November 24, 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL
Daniel 7: 13-14 + Psalm 93 + Revelations 5: 1-8 + John 18: 33-37
At a shallow reading of just the words, it would be easy to think that it is Jesus who is on trial here. We are so familiar with the Passion from all four of the Gospel writers that the unique nuances of each one blend together, and that is unfortunate because we lose the important message each writer has to deliver. In John’s Gospel, it is not Jesus who is on trial.
The Jewish leaders are on trial. It is important to see a difference between the “Jewish leaders” and the Jewish people. The Jewish people have been following and listening to Jesus all along. They have been the grateful recipients of his healing power and compassionate presence. But these leaders do not have the welfare of their people at heart. They enjoy a measure of freedom and power given them by the Roman government. They benefit financially from their cooperation with that oppressive empire. They impose and collect taxes related to the temple, and who knows how much they kept for themselves.
Pilate is on trial here. The prisoner asks the questions. Pilate is unwilling to live according to the truth. As a Judge he is judged as a failure. Do not think for a minute that he hesitates and wants to save Jesus. He has one thing on his mind and that is himself. He has one job. Keep the peace. He cares nothing for the Jews. In fact, everything about him suggests that he despises them, mocks them, teases them, and threatens them. He manipulates them to make himself look good and keep his job. This talk of a king and a kingdom is something he can’t allow. There is only one king in his life, and it is Caesar.
Besides the Jewish leaders and Pilate though, we too are on trial here as John sees it. What brings us to trial is this matter of a King and his realm. “Are you a king” asks Pilate to which Jesus responds, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
History easily shows that followers of Jesus have been tempted again and again to desire a kingdom that is very much from and in this world. Christians have tried to fuse commitments of worship, faith, and justice with a certain political agenda. The thinking and the passion of some to turn this nation into a Christian nation denies two things: the very principal of a secular democracy that protects the right of every person to practice any every religion and the very words of Jesus: “My kingdom is not of this world.”
A disciple of Jesus is called to a difficult but important kind of detachment. For good reasons we become attached to the kingdoms of this world that provide security and identity. These attachments that could be called “patriotism” can be dangerous if left unquestioned. Without any critique, atrocities take place, genocides, holocausts are ignored with dire consequences for the human community. Power is seductive and a great temptation. It is this very ideal of a powerful King that Jesus calls into question. Instead of being served like a king in this world, King Jesus serves. Disciples of Jesus resist being attached to the Kingdoms of this world, because they seek first the kingdom of God knowing that in the midst of any anxiety, God will provide for all our needs and our best identity.
John gives us a Jesus who is a social prophet who criticized the economic, political, and religious elites of his time. Jesus had an alternate social vision. He is guilty of acts of compassion and justice, caring for people, and addressing the causes of their misery. Jesus points to a kingdom where everyone has what is needed to survive; where none are superior based on status and privilege. The world is waiting for our allegiance to the real king to finally make a difference.