summer’s day, so they began to do a jigsaw puzzle. (That tells you how bored they must have been.) They made no progress until one of them turned the box lid over to see the picture they were trying to create. It was of a medieval court scene with a king surrounded by his courtiers. One of the boys cried out, ‘Now I see it – the king is in the middle!’ Once they recognised that, the puzzle was easy and they were soon able to finish it.
Oh Jesus, we praise you as our king. And we pray that you’d help us to live ultimately, not for the kingdoms of this world, but for your kingdom. In the name of Jesus our king, we pray. Amen.
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