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Revelation 1:4-8
John woke early that morning. It was just another day in prison. The other prisoners were still asleep. He turned to the wall and tried to make out the marks on the wall that he used to keep track of the days. As he squinted in the early morning darkness he could barely make them out. It was the Lord's Day, Sunday, the day of the week that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
But that meant nothing to the Roman soldiers. The sun would come up soon and it would be light enough for them to work. They would come soon to take all the prisoners to break rocks all day long. Rocks that would be used to build Roman roads to connect the far reaches of the Roman Empire. Roads that would carry those evil Roman edicts that required people to worship the emperor as a god.
So John decided to pray. The Romans may not celebrate the Lord's Day and they may not let him but he would at least pray before they made him work from dawn 'til dusk. But as John prayed he was in the spirit. Jesus appeared to him and showed him a marvelous vision. This vision revealed God's plan for history. A plan that included the destruction of the Roman Empire and all those who work with the Devil. And in the end the Saints and Martyrs would be vindicated and the Devil and his followers would be thrown into a fiery pit.
John was commanded to write down a description of this grand vision. And to send it to the churches in his region of Asia Minor. That record of his vision is the book that we know as "Revelation." So John sat down to write his record. Keep in mind he was still in prison despite having been shown the glories of heaven and the unfolding of God's plan in history. He probably wrote the letter in the wee hours of the morning or late at night in his prison cell.
I remember my first year at USC. I was in the band and so had to arrive earlier than the other freshman for band camp. There happened to be a heat wave going on in Columbia that year. I was staying in an un-air-conditioned dorm so I was either burning up out on the band field or I was burning up in my dorm. I wrote a few letters home to my old high school friend. She got very mad at me. Apparently she was upset that when I wrote her, all I wrote about was the weather. Well, that was the most important thing happening in my life at that point.
I can imagine the kinds of things that were important in John's life as he lived in prison. He might have told them about how hard the Romans made him work, or how hot it was in the sun. He might have thanked them for the food and told them how much the guards enjoyed it.
But of all the things he could have said to open his letter he opens it by talking about Jesus. That he is the first and the last. Of all the ways that he could have started his letter, he was led to tell them about the Greatness of Christ the King. And so on this Christ the King Sunday I want us to look at what he said about Christ as the King.
John opens his description of Jesus by saying he is "the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth."(Rev. 1:5) Jesus is a faithful witness. When he was on earth he bore witness to the Love of God. He testified to the truth of God. He told people to love God and to love their neighbor. He bore witness that God would judge the wicked and reward the righteous.
One of the ways that he was a faithful witness was in his resurrection from the dead. John calls Jesus "the first fruits of the resurrection." Jesus had said, "I am the resurrection and the life." He demonstrated that fact through his own resurrection. By rising he bore testimony and became "living again" proof to God's promise of eternal life.
John also says that Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. This is the kind of title that many in John's day would have reserved for Caesar. After all the Roman Empire covered many kingdoms and Caesar was ruler over many kings. But John assigns this title to Jesus. Because he is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus, not Caesar or any other earthly monarch, is the true ruler of the world!
The next thing John says about Jesus is that he "loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood." This is an aspect of who Jesus is that I think many modern Christians do not understand. We get the first part that he loved us and freed us. We have all been taught from an early age that "Jesus Loves Me this I know." And we have a sense that he frees us. He gives us new life and that frees us from death.
The problem is that most people miss the second part "from our sins by his blood." You see in the Old Testament God told the people to sacrifice sheep and goats and cows and doves to make atonement for their sins. The idea was that we had wronged God by our disobedience and that we needed to pay God back. But there was a problem and even the Old Testament prophets saw it. How do you pay the God of the universe back for a wrong you have done by sacrificing an animal to him that was already his to begin with. It is like the boy who broke the window of the neighbor lay's house. So to pay her back and make amends he brought her some flowers. The only problem is he picked them from her garden. That was what it was like when people in the Old Testament tried to pay God back by sacrificing sheep and cows to Him.
You see all those Old Testament sacrifices never really paid God back for the sins of the people. But they were a means of turning the hearts of the people to God. And at the same time they pointed to the ultimate sacrifice that God would provide that would pay for the sins of the world. That Sacrifice was Jesus. By his death he paid God back for the sins that we had committed. That is also how he showed us God's love and freed us from sin.
That brings us to the next thing that John says about Jesus: that through his blood he "made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father." "Made us a kingdom?" When you or I think of a kingdom we think of a geographical area. Like the kingdom of France or the Kingdom of Israel. In our mind's eye we see a map depicting the geographical area of that Country at a certain period in history.
But John says we are a kingdom. You and I are God's territory! Another way to think about this is that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. But this is a kingdom that is not of the world. So we are citizens of Heaven living as aliens in this world. We are like ambassadors or envoys of God living here to represent God.
Then in the same breath John says we are priests. The priest is the one who stands between the people and God. I know we usually think of the preacher as being the priest and I do play that role in our worship together. I lift up the prayer of the congregation and I proclaim the word. But you are all priests.
That is what we call the priesthood of all believers. You stand between God and the world that does not know him as their God. Your job is to lift up their needs to God. Pray for them - even when they are persecuting you. And proclaim to them the good news of Jesus Christ.
The last thing John says is "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him."(rev. 1:7) Jesus is the king; the true ruler of this world! He is coming again to reign over his territory! The first time he came, he came as a baby and many missed him. But the next time he comes he will come in glory not humility.
And when he comes all will see him. It will not be hidden. Even the ones who persecuted his followers will recognize him. And the whole earth will wail because his judgment is coming.
I know this is not a pleasant image for some people, yet for others it is. But see it from John's perspective. He is saying that God will not let the faithful, like him and his fellow Christians, be persecuted forever. In the end Jesus will make his kingship over all creation manifest. Like any good king he will keep the peace by punishing the lawbreakers who have destroyed the harmony and peace that he, the King, intended from the beginning of the world.
So let's put all this tighter. Jesus is the faithful witness who told us of Gods will and love. He also demonstrated the truth of his witness by rising from the dead. He is also the one true ruler of all of creation. He also showed us the Father's love by giving himself to die on the cross for our sins. Through his death he freed us from sin.
At the same time he freed us to be a part of his kingdom. To be territory over which God reigns. And to be priests and ambassadors to our heavenly king. And so we are called to follow his example and be faithful witnesses just as he was. Even if that means sacrificing ourselves just as he sacrificed himself. And in the end he will come again to permanently enforce his rule over all creation.
But there is still one unanswered question here. Yes, Jesus is the firstborn of the dead, the king of kings and all that. But is he your King? Have you given your life to him? He said "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me."(John 14:6) He was being a faithful witness there - he wasn't lying. You must accept him as your King to be part of his Kingdom.
John 18:33-37
Pilot's question to Jesus is very direct. "Are you a King?" In our minds we interrupt the action to say, "He is the King." He is the King of Kings. Jesus is the son of God. He is the ruler of my heart. How blind of Pilot not to see and respect the royalty standing before him. If we were there we would answer that question for Pilot: "Pilot, Jesus is a King greater than you or Caesar." "And if you don't show some respect you'll get yours."
Today is Christ the King Sunday. This is the day that Christians all over the world and through the centuries celebrate Christ's Kingship. On this day we remember that Jesus is King and that he has royal authority over our hearts. We sing hymns and read psalms that proclaim Christ as the Messiah. "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name let angels prostrate fall." "Crown him with many crowns..."
That is our answer to Pilot's question. But we are not here to hear our answers. We are here to hear Christ's answers. Before we answer Pilot's question, let's listen to see what Jesus says. Then we as faithful subjects can respond.
Listen to what Jesus says: "So, Jesus, are you the King of the Jews?" "Do you think I am or have others called me that?" "Am I a Jew?" "Don't play games with me." "I didn't say you were a King." "Your own chief priests handed you over to me." "Why do they want you dead?"
Jesus' seems evasive; perhaps cautious is a better word. He wants Pilot and anyone else listening in, like us, to understand his answer. So Jesus gives a qualified answer, "My Kingdom is not of this world." Our first though is that the means his Kingdom is in heaven. But wait, isn't Jesus also King here on earth. We are on earth and we claim him as our King. The Bible tells us that when he comes again he will reign here on earth. Perhaps he means that his Kingdom is not like the Kingdoms of this world. In this world kings have soldiers that weld swords and guns to defend their king. But Jesus' followers don't carry weapons of violence to defend him.
What kind of a King is this who has no territory and whose subjects do not kill for him? Pilot asks him, "So you are a king?" Jesus' answers: "I came to proclaim the truth and those who are of the truth listen to me." Jesus may not have a territory or militia, but he has authority. Those who are loyal to the truth of God listen to him and do his bidding. Jesus is King to all who are loyal to the Truth with a capital "T."
This short dialogue helps us understand Christ as King, but you have to look at Jesus' life to get the full picture. Christ the King is categorically different from the kings of this world. The Kings of this world rule over their subjects with fear and terror. Christ's rule is based on love. In this world Kings demand that their subjects be under their feet. But Christ our king washes the feet of his subjects.
The difference between Jesus' rule and the rule of earthly kings is as different as day and night. In this world Kings, and Queens, live and die by the rule that might makes right. But Jesus lived and died; and lives again by a different rule. His rule says that the poor are blessed. His rule says the meek shall inherit the earth. His rule says do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In this world Rulers crush the poor and slaughter the innocent just as Herod slaughtered the children in Bethlehem. Our Lord gave up his life to redeem the outcast, the sinner, the forgotten ones.
The world sees our king hanging on the cross and sneers, "If you are a king save yourself." They think he is powerless. But they are wrong. Jesus has power, but it is not the power of swords and spears. It is not the power of fear and hatred. It is not the power of bombs. It is the power of the cross. It is the power of truth. Truth doesn't need weapons; it is a power unto itself.
There are many in our world who claim the power of truth. They claim dominion and authority over what is true and good. But often times they proclaim something less than what Jesus proclaimed. They use words like the truth and "goodness," decency" and "righteousness;" even "Christian." But what they say adds up to something less that the truth of God.
I was listening to the news the other day. They were interviewing a candidate who said he might run for president. He said he felt his platform was what America wanted. As I listened I heard words like, "traditional," "justice," even the term "Christians." The vocabulary sounded similar to my Lord's, and he even claimed to be one of my King's followers. But the content of what he said fell far short of the truth that Jesus lived. Jesus proclaimed God's judgment against the injustices of his day. The politician's proclamation sought to sustain the injustices of our society. He was claiming to stand for the Truth but careful scrutiny proved otherwise.
Jesus is the King of truth. He is the one who decides what falls under his banner of truth. He is the authority that defines what is true and false. Jesus is the very incarnation of Truth itself. As his subjects and members of his Kingdom we should always test any alleged statement of the Truth. Just because someone says it is truth doesn't make it so. We must always ask ourselves, "How does it compare to the life and proclamation of Christ our King?"
Over the next eleven months the leaders, and would be leaders, of our country will make claims to the truth. They will make stirring campaign speeches. They will use words like "decency," "justice," "righteousness;" even the word "Christian." They will use common values to argue for their programs and platforms. Some will even claim to be defenders of the truth and the good.
Be skeptical. No political program can embody the truth as we know it in Christ. Platforms are created by humans, and humans devise flawed plans. No political party can owe it allegiance totally to God and God's Kingdom. God's reign is unlike the power of any government or party.
Don't get me wrong, as Christians we can choose one candidate over another, but only after careful scrutiny of what someone stands for. Jesus said "blessed are the poor." Does their stance bless the poor? Jesus was merciful, to the point of death; do they stand for mercy? Jesus said "do unto others as you would have them do unto you;" does their political agenda agree with the law of love? Jesus lifted up and blessed the little ones; does their program lift up and bless the weak?
If in the next eleven month you meet a candidate that claims to embody Truth, be careful. If anyone claims to be the King of Truth, remember who they really are. They are mere pretenders to the throne. There is only one King of Truth. And he is unlike any other King. His power and rule are not enforced by soldiers and guns. The only territory he has is the hearts of the faithful. He is Christ the King.