There is a King

“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

 

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. (Mark 15:2)

 

This verse was part of our morning text at church on Palm Sunday. It seemed timely to read following the national “No Kings” protest. This is the only recorded conversation that Jesus has with a political leader. Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king. Pilate is not asking Jesus a theological question. He is asking about authority. Is Jesus in any way a threat to the authority of Rome? Jesus answers ambiguously. Essentially, he says “I'm a King, but not one like you think.” 

 

Jesus is usually very direct, but here he is not. His answer is not a denial or an affirmation. He is different from other religious leaders. Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, would have clearly denied any interest in political power. Mohammed, the founder of Islam, would have clearly insisted that he is a political leader. But Jesus is not so clear about his political ambitions.

 

Consider the two extreme groups at the time of Christ: the Essenes, and the Zealots. The Essenes withdrew from society and wanted nothing to do with government and politics. The Zealots on the other hand, wanted to take control and liberate Israel from the Roman government. Jesus didn’t fit into either group.

 

In Mark 12, Jesus was asked, “Should we pay taxes to Caesar?” Jesus took a coin, and asked, “Whose image is on the coin?” and they say, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Again, he is a deliberately ambiguous. Jesus, and his followers would influence legal, social and political matters. But they did so in entirely new ways.

 

Prior to the time of Jesus, governments claimed absolute allegiance. All laws, beliefs, economics and traditions were given to the people to follow without question. The religious temples and the state supported each other. The governments operated in the name of the gods. The king was commonly considered to be a god. So, there was no idea of a limited state in which you had human rights, or conscience or freedom to protest.

 

Jesus was the first historical figure of any record to challenge this. He calls for a limited state. To paraphrase Jesus, “Caesar’s image is on the coin. Give him the tax. But God’s image is on you, so give your ultimate allegiance to God.” Political engagement is good, so obey the laws. But God is above all government.

 

Totalitarian governments rule through fear. But Jesus said “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 When any government makes ultimate claims, Christians must resist. If God’s law and human law contradict, God comes first. That was revolutionary. 

 

This is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did during the civil rights movement. He went to jail for peacefully disobeying human laws in protest of racial segregation. Many Christians criticized him for this. These are some of his words from his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail:

 

“One may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust.” 

 

A just law is a man-made code that squares with the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law of God. 

 

“One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” 

 

Dr. King showed that Christian faith can be a powerful political influence. Jesus didn’t tell us to withdraw from earthly citizenship. He didn’t tell us to avoid politics, or even a career in politics. But he wanted us to find our ultimate hope in something much bigger. 

 

The movement Jesus started resulted in sweeping and dramatic sociopolitical changes that we now take for granted. It happened in reverse of every other revolution in history. Other revolutions happened by taking power and excluding or destroying enemies. Jesus began a revolution through loving and forgiving his enemies. In those first centuries of the Christian era, Rome was gradually turned upside-down by Christians who had deep inner peace and no political power. Instead of seeking power, they looked after the sick and the poor. They cared for widows and orphans. They visited prisons. They looked at the needs of the people around them in their city, and they poured themselves out. There were no liberals or conservatives. They were united in loving people, and they drew them in. And that changed society. They were all doing political change because they were changing the way power operated in the Roman Empire. 

 

I pray that Christians would return to this humble posture and help to create a calmer and more constructive conversation around politics, economics and social arrangements. But I know in my heart that I find peace in knowing that there is a King. I will spend a lot more time in God’s coming kingdom than in our current troubled country.