St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wesley Chapel, FL
Preacher: The Rev. Adrienne R. Hymes
Proper 29 Year B ▪ November 24, 2022
John 18:33-37
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Ps 19:14)
Our gospel passage in the 18th chapter of John today, reminds me of the classic Bing Crosby Christmas song, “Do You Hear What I Hear? The song asks three questions not unlike the ones presented by Jesus to Pilate. Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? Do you know what I know? When Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered him with the question, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”
It strikes me, too, that the passage concludes with Jesus saying to Pilate, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (v.34). Wouldn’t you know it, the Christmas song concludes with an imperative by a king saying to the people everywhere, “Listen to what I say!”
We have all heard the text in our gospel passage because it is a portion of the Jesus’ trial narrative which culminates in Jesus’ crucifixion. Leading up to Jesus’ encounter with Pontius Pilate, he had already been betrayed, arrested and taken to the high priest, Caiaphas. Upon Caiaphas’ order, Jesus was taken to the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate was neither Jewish, nor a king; and his power was limited to a specific geographic area (the Roman province of Judaea, which included the regions of Judea, Samaria and Idumea).
When Pilate summoned Jesus to his headquarters, he asked, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus did not answer that question, but he did invite Pilate to hear, for himself, Jesus’ divine truth about his identity and purpose. Jesus proceeded to inform Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. Of course, that did not make any sense to Pilate. As far as Pilate was concerned, he could only conceive of an earthly kingdom, and those had kings.
Now, the idea of Jesus as King did not fit the perception of the Jews’ hoped-for messianic king that God promised them for their liberation from the Romans, and he certainly did not look like any king Pilate would recognize. What king gets arrested and gets put on trial to die? What king isn’t covered in riches and surrounded by powerful armies? All the while, we the readers of scripture, who have the advantage of living on the other side of the cross, ask “Pilate, do you see what we see?”
Embedded in Jesus’ reply was an affirmation of his cosmic kingship—not restricted to the identity of messianic king promised to the Jews by God who would liberate them from Roman rule, but the king promised by God to liberate humankind from sin and death. Unlike the governing power that Pilate had in this world, although powerful enough to sentence a person to death, Jesus’ kingship gives life and obliterates death. Jesus is a different king; he is the good shepherd king who lays down his life for his sheep.
This encounter between Jesus and the gentile, Pilate, reminds us that the good shepherd’s mission was to bring other sheep, who did not belong to his fold, into the fold—sheep that would listen to his voice. Jesus’ fold had room for Pilate, but Pilate was deaf to Jesus’ voice and handed him over to be crucified. All the while, we the readers of scripture, who have the advantage of living on the other side of the cross, ask “Pilate, do you hear what we hear?” Pilate’s questioning of Jesus, and his inability to comprehend divine truth by listening to Jesus’ voice, meant that while the gift of Jesus was offered to him, Pilate could not open it, and could not receive it.
The tragedy for humankind in Jesus’ time, while he lived as one of us, was not his death. The tragedy was that even as Jesus walked amongst the Jews and gentiles, testifying to the truth of his identity and his purpose, not all would listen to his voice. The tragedy for humankind, after Jesus’ death, which includes this in-between time before Jesus’ return, is that though he died once, for the salvation of all, all will not listen to the voice of the one who conquered death and took his life up again so that all who believe in him may have eternal life in God. Ironically, Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus, and his subsequent judgement, brought about his own judgment. Unbeknownst to him, in rejecting Jesus, Pilate became a man who rejected God. Rejecting Jesus was a rejection of God’s freely-given gift for human salvation and life eternal with him.
According to the world out there, ‘tis the season for gift-giving and for making those gifts visually-appealing with wrapping paper, bows, and gift bags. Since secular Christmas has already begun, might we leverage that reality by giving the gift that can never be restricted by the commercial seasons of our society? Might we freely give the gift that requires no wrapping, and costs us nothing to give, so that all may live life abundantly now and life eternal when this mortal life is over?
The Holy Spirit empowers us, Jesus’ disciples, to go out into the world bearing the truth of the life-giving gift of God in Christ, proclaiming, to all, that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. We must boldly meet people where they are, as they are, inviting them through the questions: Do you see what I see—Do you seek Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Do you hear what I hear—Are you listening to the cries for justice and peace among all people? Do you know what I know—Do you know that Christ died for you?
And while we are at it, before setting off as evangelists, “out there,” we might want to ask those questions of ourselves, individually and as a faith community, and confronting some serious truth-telling. This in-between time, in which we live, before Jesus’ promised return, will end at God’s appointed time.
So, on this Christ the King Sunday, let us be reminded of our responsibility to share where we see God at work amongst us and in us; what we hear as the Holy Spirit leads us as disciples of Christ; and what we know about our Savior, so that people everywhere may belong to the truth, and listen to what the King, our king, Jesus Christ, has to say. Amen.
