A Clash of Kingdoms
John 18:28-40

Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs” (Mt. 24:6-8).

Jesus is not describing the end of the world. Rather, he is pointing to the normal course of history. Nation rising against nation, wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes are normative in history, for we inhabit a fallen world. Violent self-interest and natural disasters are manifestations of evil that constantly challenge God’s goodness and sovereignty.

Jesus likens all of these calamities to a woman who has just begun to go into labor. They are the “Braxton-Hicks,” if you will, of the end of the established world order. Just as an aside, the contractions of the end of the world seem to be coming closer together. The pandemic remains with us, inflation is rising, war has broken out in Europe, worldwide food shortages are predicted, millions of people are streaming into our country from our southern border, and the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons seems to be on the table. The contractions seem to be coming more frequently, but I suspect previous generations felt the same way. Remember that no one knows the day or the hour of the return of the Son of Man. A sober assessment would indicate that we are still in the beginning of the birth pangs. The kingdoms of the world and fallen creation continue to rage against the LORD and against his Christ (see Psalm 2).

What struck me about this morning’s reading from John Chapter 18 is that it depicts a clash of kingdoms. The first kingdom we encounter is the Jewish nation embodied in Caiaphas, the High Priest. Herod was actually the King of the Jews. Interestingly, he is never mentioned in John’s gospel. Thirty years before Jesus was born, Herod had defeated the Parthians, a great empire to the east. In gratitude, Rome allowed Herod to assume the title “King of the Jews.” Herod, for all his military prowess, had no clear claim to the throne. He was not a descendant of King David. The focal point of the kingdom of the Jews was their religion, not their king.

The Jewish authorities, who embodied the Jewish kingdom, conspired to have Jesus executed at the hands of the Romans, and so they brought Jesus to Pilate, but they leveled no specific charge against him. When Pilate asked the Jewish leaders what they were accusing Jesus of, they gave a very vague answer. “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you” (Jn. 18:30).

The Jewish leaders were acting out of self-interest. Despite their plot to have an innocent man murdered by the state, all they could think about was their religion. They wanted to avoid ritual defilement so they could eat the Passover meal. Remember that the events John records transpired on the day before the Passover. Hence, the Jews refused to enter Pilate’s headquarters. Tragically, ironically, their actions were a total denial of the religion they professed. In that moment they became the enemies of God in order to preserve personal purity and their position of power in Jewish society. Their religious kingdom became an abomination to the Lord.

The next kingdom we encounter is that of Rome personified in Pontius Pilate. Pilate was a career politician. He was known for his arrogance, bullying, and offensive behavior. Pilate had one goal: to maintain the status quo. What the empire cared about was maintaining a steady supply of corn flowing from Egypt to Rome. Pilate was a provincial governor, but a junior one. He hoped that if he succeeded in Judea, Rome would award him a more senior post with better pay and fewer difficulties. In order to succeed, Pilate was willing to use sheer brutality to keep the population in check. You will recall from Luke Chapter 13 that Pilate slaughtered a group of Galileans who were offering sacrifices in the temple. Pilate mingled their blood with the sacrifices, something absolutely abominable to the Jews.

We know that Pilate also had a network of spies, and so he almost certainly was aware of Jesus and the claims being made about him. Although the Jewish authorities did not mention that Jesus claimed to be a king, Pilate began his interrogation of Jesus by asking him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (vs. 33).

Pilate understood all about kings. Jesus posed a potential existential threat to Pilate’s governorship, yet Pilate knew instinctively that Jesus posed no real threat to his power. As one commentator observes, “He sees before him a poor man from the wrong part of the country. He has a small band of followers, and they have all run away. Of course, he is not the king.”
Pilate attempted twice to dismiss Jesus. First, he told the Jewish authorities, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law” (vs. 31). The Jews responded by claiming they had no authority to impose the death penalty. Next, Pilate resorted to compromise. He told the Jewish leaders, “I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” (vs. 38-39). The Jewish authorities rejected Pilate’s offer and demanded that Barabbas, a bandit, be released instead.

The whole thing was a travesty of justice. N.T. Wright, a British New Testament scholar, commenting on the Jewish and Roman kingdoms wrote, “The greatest legal system of the ancient world, and its noblest religion, come together in the true center of the world (Jerusalem), and at the center of history. Together they blunder and stumble into an act so wicked, so unjust, so unnecessary, and so indicative of their own moral bankruptcy that, before anything more is said, we can already draw the correct conclusion. The man at the center of this storm is indeed dying for the sins of the world.”

John tells us that Jesus was handed over to the Romans to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated what kind of death he would die (vs. 32). Jesus had said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (Jn. 3:14). Again, Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Jn. 12:32).

Amazingly, mysteriously, what the chief priests intended, what Pilate intended, what Jesus intended, what God intended, all come rushing together. As the lambs are being slaughtered for the Passover, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was being prepared for sacrifice.

But there is one final kingdom in the text. Jesus said, “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” (vs. 36). This is the same kingdom described in our Psalm. “All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations” (Ps. 145:10-13). Jesus stressed three times that his kingdom is not from this world. N. T. Wright keenly observes that, “Jesus’ kingdom does not come from this world, but it is for this world.” That is a crucial distinction. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (Jn. 3:16-17).

Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth. Pilate famously asks, “What is truth?” (vs. 38). It is hard to know the truth in our day. Can we believe our leaders? Can we believe the media? Can we trust what people say? Not with a high degree of certainty, but there is one we can trust. Jesus said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). Truth is a person. Truth is God, and as a result, truth is relational. We discover the truth in relationship with Jesus. If we would find our way amid the kingdoms of religion and the state, we must focus all our efforts on listening to the voice of Jesus, who is the truth. Jesus said, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (vs. 37).

In this morning’s text we see a clash of three kingdoms: religion, the state, and the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Jesus. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion endures throughout all generations. The kingdoms of religion and the state will fall, but Jesus’ kingdom has no end. His kingdom is not from this world, but it is for this world. Let us live into his kingdom and its values to the very best of our abilities.

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