Given By Rev Jessica Chapman on November 25, 2018
In today’s reading, Pontius Pilate asks Jesus “Are you a king?” Jesus answers cryptically. Pilate wanted the matter of what to do with Jesus to be handled within the Jewish community without Roman involvement. Jesus was presented as a criminal, a threat to the Jewish status quo. He had been given the name “King of the Jews,” not as a sign of respect but as a derogatory slur. It was used to keep him in his place. Today, words like undocumented or low-income are used for the same purpose. Jesus’s followers reflected his teachings, his values, and his principles. They were not followers that would commit violent acts to set him free like a worldly king’s followers would. His reign would be in heaven. Today, we are followers of Jesus. What does this mean? First, it means we follow with hope. We follow with courage. We follow with trust. We follow with understanding and openness to change. We follow with passion. Let us listen to and follow our king.
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