Pastor Tom Johnson, November 21, 2021
The year was 1925. Italy was in the third year of the totalitarian rule of Benito Mussolini who was ready to crush any intellectual or political opposition. Mussolini himself coined the term “fascism.” This was the year that Pope Pius XI created a new motto for his own office: “The Peace of Christ in the Reign of Christ.” And it was the same year that he established the Feast of Christ the King which we celebrate today. Sadly, Mussolini was just the beginning of a global movement of fascism that spread to Germany, Japan, Austria, Brazil, and many other nations leading up to World War II. Some would say that it continues to spread today. Pope Pius the XI was alarmed by the rise of any human power that challenged the authority and reign of Christ’s love and peace. And so the Lutheran Church along with many other protestant denominations adopted this same yearly reminder that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In John chapter 18 we have a remarkable record of a conversation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate—whose name is included in the Apostles’ Creed. Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” But before Jesus suffers under a whip, a thorny crown, mockery, and nailed to a Roman Cross, Jesus first tries to explain to Pilate the difference between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God. Jesus witnesses to this truth. And here it is helpful to understand the origin of the word truth. It means unconcealedness, disclosure, or revealing. It is not too different from the word revelation which is also written by John of his vision of the truth that is spiritual, transcends this world, and reveals the universal reign of Christ.
Jesus says, “My Kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting.” Jesus’ Kingdom is like nothing the world has ever seen. Christ’s Kingdom originates from outside this universe. The Ancient One’s Kingdom is eternal. It has no beginning. It will have no end. Wherever the King is, there is the Kingdom. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that was the eternal Son of God coming into the world. Jesus says, “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” It is just a verse later that Pontius Pilate asks, “What is truth?” It shows that he does not get it. He cannot imagine a world where the Emperor of Rome is not supreme leader. Pilate is there to ensure that no one challenges Rome’s reign. The truth is that Pilate is a pawn of the Roman Empire. He is more concerned with his popularity than he is in doing the right thing. He is also a pawn of the mobs who wanted to crucify Jesus. Pilate, the Romans, the Jewish people, and the whole world has only known imperialism, nationalism, and tribalism. This is the way of the world when Jesus talked to Pilate. It was that way in 1925. And it is the way of the world today. We get so caught up in our own self-preservation and prosperity that we lose sight of God’s global Kingdom. God commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In the age of globalism, it is more evident than ever that all nations are our neighbors.
Scripture says that as believers our citizenship is in God’s Kingdom (Philippians 3:20). We are ambassadors of a greater Kingdom to extend God’s love to the world. We are sojourners traveling through this world to our eternal home. Like Jesus, we should be able to say, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” “My King is not of this world.” But my King and his Kingdom has come into this world to transform this world by the reign of his love. And, like him, we are also called to be in the world but not of the world. Jesus is our King leading the way for us to navigate this world. It is a high calling for all of us to rise above our nationalism. The United States of America is not the only nation on the map; nor is it the only nation God deeply cares about. He is God of every, tribe, nation, tongue and people.
As God’s people, we should recognize the futility of partisan politics. To say that one political party or another is sanctioned by God contradicts Jesus’ word today when he says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Today, nations still wage war against one another militarily, economically, and culturally. There will be no end to the political differences we see in this country. Even our self-interests seem to be more important than the health of the planet we share as we pollute and exploit God’s creation to our own collective peril. This is a great challenge. But it is also a magnificent opportunity. Who else but the people of God know universal and global love for all creation? Who else is there but the ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom to extend reconciliation with God and with one another? We speak the truth because we belong to the truth. We are not our own. Our forgiveness and place in Christ’s Kingdom have been purchased by our King’s blood. We extend the reign of God’s love to others because he has first extended his reign of love to us.
Yea, amen, let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow’r and glory,
Claim the kingdom as Thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone!
(“Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending,” LSB 336 v. 4)
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