In the gospel for the Feast of Christ the King, Jesus tells Pilate he’s come to bear witness to the truth, and I can just imagine the look on the Pilate’s face.
Can’t you see this cynical politician listening to this silly, pathetic Jewish rabbi whom, he’s told, is claiming to be a king? Pilate must’ve been shaking his head and asking himself, “What are these Jews wasting my time with now? Look at this dirty peasant standing here! This guy couldn’t rule over a room full of toddlers let alone rule this nation of relentlessly rebellious, superstitious barbarians. What’s all this jazz about a kingdom not of this world? The kingdom of this world is the only one that counts. And he claims he’s come to tell the truth? This crazy fool doesn’t know what truth is.”
If you’re Pontius Pilate, truth is whatever the Emperor Tiberius says it is. That’s how you get along. If the emperor says the Jews are better off under Roman occupation, then that’s the truth. Rome builds roads and aqueducts and provides soldiers for protection. That’s the truth. Anyone who disagrees and wants self-determination is a criminal and will have a date with a cross. That’s the truth. If the emperor says he’s divine and should be worshiped as a god, that’s the truth.
King, emperor, sultan, calif, whatever. There’s only one way royal power works—by declaring how things are going to be and demanding that everyone goes along with that declaration. Power demands obedience.
Strangely, we humans always seem to be attracted to that idea.
Just to throw the troublesome Jews a little bone, Pilate gave them a gift at the Passover. They could pick one condemned criminal to be set free, and he gave them the choice between Barabbas, a bandit and insurrectionist, and Jesus. But the folks who sang “Hosanna!” the previous Sunday cheered louder on Friday for the man who wanted to take control by violent overthrow than for the one who came preaching love of enemies and forgiveness. Jesus lost the popular vote.
We get what we ask for, and we pay the consequences. There are myriad examples throughout history, from ancient Rome to our present day, of people being enamored of earthly power and praying for some super mortal to come along and lead them to glory and dominion. That’s what Jesus’ disciples wanted from him right up to the moment he was nailed to the cross. But glory, power, and dominion as the world sees them are false gods.
Unfortunately, there are still those—especially here in the United Sates—who misunderstand that power. They’d love to turn America into a “Christian nation,” but they forget Christ’s kingdom is not the political or social structures of this world.
Christ the King does not mean that Christians rule. It means that we are to be ruled. We are to submit ourselves lovingly to the service of one another. It means we are to practice kindness and be true neighbors. We are to listen to one another. We are to refrain from judgment because judgment belongs to God alone. We are to proclaim a non-judgmental compassion for those in need, and we are to assist the needy whenever and however we can.
You almost have to feel sorry for old Pontius Pilate. He put his faith in earthly power and, for the sake of maintaining it, he was willing to overlook the truth that the man who stood accused before him was guilty of nothing but loving, healing, teaching, accepting, and forgiving people. For the sake of imperial control, he condemned a man he knew to be innocent. Where is the truth in that?
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are living in a time when we have some serious disagreements about what is true and what is right. Our only response is to be honest with ourselves and keep asking: what would our King have us do?
