33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him,
“Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your
own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to
you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people
and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have
done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this
world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the
Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You
are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You
are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born,
and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone
on the side of truth listens to me.”
- John 18:33-37, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
Dear followers of the one who is called Christ:
Today you Christians are observing the final Sunday of your church year. I have seen on your folded scrolls that you call this day Christ the King Sunday. You have gathered together to worship Jesus, your king. You call yourselves his loyal followers. You claim to be citizens in his kingdom. And for several weeks now you have been singing hymns and offering prayers and reading passages from your Holy Book that point to your king’s glorious return to this earth.
I, too, am a man of power and authority. I never made any claim to be the King of the Jews, but there was a time when I did rule over the Jewish people. When I served as governor over Judea, I became acquainted with this man called Jesus. We even spoke on several occasions. In fact, because of that meeting, our names have gone down in history together.
Jesus has gone down in history as a martyr. He gave up his life for others. Even though Jesus died, his teachings live on. His disciples continue to grow in number. To this very day, his name is highly regarded by people all over the world.
My name, on the other hand, is associated with cowardice and corruption. I am remembered as the man who was willing to sell his soul to save his skin. I am the one who chose to do what was expedient instead of what was right. Because of intense political pressure, I gave in to the demands of my subjects and in the process, allowed an innocent man to die.
During my career, I came into contact with all kinds of people. I presided over countless disputes. I listened to criminal after criminal declare his innocence. I sentenced many men to death, more than I can even remember. And after a while, I guess I became calloused to some degree. When I started out, justice was a shining beacon, a great ideal. Somewhere along the line justice became nothing more than a hollow word. The truth didn’t matter because it was impossible to find. My number one priority in life was survival. My second goal…control. My third goal… advancement.
Then I met Jesus. Even though I met him only once, I knew that he was different from any person I had ever known. Even though our contact was limited to a few brief exchanges, I am fully convinced that he was an innocent man.
Now I do not profess to be a follower of Jesus. My official allegiance belongs to the gods of the Roman Empire. Even though I am not a Christian, I beg your indulgence this morning. Please allow me to give some advice to those of you who are. My encouragement is simply this:
Christians, Worship Your King!
Let me to tell you a little about myself before I begin. My name is Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea appointed by Emperor Tiberius in the year 26 A.D. To be made a territorial governor was quite an honor for me. The only problem was the location. Jerusalem was not exactly Rome. In Judea, I was far removed from all the good things that Rome had to offer. I was forced to adjust to the hot, dusty weather and desert-like conditions. That is why I spent most of my time in the capital city of Caesarea on the coast.
The Jewish people were not the most obedient subjects either, with their bizarre religious customs and reputation for revolution. I came down hard on them at first to send a message. I made an example of some Galilean offenders by mixing their own blood with their sacrifices (Lk. 13:1). If the Jews ever had a problem with me, they could talk to the Roman legions stationed in Judea, the best-trained, most powerful fighting force in the world.
It was about four years into my rule in Judea when I first heard reports about a Jew who was attracting a following in Galilee to the north. His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Some were claiming that he had super-human powers. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He made the deaf hear and the lame walk.
On one occasion, he reportedly fed a group of 5,000 by the Sea of Galilee with only five loaves of bread and two small fish. Some of his followers wanted to make him their king by force after that miracle, but Jesus flatly refused. Jesus gave every indication that he wasn’t interested in political power. He wanted to be a teacher, not a ruler. I believed that he posed no real threat to Roman rule.
I governed my territory with confidence. I believed that if I demonstrated strong leadership in Judea, greater things would soon follow. But it didn’t take very long for my confidence to give way to confusion. And your king Jesus was at the center of it all.
I had gone up to Jerusalem to keep the peace during the Jewish Passover festival as I do every year. But this year something was different. The Sunday before Passover, Jesus entered the city with much fanfare. People threw coats and palm branches in his path. The crowds hailed him as "the King of Israel" (Jn. 12:13). Meanwhile, the Jewish leaders were plotting against him. I could sense that they were about to take action. The only question that remained was: "When?"
I got my answer that Friday, the day before the Sabbath. Very early in the morning, some Jewish leaders came to the palace. They were demanding that I authorize Jesus’ execution (according to Roman law, the Jews did not have the authority to execute anyone independently), but something wasn’t quite right. Don’t get me wrong. They gave me plenty of reasons. They claimed that Jesus was subverting the nation. They charged him with opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar. And they alleged that Jesus was calling himself a king.
I wanted to sort out all these charges, so I took Jesus into the palace to question him privately. But instead of getting answers, I became even more confused. Jesus didn’t protest that he was innocent like most criminals do. He didn’t get down on his knees and beg for mercy as so many had done before. He didn’t say very much at all.
I asked him flat out if he was a king. He said that he was, but then he added that his kingdom what was not of this world. These were his exact words: "You are right in saying that I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me" (Jn. 18:37).
At the time, I didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. What is truth anyway? Nor did I understand why fellow Jews, people who resented Roman occupation more than anyone, wanted him dead. But I did know one thing. Jesus was NOT worthy of death. So I went back out and told his accusers: "I find no basis for a charge against him" (Jn. 18:38).
I hoped that my ruling would be enough, but was I ever wrong. Looking back now, I should have known that this problem wouldn’t just go away. The Jewish leaders had conducted Jesus’ trial secretly at night. They had come to my palace so early in the morning. They were so insistent that Jesus had to die. This matter was far from settled. As a lifelong politician, I recognized that it was in my best interests to compromise.
Jesus was a Galilean. That meant he was under Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod had traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, so I sent Jesus to appear before him. I hoped that Herod would determine Jesus’ fate. If the Jews were unhappy with his decision, they would blame Herod, not me. It was a perfect plan, or so I thought.
Herod wanted Jesus to perform a miracle, but Jesus did nothing. Herod plied Jesus with many questions, but Jesus said nothing. Herod’s soldiers mocked him and put a robe on him and sent him back to me. But nothing had changed.
So I tried something else. It was a custom of mine to set one prisoner free at the Feast. I wanted to release Jesus, and this was my chance. All I needed to do was select another criminal who was so terrible, so wicked, that the people would have no choice but to choose Jesus. I picked the worst one I could find, Barabbas, a notorious rebel who was in prison for insurrection and murder.
Again, my plan backfired. The Jewish leaders incited the people against Jesus. The crowds shouted: "Release Barabbas to us!" (Lk. 23:18). I was shocked. I appealed to the people to reconsider, but my voice was drowned out by their shouts: Crucify him! Crucify him" (Lk. 23:21).
My options were running out. If I didn’t do something soon, there would be a riot in the city. It didn’t help matters that I received this disturbing message from my wife: "Don’t have anything to do with this innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream, because of him" (Mt. 27:19). I knew that Jesus was innocent. Deep down, the Jewish leaders knew that Jesus was innocent. My wife even knew that Jesus was innocent. So I made one final attempt to release Jesus and appease the crowds.
I gave the order to have Jesus flogged. The soldiers carried out my command and then some. They hit Jesus. They spit on Jesus. They pressed a crown of thorns down into his head. They put a stick in his hand and a robe on his back. They fell on their knees before Jesus and gave him mock praise as "the king of the Jews."
Now bruised and bloodied, I brought Jesus out one more time for all the people to see. He didn’t look anything like a king, but he was not a criminal either. Hoping to find at least one shred of compassion in the hearts of the people, I declared: "Here is the man" Jn. 19:5). But the Jews were unmoved. They insisted: "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God" (Jn. 19:7).
John reports that when I heard this, I was even more afraid. John was right. I finally realized that I was in way over my head. I was dealing with the gods. I tried to do the right thing. I tried to set Jesus free. But the Jews kept shouting: If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar" (Jn. 19:12).
The Jews had backed me into a corner. If I sentenced Jesus to die, I would be guilty of shedding innocent blood. But if I let Jesus go, I could be accused of treason myself. That would mean the end of my career, and quite possibly the end of my life.
With all other options exhausted, I gave in. I took some water and washed my hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man’s blood" (Mt. 27:24), I said. But I knew that wasn’t really true. I was just as guilty as they were. My feeble attempts to make a compromise led to the condemnation of an innocent man.
When Jesus was crucified, I had a notice fastened to his cross. It read: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (Jn. 19:19). Did I believe that? Had Jesus really won me over? Or was I just mocking the Jews for what they had done to me? Whatever my intent, those words were in plain view for everyone to see.
Is your life always as clear as that sign? Do your actions clearly communicate to others that Jesus is your king? In just a few weeks, you will sing, "Hark the Herald, Angels sing, Glory to the newborn King." Is that song on your lips matched by trust in your heart? Do you believe that Jesus is your all-powerful King? Do you believe that all things are possible with God? Do you take your problems to the Lord and fully expect that he will hear and answer your prayers?
Jesus didn’t look very powerful when he was brought before me. He didn’t fit the mold of a royal ruler, but he was the king of the Jews. And he is your king too. Jesus died on the cross, but the grave did not bring his reign to an end. I even stationed guards at his tomb, but nothing, not even death could not contain him. And now he is seated at the right hand of God ruling over all things.
Because Jesus allowed himself to suffer at the hands of sinful men like me, because he willingly died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, because he rose from the grave to guarantee your salvation, because he has done all of these things for you, Christians, worship your King!
Sing "Crown Him with Many Crowns," and anticipate the day when you will sing God’s praises in heaven. Sing "The Head that Once Was Crowned With Thorns is Crowned With Glory Now," and rejoice because the crown of life is yours. Sing "Saints, Behold! The Sight Is Glorious," and praise the Lord because Jesus has made you holy in God’s sight. Repeat the refrain of the Hallelujah Chorus and look to the skies for return of your King of kings and Lord of lords.
You are followers of Christ. You are Christians. Worship your King! Amen.