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33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:33-37 New International Version of The Bible)
Happy Monday, ConCafe Family! May you, dear Friend, shine Christ's love to all today! Prayers for all for whom we have been praying; that God may be glorified and that we bless Him by listening to whatever direction He may share with us.
This coming Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. It is the day the Christian Church affirm a basic tenet of our fatih that Jesus is the King. Yes, even for us Americans who have no clue of what having a king is all about. In fact, we fought against staying under a king's reign, and having a king, for many, is the last thing we would want for our nation. Yet, for those who were born in a nation with a monarchy, most like, or at best, tolerate, that system of government. Ours is a spiritual kingdom, with Jesus as our eternal king.
I have shared how our firstborn, being raised on Disney and other fairy tale type tales, had a great fear of kings. Kings in some stories are shown to be absolute tyrants with life and death power over all subjects. At a session of the Rio Grande Annual Conference years ago, held in the Lois Perkins Chapel, a majestic and beautiful worship space, the choir from La Trinidad UMC of San Antonio was singing "The King is Coming." That's all our baby Nellie had to hear. She was in my Dad's arms, and when she heard the refrain, she looked to the back and down the aisle and exclaimed quite loudly, "Oh my God, grandpa, the king is coming! Get me outta here!" Those around them chuckled, but she was serious and Dad took her outside to explain things to her. Some of us do fear the return of The King, Who will come to judge us; others of us look forward to seeing His face and being reunited with Him in our heavenly home.
The gospel lesson centers on a discussion Jesus has with Pilate. Here, the King of the Universe is meeting with the Roman governor of Judea. The Roman's supreme leader was not known as king but as Caesar. Interesting to note that Caesar was first a family name but came to be known as the title of the ruler over the Roman Empire. Pilate's loyalty was to Caesar Augustus, and enjoyed that special position of authority and priviledge. It would ultimately be Pilate's word that would lead to Jesus' death. But for now, Pilate has to ask, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Pilate had heard the rumors and gossip. Jesus had to be the Messiah, in Jewish expectations, of the one who would set Israel free from the Roman rule, and lead the nation back into greatness. Jesus wants to know if he came up with this idea of His being a king on his own, or if others had talked to him about it. Pilate defends himself by asking "Am I a Jew?" He knew that everyone knew he was a Roman and a proud one at that. Then, he wanted to know why his own people would have turned Jesus in. Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom if from another place." Pilate then declares, "You are a king, then!" Our Lord replies, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
Jesus knew that if He had been an earthly king, there would have been a fight to keep Jesus away from the Jewish leaders. And He also reveals to Pilate that His kingdom is from another place, meaning another realm, the one to which we belong. How I wish more people would that that seriously, and that all of us would live with that understanding, that we are from another kingdom, and our time here is just temporary. If we truly are "on the side of the truth" as Jesus said, we know and recognize and bow down to Him, who is our King. As Jesus answered His questioners about the greatest commandment, that appies to us and our love for God and for Jesus, our King. All aspects of our lives should be devoted and in love with Jesus; and the second commandment which is just as important, is to love our neighbor as ourselves. That means, no other gods, and no other nations. I love the United States, but not as much as I love Jesus. While I believe our country is great, it is not perfect, and we, like other nations, have our faults both internal and external, and we have to realize that our country, like the Temple, will not last forever. Jesus will. And so will we, if we surrender all our being to Him and love Him and serve Him as we should.
PRAYER: Loving King, we humble ourselves before You in total love and adoration of You. Forgive us for the times we have placed other things and even other people before You. There is none like You; and there is no one Who loves us like You do. Help us to continue our task to form Your kingdom here on the earth and to include all we can so that Your Kingdom grows. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Pledge your alligiance to God's Son, Who is our King; as the hymn says, "And crown Him, Lord of all!"
Receive my love and blessings for a great and blessed day today!
Pastor Eradio Valverde
