November 22, 2009
Pastor Caroline
John 18:33-37

Is Jesus King

Those of you who are about the same age as I am will remember "Schoolhouse Rock"--those educational music videos that were on TV Saturday mornings between cartoons. To this day, I can't say the preamble to the constitution, I have to sing it.

One of these Schoolhouse Rock videos is called "No More King." Telling the story of the American Revolution, the last part of the song says,

"They wanted no more Mother England.
They knew the time had come
For them to take command.
It's very clear you're being unfair, King,
No matter what you say, we won't obey.
Gonna hold a revolution now, King,
And we're gonna run it all our way
With no more kings..."

We're gonna elect a president! (No more kings)
He's gonna do what the people want! (No more kings)
We're gonna run things our way! (No more kings)
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do!"

Honestly, that's the impression most of us have of a monarchy. As Americans, we are raised with the idea that a king is not the way to go.

That really doesn't interfere with how we think about today, a day called "Christ the King." In spite of our inherent distaste for a monarchy, we're fine with this festival because we know it has everything to do with the church and nothing to do with politics. That's how we see it, and honestly, most of us can't imagine it any other way.

But the people who lived at the time of Jesus could. They were raised much differently than we were. Rather than think that a king was not at all the way to go, they were raised to watch and to wait for the great king who would make things right... who would reestablish their country as a great nation with a great monarchy.

Looking at the Old Testament story, one realizes that this mindset started almost the minute the Israelites' feet touched the Promised Land. From the very beginning, Israel wanted to be like everyone else, and everyone else had a king. Israel's God... our God... objected, saying that kings are human, and humans have a nasty habit of letting power go to their head. The prophets chimed in on this, too, saying "beware, folks." But a mindset is a difficult thing to change. So, eventually God relented and the people of Israel... our Judeo-Christian ancestors... got a king.

In their day, Israel had some impressive and powerful kings... good rulers like David and his son, Solomon. Even though both of them messed up royally (pun intended), they were still good and faithful kings. But after those two there were kings like Joakim, Ahab, and Zedikiah who apparently weren't very impressive because nobody learns about them in Sunday School. And so it wasn't long before another nation with a powerful king named Nebuchadnezzar invaded from the north, destroyed everything, and took the people away into exile.

Even in exile, Israel... the Israelites... never lost the memory and the dream of a great monarchy. King David, the one strong, able king that Israel did have, remained in Israel's consciousness. One day, Israel said, one day there will be a king who will reestablish the monarchy. This king will bring the nation together, and will lead so well that Israel will again be such a strong nation that the rest of the world will finally sit up and take notice. One day. Some of the prophets, like Isaiah, who had been such critics of the monarchy, said that one day Israel would get a king from God who would be worthy of the name. This king would be known as the Messiah, the anointed one (kings were anointed up at the temple, with oil being poured over their heads as a sign of divine favor). This king would reign as a gift from God.

When a baby named Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Matthew says that there were some that saw in this baby grand possibilities for the future. Herod, the king who had been put in place by the Romans, was terribly troubled by the news of Jesus' birth. Herod didn't want "any other kings" anywhere nearby. He was right to be troubled, because Luke says that when Jesus was born, angels filled the heavens, singing, "Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, peace and good will... " This is royal talk. These angels... messengers from God... are making a royal proclamation. As people who were raised to watch and wait for a great king who would make things right... who would reestablish their country in the manner of King David, the news began to spread, and the hopes of the people began to soar.

Things were quiet for about 30 years, but eventually this baby grew to be a man. He taught, he healed, he attracted large crowds, he made waves. Therefore, it seems only natural that, when Jesus came to Jerusalem...the capital city, the seat of kings... the people should greet him with a parade. We know that story, right? The people cut down palm branches. They put their coats in his path. They hailed him as someone who came "in the name of the Lord" and as someone who was going to bring about "the kingdom of David."

At the end of the parade Jesus entered the temple and among many of his followers there is the expectation that now the coronation would begin, that Jesus would be anointed in the house of God. But Jesus entered the temple, caused a great raucus, and left.

Then there was a big meal. But rather than being a royal banquet--a state dinner and an inaugural ball--Jesus sat with a few close friends, telling them that they would desert and deny him.

Later, Jesus did appear before the high priest at the temple, but he wasn't anointed and crowned king. No, he was tried by the priestly council, the Sanhedrin, who cursed and accused him. After the temple, Jesus did go to the royal palace, but not to overthrow the Romans. Instead, Jesus was questioned by a Roman bureaucrat named Pontius Pilate.

That's about where today's Gospel reading comes in. Jesus is standing before Pilate, and... after everything Pilate has heard... he asks Jesus, "Are you king?"

All that brings us back to today... Christ the King Sunday... the last day of the church calendar in the year of our Lord 2009. The question that was first posed to Jesus and since has been posed to those of us who are the church confronts us again today. Is Jesus king?

We were raised not to expect a king in Washington, but what about in Jerusalem? More importantly, in our own lives? In light of the story we heard again today and the stories of heartache and hardship that are being told all around us in 2009, how do you answer Pilate's question?

Is this one who lived nonviolently, who taught and who enacted sacrificial love, who forgave his enemies and embraced the outcast and the marginalized, is this one King?

Notice that, in the Gospel story, Jesus doesn't really answer Pilate when he puts the question to Jesus. Maybe he doesn't answer because he wanted the church throughout the ages to answer... he wanted you and me to answer.

What is your verdict? Is Jesus King?

Lord Jesus, on this day when the timeless question is put before us once again, help us recognize you as our king-a king who rules forever with grace and truth and love.

Amen.

St. Paul's Lutheran Church § 824 N. Lewis § Waukegan IL