Our Rightful King

• Happy Palm Sunday!!
• I need a great intro… (poem, dramatic reading, something)
• This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, or Christ’s Passion
  • As such, we’re taking a short break from Ephesians to look at Christ, Our Foundation (*explain Holy Week + “Christ, Our Foundation” (PS: Christ, Our Rightful King | GF: Christ, Our Rejected Cornerstone (Ps 118) | ES: Christ, Our Resurrected Savior (Matt 28)))
  • The passage we’ve selected to draw out the themes surrounding Palm Sunday is in John 18, starting in v 33 (*please turn there—pg. ///////)
    • There are two main figures in this passage—Jesus and Pilate
      • This section records a dialogue between these two—one that centers around the concept of kingship
        • This Palm Sunday, we celebrate Christ, Our Rightful King—but John 18 draws out a number of struggles that many share today
          • Pilate asks a lot of the questions that many who confront Jesus today ask of Him
      • So let’s begin by setting the scene that Pilate would have seen before him…
    • *paint the scenario from Pilate’s perspective

The Book of John from chapter 12 through our text this morning is packed with all sorts of changes of mood and of attitude.

• - He came into the city on Monday.
  • o They hailed Him as the King of the Jews.
  • o The crowds were massive.
  • o They cried out “Hosanna” to Him, gave Him praise, declared Him to be the Messiah and their King, the promised Son of David.
• - But as the week went on and He turned His focus against the religious leaders of Israel and against their religion and against their destruction, as it were, of the temple of His Father, everything began to turn against Him.
• - By Thursday night, He’s isolated with the twelve in the upper room, dismisses Judas to betray Him, has that wonderful evening together with them, in which He unfolds to them His legacy, recorded in John 13-16.
• - Chapter 17, He prays for them on the way to the garden,
  • o gets to the garden sometime after midnight on Friday morning where he is arrested,
  • o and then He is hauled off to Annas, the father of the current high priest, who was the still high priest of power.
• - There is a mock trial before Annas, then He’s turned over to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court.
  • o They carry on an illegal trial in the middle of the night, and then to legitimize it they have a third phase at the immediate moment of daybreak, the morning of that Friday, where they confirm the sentence of death.
  • o It is at this point Peter denies Jesus 3 times.
• - And that leads us to our passage today!
  • Listen while I read our passage…

Text

• John 18:33-38 – ³³ Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
• ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
• ³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
• ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
• ³⁷ Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?”
• Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
• ³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.

I. Is Jesus a King?

• You can imagine Pilate’s confusion: he has a rabble of angry Jewish men and women who are wanting this Jesus dead for super unclear reasons
  • But who is He the king of?
  • It is one thing to face destruction by the Roman empire for being a competing King,
  • But Jesus is here being accused of being a King by an angry mob of people who want Him to be King.
    • The easy answer is, I have no idea what they are saying.
    • I am not a King.
    • I am the son of a carpenter
  • So Pilate has to get an answer to the charge?
• v John 18:33 – Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
• • This is a loaded question, and we’ll actually get to Jesus’s direct response during our last point
    • Because you could easily answer the question with a “yes” or a “no”—but that’s only due to the qualifiers Pilate attaches to his questions (qualifiers he will later abandon)
      • To explain, let’s rewind the clock a bit and look at some…
  • v A. Old Testament evidence
    • The idea of a coming King would have not been a surprise to the Jews.
      • They knew their prophecy and they knew…
      • The Jews knew a promised King from the lineage of David was to come,
      • But when was He coming?
      • How was He coming?
      • What was He going to do once He did come?
        • Let’s look at a few of these passages as we consider the question: “is Jesus a king?”
    • • First up…
  • Ø i. Psalm 2:6-8, 11-12 – “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession… Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
    • There is a whole lot here, but we see that this coming king will be the begotten Son of the Lord
      • His kingdom will have no boundary, and homage will be due Him, lest His wrath break out and decimate all dissenters
        • I don’t know about you, but I have a rather specific idea of what that king would look like in my mind
          • Is it some muscular specimen of a man with rippling muscles and the general physique of warrior
          • Or is it the shackled, bloodied, and utterly rejected man standing in front of Pilate?
    • • Maybe the prophet Isaiah will provide more clarity
        • In talking about this same ruler, he adds…
    • Ø ii. Isaiah 32:1 – Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly.
      • And Jeremiah similarly adds…
    • Ø iii. Jeremiah 23:5 – “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.
      • Pilate likely didn’t know this, but Jesus is of the direct royal lineage of David—both through his mother and adoptive father
        • And Pilate will later comment on Jesus’s “righteousness,” but we’re not there yet
          • Going even further back, Jacob prophesies of a coming king through the lineage of his son, Judah (of whom David is a direct descendant) …
      • Ø iv. Genesis 49:10-11a – “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
        • Now we’re getting into more direct Palm Sunday illustrations—this King, or Shiloh (a Messianic title), will come via a donkey’s colt
          • That is a pretty big clue, because we would expect a King to ride in on a noble horse, not some little donkey.
          • This is stated more directly in…
      • Ø v. Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
        • Christ seems to fit the bill for this—up until His capture
          • You can see why all the Jews had thought: “this is Him! He’s coming to save us!!”
            • Now does that make sense why after they saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and then they saw Him riding on a donkey that they ran out and began cutting down palm branches to loudly welcome their king?
            • They knew what they were looking for, but…
      • • The question is: what is this “endowment of salvation” that he brings?
          • Christ, showing little interest in bringing about the salvation that they desire (namely, salvation from Roman oppression), they quickly offer him up to the Romans
          • In fact Christ in the week since entering the town had spoken openly against their religion, had gone away to pray, and was betrayed by one of His followers.
      • But less than a week before this conversation between Jesus and Pilate, the Jews were convinced that He was this Old Testament king, which brings us to…
    • v B. Palm Sunday evidence
      • The worship team has already read through this passage, but it bears repeating
        • This was the sentiment surrounding Christ 5 days prior—how did things go so wrong??
    • v Matthew 21:1-11 – When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest!” When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
      • Is Jesus a king?
        • He certainly fits the requirements of OT prophesy, and the people of Jerusalem seemed to be convinced, hook-line-and-sinker
          • But remember where we are in our passage today—those men and women who presented themselves as Christ’s willing royal subjects have now turned Him over to the current regime in power
            • If this man standing before Pilate is a king, then…

II. Where Is His Kingdom?

• This is where the conversation gets very interesting
  • Jesus doesn’t provide a direct answer to Pilate’s initial question—in fact, he counters with His own question, leading Pilate to snap back with this…
• v John 18:35 – Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
• • Pilate is confused!!!
    • Pilate just like the Jews had no real understanding of Jesus purpose as the Messiah. They thought he was here to be a king and instead, He seems set to break down their religious systems and call out the hypocrisy of those in the highest levels of religion.
      • The Jew’s understanding of Christ may be informed by Scripture, but it’s still faulty due to their own misinterpretation of the passages
        • It’s easy to judge them when we have the clear benefit of hindsight, but their inability to see beyond their own desire to be out from underneath Roman oppression led them to reject their king who was coming to do so much more
      • But Pilate—he knew the royal game
        • He’d been a player in the jockeying for power long enough to know how it goes
          • According to what he just said, there are only two possible categories that Jesus could fit into…
    • Ø Pilate’s two options:
      • The first is…
    • § 1. Jesus is delusional
      • Pilate begins by asking: I’m not a Jew, am I?
        • That’d be a fine question, presuming his initial understanding of Christ was accurate—remember, he thinks that Jesus is king of the Jews
          • Let’s say you went back to my old stopping grounds and stopped in the city of Sandwich, Illinois for a few minutes probably just to look for evidence that the Sandwich police do exist. (Kari please insert picture of the Sandwich police car)
          • And then you ran into this man (Todd Latham) the mayor of Sandwich, Illinois you would probably assume his is just a man who loves a good Reuben, sub, or PB and J.
            • You probably don’t know him, but you’re also not Sandwichian…
          • So why would Pilate know all the innerworkings of the Jews, such as possible delusional Kings?
        • So Pilate already thinks Jesus doesn’t know what He’s talking about, but he pushes it further by saying: “Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me…”
          • Do you know what subjects don’t do to their king?
            • Hand them over to an opposing nation for their execution…
              • So Pilate is thinking Christ may be delusional, but he also leaves room for…
      • • § 2. Jesus is guilty
          • He closes his question by asking: “What have you done?”
            • If Jesus is King of the Jews, and He’s not delusional, the only other option for Pilate is that he’s done something awful to deserve this deposition
              • Even recent history recalls instances where people will give up their leader if things get dire enough
          • But why am I highlighting Pilate’s dualistic rationale on Palm Sunday?
            • Because this may be where you find yourself this morning as well
              • Perhaps you’ve heard of Jesus and the claims of those who follow Him—you may have even concluded that either He’s delusional, or certainly the people following Him are
                • Or maybe you have a bone to pick with God—things haven’t gone your way and if He really is who He says He is, He’s gotten some things wrong in your life
            • If this is you, I want to start by saying: thanks for joining us this Sunday: you’re in good company, because no one here has it all figured out
              • I believe it’s providential that God brought you here this morning, because this is Jesus’s reply to Pilate’s questions…
          • • Ø John 18:36 – Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
              • The Jews thought He was their answer to Roman oppression—not playing His part in their plan, they handed Him over
                • Pilate thinks He’s either delusional or guilty of severe wrongdoing—leading him to be utterly puzzled by Him
                  • But…
            • v Jesus’s answer: He is sovereign
              • Where is His kingdom?
                • Both presumptions—those of Pilate and those of the Jews—presumes His rule is of this world
                  • But Jesus is King over so much more than that—He is sovereign over all things visible and invisible
                    • This is essentially the struggle of both: they didn’t let Jesus speak for Himself
                      • And when He did speak, they only had ears to hear what they already wanted to hear—anything that fell outside of their own preconceived notions was met with rejection
                • • Perhaps that’s what’s happening right now when Jesus says: “my kingdom is not of this world…”
                    • Do you believe Him? Do you literally believe that Jesus is the King, reigning over an eternal realm that transcends this world
                      • Because if you do, if he IS sovereign, that means He’s King over you…
                  • You may totally disagree—don’t worry, the next matter they cover is…

III. Who Are His Subjects?

• But before we get there, let’s track where we’ve been…

IV. Is Jesus Your King?

• Let’s go back and revisit the response to Pilate’s original question: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
  • Jesus counters with His own question…

Conclusion

**PRAY**

• Ø John 18:34 – Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
  • For Jesus, this meeting between Him and Pilate was not a formality
    • Even in the context of grave injustice, where the innocent Lamb of God was delivered over to certain death by those who ought to have been expecting His sovereign rein—even now, Jesus ministers to the eternal soul standing before Him
      • This Palm Sunday, I hope you ask Pilate’s question: “Is Jesus a King?”
        • I hope you would have been numbered among those lining the road to Jerusalem, ushering its rightful King to His throne
          • But follow the voice of truth, because Jesus is asking this personal question of you, as well
      • He phrases it another way in…
  • Ø Matthew 16:13-16 – 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
    • Is Jesus your king?
      • Was Jesus Pilate’s king?
        • Let’s finish out our passage by looking at his response…
  • v B. Pilate’s Response
    • After Jesus affirming his status as the sovereign King and the witness to the truth…
  • Ø John 18:38 – Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him…”
    • You may be encouraged to hear that Pilate found no guilt in him
      • But remember his binary opinion of Christ—He was either delusional or guilty
        • What is his conclusion (delusional)
          • How do we know? First, because Palm Sunday leads to Good Friday, where Jesus will eventually hang on a Roman tree—one that Pilate passively furnishes for Him
      • But also, his question is a dead-giveaway: “what is truth”
        • Christ already answered that question earlier in the Gospel of John…
    • Ø John 14:6 – Jesus said to [His disciple], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me…”
      • Not only did Jesus come into this world as a King to testify about the truth, He Himself IS truth
        • In a rare moment in history, Pilate was staring at the embodiment of his question—only He couldn’t recognize His voice
          • How about you?
    • v C. Your Invitation
      • Is Jesus your King?
        • This in an appropriate question for all in the room—those who would claim to be Jesus’s subjects already, and those who may still be considering
          • To those who would claim Christ as King…
            • **discuss: do you listen to the voice of truth and follow what He says
          • To those who are still considering…
            • **discuss: hear Christ’s question to you; to rephrase: “do you believe He is King on your own initiative?”