03/02/2024 – John [18:33-40] – My Kingdom Is Not from This World
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This is a continuation of the seven foundational principles of our great country:
1) Faith. Discussed 02/17/24;
2) Freedom. It is a self-evident truth that God endows all, with inherent freedoms; the natural and unalienable rights to: life, liberty, conscience, pursuit of happiness, own property, build wealth and defend ourselves and our families. The only pur-pose of government is to secure these rights, and the ideas we put forth should always aim to maintain and increase the liberty of the American people and fight for those fundamental freedoms and traditional values.
God’s truth is the center point of our discussion of the foundational principles of our country and our study of John’s gospel.
The kings/queens of today are not the ’absolute’ monarchs of old. They stay within limits. But many leaders are the autocratic, dictatorial rulers who govern without any semblance of democratic consultation. In Jesus’ day kings ruled to their own whims. All knew how kings became kings and they feared the revolutionary assertion of kingship. Herod the Great had won a military victory (30 yrs. BC); thus, Rome allowed him to become ‘King of the Jews’. He had no pedigree, but this began a long line of Herod’s. Pilate was aware of this. Thus, Jesus, accused of being ‘King of the Jews’ shows Pilate’s predicament. However, he sees a poor, country man with a small band of followers, some running away. He is not king – is He deluded? Where did this suggestion arise? Pilate pleads lack of understanding of the Jews.
Jesus’ answer is revealing. Pilate finds out, as others, that Jesus will respond to a question with a question. Jesus asks: Where is the suggestion coming from? Who put the idea in your head? Pilate brushes this away and states: You must have done something wrong or you would not be here. Jesus’ answer is incriminating and revealing. His kingdom (Agrees He has a kingdom and Pilate pounces.) is not of this world. This is crucial, Jesus does not say, “my kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus taught His disciples to pray God’s kingdom would come, ‘on earth as in heaven’.
Jesus’ kingdom is not from ‘this world’. ‘The world’, John reminds us, is the source of evil and rebellion against God. Jesus denies that His kingdom has a ‘this world’ origin or quality. He is not denying that it has a ‘this world’ destination. He came into the world Himself [v. 37] and why He has sent and will send His followers into the world. [17:18; 20:21] His kingdom does not come from this world, but it is for this world. Crucial!! Jesus states: if His kingdom were of this world His followers would fight to prevent His being arrested. [18:10-11] Peter needed to learn Jesus’ teachings and He was now teaching Pilate. The resurrection is required to make this clear. This is why He had come. Jesus was bringing and speaking the truth.
The truth is not created in a test tube or by a Math equation, it is not pocket change, philosophers do not own it. We cannot copyright it; it is a gift, a strange quality, like Jesus’ kingdom, comes from elsewhere, but is meant to become a resident of this world. Jesus came to give factual evidence. Jesus is the truth. That totally annoys some folks. Pilate, on the obverse, only sees things through the prism of this world. His truth is from the point of a sword (gun barrel). Distilled: Pilate’s truth is against your truth, my power against your weakness and my cross is for your naked body. That is ‘the world’ truth then/now. Truth begins with Passover. The truth says one man dies - others go free. Jesus, truth, by various plots and distortions dies for Barabbas. Pilate/Caiaphas do not appreciate the irony, John sees it. The truth is Jesus; He is dying for Barabbas, Israel, the world; And you and me!
[John 19:1-7] – Here’s the Man! – Rulers have been erecting statues to themselves for eons. In the US, walk into any federal building. In a political leader’s office, one sees his pictures with other leaders. God does the same thing. His image is scattered everywhere one looks. God does this so He might rule over His creation, lovingly and wisely. We are talking about the human race. [Gen. 1:26-28] God gave His image a command to be fruitful and multiply; look after the garden and its animals. The human race is pictured as ruling God’s world under God’s lordship and exercising God’s wise stewardship over creation. The picture of the ideal king. [Ps. 8] What trait must we possess in order to move toward God’s ideal? Wisdom is needed to be truly human. Soloman is the best example of a truly wise person. John in his prologue develops the story of creation and the new creation. This is an intro of [19:14]. We see it again in [John 1 Chap. 1] as he reworks [Gen. 1:26-28]. The word becomes flesh and dwells among us. He was with God, He was God, with the Father, reflecting His character and love, and became human. Ideal, it was the sixth day all over again. Create the picture – it is the sixth day; view the Roman governor and his new prisoner. Pilate allows the soldiers to perform all manner of indecencies to this king. Then Pilate says, “Look! Here is the man.”
What?! Here is the true image of God. Here is the one who brought God’s wisdom into the world. Here is the one who made the invisible God visible. Here is the king - the breath-taking statue of the emperor-of-all. Placed within the emperor’s world so that all people could easily see their true master. And all His rebel subjects (Romans and Judeans) could do is mock, slap, crown and scream for His blood. They yell - He has made Himself God’s son! Through John, we know Jesus reflects God into the world. Jesus has intimate knowledge of the Father and His sharing with His friends is either a lie or it is true. Here is what is not mentioned in [Gen. 1]. The crown of thorns (sharp bits of creation) will draw blood from the creation’s Lord. This is what it means to be God’s image, planted in territory that belongs to God, but rebels against Him. He was in ‘the world’. Now we know what ‘the world’ means.
We learn - the proper form for God’s son to take on earth. Not an elevated human swathed in robes, gloriously defeating rebellion. He is the living statue that despite their wicked-ness is the king of Jews, crowned with thorns. Innocent king, true man, and telling the truth is accused of blasphemy. “Here is the man.” The words hang over [Chap. 19] as Jesus goes to the cross. Jesus, the eternal Word, took our flesh. Look – see your living, loving, bruised, and bleeding God. AMIN.
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