Image from agnusday.org
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ (John 18:33-37)
Happy Monday of Thanksgiving Week dear Friend! School is out and our homes are filling up! With either kids and parents; friends, loved ones, food - you name it, excitement is in the air! And Sunday after Thanksgiving, will be Christ the King Sunday; when the Church reminds itself that our king is Jesus. We cannot lose sight of that; our perspectives towards life knowing and celebrating Jesus Christ is OUR King will help us face life with new eyes.
Today's passage is during Jesus' trial, and as our friends the lambs from the above cartoon remind us, the exchange between Pilate as an earthly king and Jesus, our eternal King seems awkward. Pilate was playing his role as one who sits on the throne thanks to Rome and wants to be faithful to his government; Jesus is on trail for many things, including that He was presenting Himself as King. The ones who hated hearing this were the Jews; they had Jesus arrested and wanted Him dead and one of the charges was that Jesus was guilty of going against the established government, which the Jews also hated. So, the logical first question from Pilate to Jesus was to ask if He indeed was the King of the Jews? Jesus answers with a question: "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate offers another question, "I am not a Jew, amI?," but adds, "Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Interesting that Pilate says Jesus is from another nation and it is that nation which is handing Him over to be tried with hopes of his execution. The Romans recognized the differences between their nation and the nation within their nation, the Jewish nation. But, Jesus says, I am king over a kingdom not of this world. If I truly was king here, my followers would be fighting to free me.
You and I are citizens of Jesus' kingdom. Yes, most of you reading this are living within the United States and we do take seriously our citizenship as such. And you from the nations, take your citizenship seriously as well; but if we profess Jesus as our Lord, then He is our king. Our nation is from a dimension not easily seen here on earth; our actions and attitudes should reflect the principles that guide our Heavenly Kingdom - that God's will is done. And we know God's will to be that of love and justice for those who seek it; to provide living water for those thirsty and a satisfaction for hunger that nothing here on earth could ever truly satisfy. We live as holy people in an unholy world, seeking to share the reality of God's love for those to whom love may be a stranger. And we live out actions that may confuse those who expect something different from us. We are, after all, citizens of a kingdom of truth; and if we belong to truth, we listen to Jesus' voice. Are you listening?
Nellie and I just got back from a seven day cruise. It was as we had planned it; a time of rest and relaxation. I heard several people say as the cruise was coming to an end, "I kinda liked having someone else cook for me!" I took along a marvelous book that I had hoped to finish, and it's called "Running with the Horses" by Eugene Peterson, the translator of The Message Bible. I highly recommend the book, for he shares with the reader, the life of a prophet by the name of Jeremiah, who sought to be faithful to God while suffering with the realities of this world. Jeremiah was the prophet who endured 55 years of King Manasseh, and his son,Amon, who turned the nation away from God. It got so bad that the nation arose against Amon and had him killed. Eight year old, Josiah, came to the throne. He found remnants of the book Deuteronomy and led the nation back to God because of what he read. Jeremiah suffered a LOT as God's prophet during the first two reigns, enjoyed a time of blessings with Josiah, but when he died, his son turned the people back to idols and false gods. It was during that reign that the Babylonians came and carried the leaders away. All of this was God's plan and Jeremiah preached that which went against the other prophets and priest who were preaching, "This is just for a short while!" The book by Rev. Peterson speaks of what it means to be human, truly human to be guided by God. It helps us better understand what it means to be a citizen of God's kingdom while enduring what we see happening in our nation and around the world as well.
This week as we prepare to truly give God thanks for His blessings, remember to listen. As Jesus shared, we are those who listen to God's voice through Jesus. Are you listening?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as we pray, we give You thanks for allowing us to listen to You. May we open our Bibles to hear, our spirits to receive and our minds to process that which blesses You and us. May we live as citizens who love and follow You. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Two ears, one mouth equals more listening! Listen for the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
Here is a link to the book, Running with the Horses by Eugene Peterson: https://amzn.to/2Dwh3oP This helps fund my retirement, so your thoughtful and prayerful consideration of my recommendations are appreciated! Blessings!
