Scripture: John 18:33-37
Biblical
scholars across the theological spectrum rarely agree on anything – especially
given the antiquity of their subject matter and of course the passions faith
differences can arouse. Interestingly and remarkably enough, almost all of them
do agree on one thing: The focus of
Jesus’ life and teachings does not fall on the person of Jesus, but on the building
of the kingdom, the reign, the realm -- the common-wealth -- of God.
In this scripture, even the greatest gospel promoter of the Lordship
of Christ seems to
recognize there’s something much greater to the gospel than Jesus himself.
The Roman governor of Judea, Pontius
Pilate, asks his prisoner, “Are you the King of the Jews?” A yes answer, and
Pilate has his man; Jesus could then be judged a threat to the empire
Pilate is sworn to uphold. But Jesus deftly deflects the self-focus back to
Pilate: “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Later,
after Jesus makes a “my kingdom” reference, Pilate returns to his line
of questioning: “So you are a king?” Jesus will not bite: “You say that I am a king.”
How
remarkable this exchange! Even though Jesus self-references throughout this gospel in lofty ways – John’s Jesus is the “highest” Jesus of all, the one we most associate
with a Godlike Christ – he could not and would not directly claim himself a
king. He's a lower Jesus ... a humbler Jesus. Fully human ... fully humane.
Sounds
like the real Christmas narrative to me.
The final Sunday of each Church year* is
recognized worldwide by many Protestant communions as well as by Catholics as “Christ the King
Sunday”. How unfortunate. Anything to keep our eye on
Jesus’heroic person, lest we actually journey his humble journey for ourselves.
Anything lest we claim his real vision for the world: the kingdom of God. Christ as King? Might as well stuff him in a
red-and-white suit!
But politicians cannot mock -- and our economic forces cannot trivialize – a
Jesus who repeatedly turns our church attention from his sanctified (read, Santa-fied) self to where God’s reign really lies: the highways
and byways of all our marginalized lives.
For
it’s one thing for a nation to neutralize the power of God’s kingdom
message: Beginning the celebration of the messenger’s birthday with a pre-dawn
rush on big screen TVs. It’s another thing altogether for a church to unleash God’s healing power: Tending the broken lives of those who wait in
line for a Christmas they can never seem to achieve. A Christmas they think –
we think – we should have, and they think – we think – our children must have.
King Jesus? What bullshit! He's all about the kingdom of God! Perhaps we should be, as well. Perhaps, as we prepare for Christmas once again this year, we should turn to a new picture of Jesus -- which is really
the oldest: The narrative of his humble birth, not as a distant substitute of his for ours, but as an immediate invitation of experiencing ours in his.
*This year, that final Sunday was November 25.
