Not Of This World

Scripture: John 18:33-36  (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

33 Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. 34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”  (John 18:33-36 NLT)

Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” This is a valid question from the Roman governor. If Jesus was claiming to be king of all the Jews and to be king in place of Herod, Pilate could have seen him as a threat and had him killed. Jesus was clear that his Kingdom is not of this world, or his followers would have fought to keep him from being arrested. Pilate clearly saw that Jesus was not a rebel leader threatening Rome’s rule and began to look for a way to release him.

I’m writing this just less than a year before a national election day in the USA. In this upcoming election we will elect a President and Vice President to govern for four years. We will elect State Governors, Senators, and Representatives. We will elect individuals to many offices on local, statewide, and national levels. We will also vote on local and regional issues. The USA is currently very polarized and divided ideologically, and fear-mongering is a common tool of both major parties, with much “attack advertising”, and very little love of truth on display.

In the last national election, both major parties had gains and losses, and that’s probably healthy for our democracy. Nations tend to get better laws and better government if all sides of the ideological spectrum are represented adequately. The rights of minorities always suffer when one group has the power to legislate and rule unilaterally. But the most important reality as we approach this campaign and election is that Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world!  I believe Christ’s followers should be politically aware and active, and vote their conscience (unless their conscience prevents their participation). Equal representation for all viewpoints, both majority and minority is important in a democracy, and I believe we should choose wisely those who represent and lead us. But Jesus’ Kingdom is (still) not of this world!

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for our present freedom in the USA to participate in the process, to freely express our opinions, and to vote our conscience. May we steward it wisely. But help us to remember that Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world! Amen!