Oh He's infuriating!
Why doesn't He answer
the question.
Yes or no.
"Art Thou a king, then?"
But you know why
Jesus is going around the houses
in answer to the question.
It's not about being truthful
it's about being truthful
under the circumstances.
Is Jesus a king?
[PAUSE]
Of course He is.
The apostles say, "Jesus is Lord"
and the psalms say
"The Lord is king
and hath put on glorious apparel."
It's a no brainer.
But it's how you tell the truth
that matters.
Preconceived ideas
make things difficult.
If you are a military person
and someone calls herself
a captain.
You're going to think:
Army - an important commissioned officer
in charge of a platoon
or
Navy - an even more important officer
in full charge of a vessel.
But what if she means
she is
the captain of the rugby team?
The confusion
could be amusing,
irritating,
or even dangerous.
The same is true
with the title, "doctor".
A doctor of philosophy
is dangerously useless
when a doctor of medicine
is needed urgently.
[PAUSE]
It's clear
that Jesus wants
to refrain from using the title
because it could
be very dangerous.
The people
have all tried
to proclaim him king
but Jesus
slips away from them.
A king
could cause
a misunderstanding
that could result
in many deaths.
The people want
a triumphant military Messiah
to cast out the hated Romans
and restore their land.
That's not the salvation
that Jesus is thinking.
To call Himself king
would give Pilate
a grave cause for concern
that the people
are about to rise up.
It is a question of kingdoms.
[PAUSE]
Of course,
Our Lord is King of the Jews,
but He is King of the Jews
because He is
the King of Kings.
His Kingdom is more
than Judaea.
It's more than Rome.
It's more than
all the kingdoms
of this little planet.
His Kingdom is not of this world.
It cannot be explained
in earthly terms
of treaty, jurisdiction
contract, and alliance.
If a King
favours one part
of His Kingdom
over another,
it splits the kingdom.
To fight the Romans
for the Jews
might liberate the Jews
for a time
but it would not
liberate the Romans,
and Jesus is King of the Romans.
To have that view of Kingship
defeats the purpose
of the Incarnation,
defeats the purpose
of the Cross.
[PAUSE]
The Kingdom of God
is established in us
by one covenant alone
and that is the covenant
of the Blood of Christ.
In drinking that cup,
we accept Christ our King,
and in accepting Christ our King
we accept a King
Who fights for us
and with us
against the darkness
that seems to enslave us
by separating us from our King
and His Kingdom.
And, because He is our King,
He issues His Royal command to us
to fight under His banner
against sin, the world and the Devil
to play our part
in our salvation
and the salvation of others
by co-operating with His grace.
Our salvation comes
by faith and trusting in our King
and by works of love
that proceed from faith
through our willing acceptance
of His Kingdom.
[PAUSE]
Jesus always uses His titles
carefully, judiciously and in perfect truth
so as not to confuse
or scandalise.
Likewise,
our proclamation
of His Kingdom
must be done
carefully, judiciously and in perfect truth
which can only come by love.
Love is the Royal Command
for us to obey.
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