Kingdom of Jesus Christ (John 18:33-38a)

Kingdom of Jesus Christ (John 18:33-38a)

       
1. Jerusalem, a Holy Place?
When I visited Jerusalem five years ago, the old city of Jerusalem was crowded with merchants. Especially, via dolorosa, the road of sorrow through which Jesus walked bearing his cross, was fully packed with all sorts of merchants. The Mount Olive, north of Jerusalem, was filled with the poor Islamic houses. On this Mount Olive, looking down upon Jerusalem, Jesus cried out, "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"(Matt. 23:37-39)

2. Jesus' Entering into Jerusalem
When Jesus was coming to Jerusalem at his final stage of his public ministry, a great crowd took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" Hosanna means "Now, save us!"
They wished that this Jesus were the one who could save them from the control of the Roman Empire. And, they wished that Jesus would build the Israeli kingdom now and here immediately.
But as the Jesus whom they expected to be the Messiah did not satisfy them, their hopeful anticipation turned to be an anger.

After Jesus had spoken his last words to his disciples, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, to the garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus finished his prayer to God, he was caught there, and was tried by the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, and then was handed over to Pontius Pilate.
Pilate wanted to avoid the trial of Jesus, if possible, as he would not gain any benefit from this.
According to a tradition, Pilate's Galilean mistress advised him not to try and kill Jesus after she had a dream of Jesus. But he had to try Jesus as the high priests and the crowd strongly demanded him to do.

3. Confrontation of Jesus with Pilate
Pilate asks Jesus(v. 33): "Are you the King of the Jews?" It seems to be a meaningless question to Pilate. Pilate does not see any sign of revolt against the Roman Empire from Jesus, although the Jewish high priests and the crowds handed Jesus over to him for that charge.

Jesus asks Pilate in turn(v. 34): "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" In this, Jesus accepts that He is truly the King of the Jews, but that his meaning of the King of the Jews is different from Pilate's and other people's understanding of it.

Pilate says in verse 35: "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?" Pilate is not interested in why the Jews accused him that he claimed himself 'the King of the Jews.'
He now looks at a skinny weak man, who, according to his judgment, could never do harm to the Roman Empire. He keeps asking Jesus to find a clue to release him.

Instead of answering Pilate's second question, "What have you done?", Jesus answers for Pilate's first question, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus explains about his kingship or his kingdom.
In verse 36 Jesus answers: "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world."
The Greek word, "basileia"(βασιλεία), means kingship or kingdom. That is, it implies a place or a domain where Jesus' ruling affects.

The Kingdom of Christ is built on the basis of the confessing faith that Jesus Christ is the Lord, and it exists in the heart of those people who accept his kingship, and it is the communal body of those people, and it is the place where we all Christians will live forever sooner or later.
The Kingdom of Christ is the place where the eternal unchanging truth is proclaimed, and is governed by this truth.

In John 3:3 and 3:5 Jesus already mentioned the Kingdom where he will rule--that is, the Kingdom of God.
In John 3:3 Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God; in 3:5, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God."

The Kingdom of Christ is not only the place where we are going to enter in the near future by being born again of water and the Spirit, but also the domain where we can reach now through our faith in Christ, who is the truth and the way.
It is the place where nothing other than the truth can stand and rule.
It is the place where is governed by only Christ, the God of the truth.

Pilate cannot understand what Jesus means by saying, "My kingship is not of this world." Pilate is not sure whether Jesus claims that he is the King of the Jews or not.

Thus, Pilate asks Jesus in verse 37: "So you are a king?"
Then, Jesus answers, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."
Pilate can never understand what Jesus is saying.
We can become his people in his Kingdom, by hearing his voice that is witnessing to the truth.

"What is truth?"
John 8:31-32 states: "Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'"

Then, in John 8:36, Jesus says: "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
The truth that will make us free from the bondage of the prince of this world is no other than Jesus, the Son of God.
While Jesus is telling Pilate about the eternal, unchanging, absolute truth--that is about himself that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us(1:14), Pilate again asks Jesus about a worldly truth that changes over time. Then, he went out without waiting for Jesus' answer.

4. Epilogue
Jesus' coming to us was to make us free from the slavery of Satan.
For this, he had done the three-year public ministry, suffered, and died on the cross.
When you acknowledge Jesus Christ, who is the truth, as your personal Savior and Lord and hear his voice, you will become his people in his Kingdom, and you will enjoy the true peace that Jesus gives you, which is different from the peace that the world gives (14:27).

While we live here in this world, we feel sometimes weary and heavy laden.
But, we need to know that the Kingdom of Christ is not far away.
His Kingdom is near, within us.
Where we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord who came to us to live among us, suffered for us, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again on the third day, there Christ is with us.
Where Christ is with us, there is a land flowing with milk and honey.
Where Christ is with us, there we shall see that waters will break forth in the desert, and the rose will bloom in the waste land, and a highway is there, and it shall be called the Holy Way (Isa. 35:7-8).
Let us confess that Christ set our souls free from sin, and that where Jesus is with us, there is heaven--his Kingdom for us, now and then, here and there.