“Not Of This World”
With Thanksgiving coming up this Thursday I thought I would begin this morning with a relevant subject: food. According to the late great Andy Rooney the two biggest sellers in any bookstore are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it.
Orson Welles once said, “My doctor has advised me to give up those intimate little dinners for four, unless, of course, there are three other people eating with me.”
Champion archer Rick McKinney confesses that he regularly eats chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. He refers to “the basic four food groups” as a Big Mac, fries, a shake and a lemon tart. A California scientist has computed that the average human being eats 16 times his or her weight in an average year, while a horse eats only eight times its weight. This all seems to prove that if you want to lose weight, you should eat like a horse. Just some things to keep in mind for Thursday.
John 18:33-37
When you received your e-bulletin from the office this week and looked up the text that I just read you probably thought your preacher had lost it. Maybe he’s been working too hard—burning the candles at both ends and in middle at the same time. Maybe he’s not taking enough time for himself. Maybe he’s started working more than just one day per week. Maybe it’s the early stages of dementia—after all, he is a Senior Citizen. Whatever the reason—it would seem that my calendar may be upside-down.
Here we are one week from Advent and I’m reading to you the story of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Granted, when you arrive for worship next Sunday morning Christmas will be in the air—with a manger scene, the Advent Wreath, and Christmas hymns. Here we are a mere five weeks from Christmas (30 shopping days for you men), the journey to Bethlehem, the sold-out hotel, the feed trough used for a manger—and our preacher and his upside-down calendar has us just hours away from the trip up the Via Delarosa—the Cross—and the place called Golgotha.
Have you any idea why? Because, as I’ve already mentioned, today is what’s known on the Church calendar as “Christ the King Sunday,” the last Sunday of normal time before the Season of Advent which ushers in the Christian New Year. It is a reminder that the Son of God humbled Himself by becoming human (Manna from Heaven)—by dying on the cross—to show the world that He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords for all eternity.
“Are you the king of the Jews” was Pilate’s question to Jesus. If Pilate was asking this question in his role as the Roman governor, he would have been inquiring whether Jesus was setting up a rebel government. But the Jews were using the word “king” to mean their religious ruler, the Messiah. Israel was a captive nation, under the authority of the Roman Empire. A rival king might have threatened Rome which would be a concern for Pilate; but a Messiah could have easily just been a religious leader.
There is a story of a little boy who was in the hospital in England in the days of King George V, king of Great Britain from 1910 until his death in 1936. The patients in this particular hospital where the little boy was being treated were told that the king was going to pay them a visit that day. So, everybody put on their best clothes as they were lying in bed, waiting for the king to come.
This little boy was eager to see the king. All day long there were a number of visitors, because it was visitor’s day. And along about four o’clock a man came in with a number of other men with him. He spoke to some of the boys and girls. He even spoke to this young boy who was waiting so eagerly to see the king. He patted him on the head. He spoke very nicely to the boy and left.
That night, as he was being made ready for bed, the little boy spoke to the nurse. “Nurse,” he complained, “the king didn’t come.”
And she said, “Oh, the king did come. Don’t you remember that nice elderly man that came over to you and patted you on the head? And spoke so sweetly to you?”
And he said, “Yes, I do.” She said, “Well, that was the king.” The boy protested, “But nurse, he didn’t have on his crown.”
This is what disappointed the people who came to see Jesus. He wore no crown. He came as an ordinary man. His parents were ordinary citizens. His hometown was so little respected that people asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth.” And He surrounded Himself with ordinary people.
Understand something here. Pilate was just trying to start a conversation that he really didn’t want to be in. He was asking questions that he really didn’t want the answers to. Really, he was looking for any way possible to remove himself from having to make a decision concerning Jesus. (To wash his hands of the whole affair)
And Jesus was rather curt with His answer, “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” Probably not the response we might think would come from Jesus. But my friends, Jesus was having a particularly bad day, and it was only going to get worse. Have you ever had a bad day? I know, what day is it?
He was being held unlawfully—He had spent the night in chains and paraded all around town—and when He wasn’t being paraded around town He was dropped down into a hole in the floor, a cylinder, where he was left suspended in the dark.
His friends had deserted Him—the crowds outside of Pilate’s residence, probably those who shouted Hosanna when He came into town, were crying for Him to be crucified—and here He was being asked these questions.
Many folks, me included, down through the ages, have interpreted this scene, or trial, as a gross miscarriage of justice. And yet, truth be told, Jesus is guilty as charged. Pilate examines Jesus as a potential threat to the order and the stability, the authority and power of the state, so in a sense, Jesus is guilty. Which leads me to this question: If you were charged in criminal court as a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
We often name the name of Christ and either do not accept or comprehend or believe what we are saying. For example: a Gallop Poll once conducted in the United States revealed that more than 86% of all Americans consider themselves Christians, but less than half knew who preached the Sermon on the Mount. Probably about the same for those who regularly attend church. The same poll showed that 60% of the country was in church the prior Easter, but one out of four didn’t know what Easter celebrates. So, when we name Jesus as King, when we call Him Lord, do we know what we are doing? Do we accept and believe it? Do we understand it?
Jesus agrees that He has a kingdom but asserts that it is not the kind of kingdom that has soldiers that fight for it. It was not built, nor is it maintained by military might. It was a kingdom not of this world.
And then Jesus says, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” Two of the most important words in this conversation are: testify and truth. (To be able to testify there must be a test) “The testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:3 NIV).
Jesus told His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6-7).
I’m just spit balling here, but maybe Pilate, in a small way, wanted to know more about this truth and life and path to the father? (He went crazy after this encounter)
Anyway, Jesus must have convinced Pilate that He was a king because much to the chagrin of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law he ordered the letters INRI engraved on Jesus’ cross. Those letters said: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
Some folks, this Thursday, after getting their fill of Thanksgiving treats and their naps, will head to the malls and shopping centers to get a jump start on Black Friday. I got tricked into that one time and swore I would never do it again. Some folks will be up all night doing their Black Friday thing looking for those special gift items. I wonder what those same folks would say if they were told to spend the night in worship. I wonder who or what might be their king?
May we, in this upcoming season of Advent and the upcoming New Year, remember the two most important words in our Gospel Lesson this morning: Testify and Truth. May we testify, in words and action, to our faith in the truth. May we be a demonstration of faith and truth. And what is the truth? Jesus of Nazareth.
Elvis Presley was called the King of Rock & Roll, but he is dead.
Michael Jackson was called the King of Pop, also dead.
What do you call Jesus Christ? Is He your king? He lives forever!
Thanks be to God!
Eastman First Methodist Church 