John 18:36 Jesus
said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would
fight to prevent my arrest by the religious leaders. But now my kingdom is
from another place.” (NIV)
In a couple of weeks, my
wife and I will be touring Italy as part of a month-long sabbatical that has
been graciously given to me. I look forward to seeing the ancient buildings and
ruins of the once-proud Roman Empire, as well as visiting art galleries and
museums which contain some of the best Renaissance paintings and sculptures in
the world. I’ll also get to see some of the sites of the Early Christian
communities and marvel at the fact that such a humble and lowly religion
managed to overturn the most powerful empire in the history of the world.
In the Gospel passage
where Pilate has a conversation with Jesus (John
18:28-40), we see the beginnings of the rise of Christianity and the fall
of the Roman Empire. Pilate does not know what to do with Jesus and apparently
hesitates about executing Him. The Roman Governor seeks a political reason to
crucify Christ, but Jesus will not give him what he wants. “My kingdom is not
of this world,” claims Jesus, so Pilate is perplexed because he realizes he is
dealing with spiritual matters that are outside of his jurisdiction. However,
as a means of political expediency, the perturbed governor will relent to the baying
of the mob and crucify Jesus. From that point on, the Empire began to fall as Christ’s
kingdom arose.
This passage should remind
us that politics do not override our faith or should even come close to it.
Christians are citizens of Christ’s Kingdom, so every other national or
political loyalty that we have needs to be tempered by our faith, not the other
way around. If we let politics and politicians take over our hearts and minds,
then we are actually displacing Christ and distancing ourselves from His
Kingdom. All that we say, do, or even post on social media, should be done
through the lens of Christ as our Lord, Savior, and King. Remember, His Kingdom
is not of this world, so neither should we be completely attached, focused or
obsessed with it.
Point to ponder
Do I put Christ at the center of my life? Why/why not?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, remind us that You call us to be
Your servants and that our ultimate destination is to abide in Your Kingdom.
Teach us to let go of worldly things and latch on to heavenly blessings. In
your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Come along and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very
welcome 😊
Today’s image is one of
John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit Filled.’ If you would like to
view a larger version, please click this link: Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment