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Friday, April 15, 2011

The King

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[April 15, 2011]   -- "Then Pilate...summoned Jesus, and asked him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?"-John 18:33

As the Gospel of John winds down there seems to be a lot of confusion about Jesus. Just prior to this passage, Peter, Jesus' most trusted disciple, denies knowing who he is. Then Jesus was brought before the Roman governor of the region, Pontius Pilate, and was further questioned. Pilate, not a Jew by the way, was unsure why the Jews sought Jesus' execution and so he started asking Jesus questions including the question listed above. Jesus was evasive in his answers but apparently he said enough to give Pilate some clue as to his true identity. Nonetheless Pilate seems confused by the whole event.

This brings me to our situation today. Here you have Peter, a disciple, denying Jesus and you have Pilate, not a disciple, intrigued but confused by Jesus and then you have the Jewish leaders who were convinced Jesus was a threat to both Judaism and them. In short, none of them were clear as to the true identity of Jesus. And so I ask, are you? Do you have a clear sense of Jesus' identity and role in your life? Do you deny him? Are you confused by him? Do you ever see him and his preaching as a threat to your lifestyle? In truth many of us are as confused about Jesus today as they were then and while we do not have power over him as they did our confusion can lead to a damaged faith and a distance from God. Identifying who Jesus is and what role he ought to play in our lives is a central element of our faith journey and if you are unclear about who he is and what role he ought to play in your life then I humbly point once more to the annual theme for the final Sunday prior to Advent...Christ the King.

Prayer: Holy God, help me make Jesus Christ the king of my life. Help me to see him as my authority and truth and lord and savior. Please draw me closer to him and, in so doing, closer to you. I pray in his name, Amen.

 

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