to testify to the truth

 John 18:33-37 is the lectionary text for Sunday, November 21 - Christ The King Sunday.

The truth was that Jesus' Kingdom* and His presence represented a threat to those who had the power in that time and place, in empire, in society and in the religious community*.  Jesus' presence, authority and teachings flew in the face of the empire values of greed, lust for power and desire for status that drove those living under empire, even those in tentative positions of power under them.  Herod, the Sanhedrin* and most of the people had resolved to their plight under empire, and within that occupation and oppression sought to get whatever it is that they could, some just to survive and others, those in position, to thrive.

Jesus' Good News of the Kingdom of God provided a different vision based on Kingdom values.  It was centered on the living of Agape Love for God and Neighbor, and defined neighbor as stranger, enemy and the most vulnerable - those most held down, back and out by empire.  This radical Agape Love, Grace and Mercy presented by Jesus as God's Will flew in the face of the empire values that Rome, the Throne of Israel and Temple Cult Leaders* had embraced and manipulated to gain more at the expense of the people of God.  It was a growing certainty that Jesus would have to go, because more and more folk heard His message, saw His examples of it at work and could not have that disrupt their systems designed to get them more power, wealth and status.

Pilate was caught in the middle, but he represented empire.  Empire had the absolute power to occupy, oppress, imprison and execute whoever they wanted for whatever reasons they wanted.  He had to uphold that power.  The Sanhedrin and Herod found a way to exploit empire to serve their purposes of ridding themselves of a Jesus who exposed them as the frauds that they were in that time, based on the Word - here the Logos made flesh.  Jesus was the real deal.  Every time Jesus spoke and acted, it uncovered the inconsistencies that their duplicitous and disingenuous values and practices had set up as truth.  Jesus' truth was God's truth, and it exposed their falsehoods.

So, Pilate's truth, The Sanhedrin's truth, Herod's truth were exposed as being incongruous with God's Will.  Jesus' inconvenient truth threatened to open the eyes, hearts and minds of the rest of the people, which would put their positions, wealth and prestige in jeopardy.  Jesus had to go.

Jesus' Kingdom, a movement of people following a servant-King, did not reflect in any way the world's views of Kingdom.  Empire was built on the many serving the few, the destruction of many lives to benefit the few and the absolute power of the few "elites" over the common masses.  This King came to sacrifice for His subjects, to teach them a better way for their sake and to deliver them from exploitation and destructive systems of oppression.  This King taught the use of power for the sake of all, the sharing of resources with all and the equal value of all.  Those with power, wealth and status could not have that become the world's new norm.  Jesus had to go.  

But Jesus' Kingdom is not limited to time and place.  Just as empire has had its many iterations over the centuries, so the movement of Jesus has addressed it since the First Century CE.  "The Kingdom of God is within/among you."  "The Kingdom of God has come near to you."  "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

In our iteration of empire, the church of Jesus Christ can and must regain the teaching and embrace of Jesus' Good News values based on Agape Love, Grace and Mercy.  We can continue, as an institution, to gain what can be gained for the institution under empire, or we can align ourselves with Jesus' Good News and address empire with Jesus' truth - God's Will, and be a part of Jesus' movement of radical love, be the Shalom Community and transform the world of empire to life in the Kingdom of God.  

Jesus testified to the truth and said, "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Are you listening?

Are WE listening?

Pastor Jamie

* Sanhedrin, religious leaders, Temple Cult Leaders are references to corrupt leaders of that time and place, and do not reflect any kind of polemic against a whole people for all time.  Empire corrupts, and those subject to it are easily corrupted, at least for a time.

*Kingdom is biblical language for REIGN OF GOD.  It is purposefully used here because of the truly opposite orientation of God's realm from what empire has done under the same term, thus pointing out the threat that Jesus posed by being called "King."

I would also submit that anti-Roman polemic is more vastly a polemic against empire in the Gospels, as all empires represent occupation, corruption and oppression for the peoples who are subjected to them.