Sermon preached at St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Swanscombe on Sunday 26th November 2006 based on Daniel vii. 9-14, Apocalypse i.4-8 and St John xviii.33-37.
In all the world,
there is none as bald
at this moment as Pontius.
He is tearing his hair out.
Before him stands
a rather grubby little Jewish man
who looks as if he has been
beaten up rather badly.
His clothes are covered in dirt,
his lip is bleeding,
and one of his eyes looks a little puffy.
“That’s going to be a proper shiner,”
thinks one of the guards.
So what’s giving Pontius grief?
Well, this grubby man
standing before him
has been accused of being
the king of the Jews,
and it is these Jews that are expecting
Pontius to do something about
this troublemaker.
The real trouble is that
he doesn’t seem to be able
to get a straight answer out of Him
in this most peculiar trial.
After all,
how can you be accused of being a king?
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Are you speaking for yourself,
or did others tell you this concerning me?”
What kind of answer’s that?
How can Pilate find out the truth
if he’s going to get an answer like that?
[PAUSE]
“Are you speaking for yourself,
or did others tell you this concerning me?”
Pilate can’t quite decide whether
this Jesus is being disrespectful
of his office as Governor of Judaea.
At Jesus’ reply,
he shifts on his throne uneasily,
brushing away an impertinent mosquito
that has decided to try and drill for oil
in his arm.
Certainly, the Jews have shown him
little respect when they delivered
this man to him at this time of night.
They don’t seem to have any respect
for their king either.
What authority
does this poor Jesus
have with the Jews?
What is a ruler without authority?
Perhaps it’s a Jewish custom to treat their rulers like this.
They’re a mad lot these Jews,
always getting their knickers in a twist
about something!
“Am I a Jew?”
says Pilate,
“I don’t understand your customs,
but it was your people
that brought you to me.
I don’t understand why?
What have you done?”
Has this Jesus made
the biggest mistake of his life
declaring himself to be a king
of a people who don’t want himto be king?
What is a ruler without
any understanding of his people?
[PAUSE]
Jesus looks at him,
wiping away a little blood from His lip,
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
“What?” thinks Pilate,
eyes widening, “he’s a lunatic!
But if he is a lunatic
why are the Jewish authorities
so afraid of him?
Is he their king or not?”
Jesus continues,
“If My kingdom were of this world,
My servants would fight so that
I should not be delivered to the Jews;
but now My kingdom is not from here.”
“That’s true,” thinks Pontius Pilate
relaxing slightly at the news
that Judaea isn’t going to be overrun
by angry hordes intent on chopping him
into pieces.
But what is a ruler without people to defend his rule?
[PAUSE]
But this Jesus has admitted He has a kingdom.
“Are you a king then?”
asks Pilate,
feeling a little bit surer that he is getting
near the truth about the identity
of this weird little Jew.
“You say rightly that I am a king.
For this cause I was born,
and for this cause I have come into the world,
that I should bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate gives up.
“What is truth?”
he says dismissively.
Whoever this man is,
he is not a threat either to him,
or to the Jews.
Pilate decides that Jesus
should be free to live his life.
After all, what is a ruler without freedom?
The trouble is,
as we see in these, the last few hours
of the life of the Lord,
Pilate is not free to let Jesus go.
[PAUSE]
Is Jesus really a king then?
Is Pilate any more of a ruler than Jesus?
Pilate has authority over the Jews,
but he can’t seem to get them
to respect his decisions.
He doesn’t understand the Jews at all,
and if he had all the armies
in Rome at his disposal,
they wouldn’t get to Judaea
in time to prevent
a rather nasty massacre
if the Jews decided to revolt.
He may have the freedom
to try to impose his will on the Jews,
but he dare not exercise it
beyond what his army can do!
What do you think of Pilate’s status as a ruler?
Is it any better than any other world leader, even today?
What authority does any leader have?
What freedom do they have to do what they want?
Who fights for them?
Do they really know what their subjects need?
How do we answer these questions
about Jesus’ claim to be king?
[PAUSE]
Questions, questions, questions!
The fact that Jesus is the Son of God
means that he has complete freedom
over all of the Universe
– a freedom that He is prepared
to share with us.
Who fights for Him?
A heavenly army of angels
led by St Michael the Archangel
who defeats Satan,
and we too have angels to fight for us,
because He has given
His angels charge over us.
Does He know the needs of His subjects?
He knows us through and through.
He knows every thought that passes through our heads.
He may sit on His throne of fire in Heaven,
but His heart is with each one of us on earth,
and by living His way
of loving our neighbour as ourselves,
so will we know each others’ needs.
What authority does Jesus have?
He is our Lord and God.
All authority in Heaven and on Earth
have been given to Him,
and He shares this authority with the Church.
Is Jesus a king then?
Haven’t we just said so?
But if He shares all his kingship with us,
and if we keep a true faith with Him,
serving Him and loving Him
and worshipping Him,
doesn’t that make us kings as well?
What do you think?
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