A king and a kingdom
Text: John 18:33-37 When Jesus stands up in front of Pilate to be questioned after his arrest and appearance before the religious authorities, the first thing that Pilate asks him is if he is a king. One imagines Pilate to be concerned about this because if Jesus thinks he is a king, then he may be a threat to Pilate’s power and place. Thus the initial question. Jesus answers with a question of his own, as he often does, and then a little bit of an explanation. Jesus has a kingdom but it is not based in worldly ambition and power, which may be a dig at Pilate whose kingdom certainly is based in worldly ambition and power. Jesus’s kingdom, if that’s what you want to call it, is rooted in the truth of God’s holy desire and plan to redeem humanity through Jesus, God’s son, who God has sent to earth to reveal God to humans. A further difference is mentioned as well - that unlike Pilate who has subjects, Jesus has followers. This doesn’t exactly mollify Pilate, though. Jesus may be desc
