Christ the King – 2021
John 18:33b-37
Marian Free
In the name of God who alone is the source of all truth. Amen.
Over the last decade or so, and especially over the last two years, truth has become a casualty to political ambition and to conspiracy theories. Through the internet and social media, more information is available to us than ever before. So too is misinformation. There are many who maliciously or otherwise seek to have control over the popular narrative and there are many thousands who choose to believe what to some of us seem to be the most spurious of claims. Those who believe these “untruths” are sometimes uneducated, but often they are anxious and afraid, and they may feel as though they have no control over their lives. By attaching themselves to an alternate view of the world these people feel as though they have some control of the narrative as opposed to being controlled by it. Such people will not be convinced by argument or debate. They need us to hear their fears and to recognise their sense of powerlessness.
Today’s gospel is all about power and about alternate truth. The narrative that Jesus’ weaves throughout his debate with Pilate is in distinct contradiction to the popular storyline. Pilate exerts the power that has been bestowed on him by Rome and which is expected of him by the Jewish leaders. He must defend his right to rule and protect his leadership from external threats. Jesus demonstrates strength in weakness, leadership through service, honour through apparent dishonour and life through death.
Only in the gospel of John do we find this extraordinary dialogue between Jesus and Pilate – the clash between two sources of authority – that of Rome and that of God. It is the night of Jesus’ arrest. He has been questioned by Annas and then by Caiaphas before being taken to Pilate who tries to shift the responsibility back to the leaders of the Jews. They in turn claim that it is his role to judge because under Roman law, they cannot put Jesus to death. In fact, the charge is presumably insurrection or treason (not a matter of Jewish law) which is why Jesus is brought to Pilate and why Pilate asks: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
In some ways this is a strange question. Jesus is quite clearly no threat to the might of Rome. He has no army and no weapons. There is nothing about his appearance that suggests royalty and, most telling of all, the Jewish leaders clearly do not recognise him as their king. Yet, as the dialogue continues, it becomes clear that the trump card that the Jewish leaders will play is that Jesus has claimed to be a king (19:12) – (even though this cannot be argued by John’s narrative.)
Interestingly, Jesus does here what he does so well. He turns the table on Pilate, questioning whether Pilate has come to his own conclusion or whether he is just repeating what others have told him. Pilate seems to be at a loss as to how to comprehend Jesus’ approach. In particular he cannot understand why Jesus will not defend himself. His understanding of power and of truth is based on the culture of his day, the culture of the Roman Empire. Pilate’s hold on power is precarious it depends entirely on the whims the Emperor. Worse, to some extent, his power is also dependent on the Jewish leaders – his ability to control them and their ability to manage their own people. In and of himself he has no power or authority.
Jesus’ trial exposes Pilate’s reliance on external forces. Indeed, during the course of the trial, Jesus points out the unpalatable truth – “you would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above.”
On the other hand, Jesus owes nothing to earthly patronage nor to any external influence. Unlike Pilate he is not obliged to demonstrate loyalty to the Emperor, he owes nothing to anyone or anything. Unlike worldly powers, he does not need to rule the world or use force to exercise control, nor does he need to enslave people to ensure that they bend to his will. He does not need followers who will defend him at any cost. Jesus’ authority lies within, it permeates his very being, emanating from the presence of God in him, in his self-assurance, his confidence in his role and his willingness to be the means through which God reveals the truth to the world.
As recent events have revealed, authority and truth go together. The party that can convince the most people that they are the holders of truth (or who can force their truth on others) will be the party that is able to exercise power.
What Jesus does in today’s gospel is to subvert the nature of truth and therefore of authority for (according to John’s gospel) it is in truth that the nature of Jesus’ authority lies. Jesus speaks the truth, and he is the truth, believers will know the truth and the truth will set them free. Jesus redefines the nature of truth. Truth is not, he suggests. something external and verifiable in the normal sense, rather it is the truth that lies at the centre of all things, the truth that flows from God – that is God. Truth is the reality of God as revealed in Jesus.
It is in truth that the nature of Jesus authority lies. Pilate cannot possibly understand this. Truth to him is flexible and is determined by the might of Rome which decides who should live and who should die, who should have power and who should be denied power. Truth is the world as he knows it with the Emperor at the helm. This is the truth that he is charged to uphold at any cost.
Jesus speaks and reveals a different truth, and he does so not by claiming or defending his authority, but rather by ceding his authority to that of God.
We will discover the truth by relinquishing our quest for power, our need to be in control and our desire to have ownership of the truth, and by surrendering ourselves, body, mind, and soul to God.
Swallowsrest 