My Kingdom Is Not of This World

The following is a transcription of a homily given on November 21, 2021:

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” - John 18:33-37

Yesterday, we were greeted with the news of the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. It once

again feels like a victory of injustice, the dominance of violence, and the triumph of darkness. In times like

these it is very easy for us in the church to feel defeated, lose focus of our calling, or even in our righteous

rage to respond in anger. We might feel like the light of the kingdom is being dimmed. We wonder if Christ is

still the King.

In the liturgical calendar of the church, today is the final Sunday after Pentecost, and

today is the feast of Christ the King. Through the year, we meditate on the three offices of Christ: prophet,

priest, and king. The Gospel reading for today sets our hearts to meditate on the kingship of Christ. In the

passage read to us, we see Christ being handed over to Pilate to decide his fate. John narrates to us the

dialogue between Jesus and Pilate. Pilate begins with the question, “Are you the King of the Judeans?” Since

the evangelist nowhere tells us that the Temple authorities accused Jesus of claiming to be their King, we,

alongside Jesus, wonder aloud, “Is that your question or did someone prompt you to ask this question?” Pilate

shrugs his shoulders and says, “Am I a Judean?” It is at this point Jesus responds, “My kingdom is not of this

world.” We are called to pay attention to the fact that Jesus does not answer the accusation of being a king, he

only clarifies that his kingdom is not of this world. This is where I want to pause for our meditation. Everything

about Pilate gives us the impression that he is an emperor and holds a kingdom. Jesus on the other hand,

after being flogged all night and reduced to mere bones, did not look like a king or that he held a kingdom.

What kind of a king is he, and what kind of kingdom does he rule?

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. Like Pilate, if we look for Christ’s kingdom in the

world on its terms, we will not find it. The kingdoms of the world are built and sustained by violence; Rome’s

was. Christ’s kingdom is built by the blood of the martyrs and sustained by sacrifice; as Christ says to us, “if

that were so, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Judeans.” For us in the

American church, it is an ever-present temptation to think that the mission of the American empire is the

mission of Christ. Christ gives us a higher calling.

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world; it is utterly subversive; it is defined by humility and self-sacrificial

love. It is a kingdom where there is no rich nor poor, there is no male nor female, and there is no Jew or

Gentile. It is a kingdom in which those who pour themselves out in service to one another will be the leader of

them all. It is a kingdom where the scandalous story of the adulteress woman who washed the feet of Christ

with alabaster oil will be read wherever the gospel of Christ is told. Though all around us seems to be falling

apart, the church continues to be what it is called to be.

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world; it is everlasting and victorious. The coastlands wait

for his rule, the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church (or his kingdom), and in the end Christ shall be

all in all. Every mineral, animal, plant, and the entire cosmos will be brought into God’s kingdom.

This is the kingdom over which Christ rules. More importantly, Christ’s kingdom is

within us. He calls every part of our being into submission to his service and every passion to his rule. We who

recognize his kingship are called to listen to our King. In our devotion to Christ as King, we are not asked to

submit to a tyrant, but rather a King who rules from the throne of his cross, whose Love is his all-sovereign

power, whose ceaseless work in abolishing evil is his Justice, and whose fierce care for the poor and the

oppressed is his never-ending Mercy. This is not the King the world wants (and frankly sometimes not the King

we want). He is a King born in a manger, a King who wonders in the world without a home, a King who washes

the feet of his disciples like a slave and who comes to us on a humble donkey. A King who is killed with the

criminals. This is the truth that Christ testifies to us about his kingdom and himself. He is the King we are

called to recognize and worship.

In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Fraser Daniel is a beloved former member of the Wesley community who graduated from LA Tech in November 2021. He now teaches and conducts research at Ohio State University where he continues to faithfully witness to the goodness of Christ. While at LA Tech, Fraser could usually be seen biking around the trails in Ruston or enjoying the company of his friends and Wesley family.