My last posting described in a small part the Jesus path, the counter-intuitive path Jesus choses to fulfill a vision in which one “like a son of man” is given authority, glory and sovereign power. The Jesus path didn’t make sense to his contemporaries and it doesn’t make sense to us; even to those of us who claim the identity of Christian. We, and the rest of our species, regardless of history, culture or geography have chosen a path by which we hope to bring our world to order and to some sense of justice and fairness. That this path has never fulfilled its promise has never deterred us. Maybe one of the reasons we don’t seem to “get it” is that we’ve rarely been aware of just what the path we’ve chosen entails. Fortunately, one episode in the Jesus story from John can help us find some clarity.
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38)
In this exchange there are three words in English, “of this world” translating four words in the Greek language in which John recorded the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate
My kingdom, says Jesus, is not of this world. Those are the three words: of this world. All too often Christians have read this as if what God is offering is an escape from this benighted planet into some ethereal realm of non-material bliss. With that interpretation Christians have either disengaged from dealing with the evil in this world, or tried to reform this world often using the same political and military means that others have used to destroy or exploit it. I think we can make a good argument that Christians have read Jesus wrong on this and that brings me to the four words that are behind the three words “of this world.”
ek tou kosmou toutou
Let’s break this down using the definitions from Strong’s dictionary:
Ek: according to Strong’s dictionary it is a primary preposition denoting origin, and can be translated “of” or “from”
Kosmou – orderly arrangement, that is, decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]): – adorning, world.
tou… toutou – of (from or concerning) this (person or thing), the repetition tou…toutou is an emphasis: this world – meaning there are other arrangements, other systems and values
This is actually made clearer in the paraphrased Complete Jewish Bible: “Yeshua answered, “My kingship does not derive its authority from this world’s order of things. If it did, my men would have fought to keep me from being arrested by the Judeans. But my kingship does not come from here.” (John 18:36)
The exchange between Jesus and Pilate is a study in non-communication and the reason for that lies in the meaning of Jesus words: my kingdom does not draw its authority from the values of your world. Jesus knows Pilate’s world all too well. He has seen it since his childhood in the Roman occupation of his homeland, in the crucified bodies of his fellow Jews.
The impossibility of reasoning with those who seek to force the end of the world, who regard life as nothing and their own deaths as martyrdom warns us that creating heaven on earth is not within the reach of human effort. It is not, however, outside of the reach of Jesus. Throughout the Gospels you will find no command to take over Pilate’s world with Pilate’s tools. If we try that, we are on our own – Jesus will not help us establish such a kingdom even when we try it in Jesus’ name. Instead, in the Kingdom of God we are to be salt, leaven and light within the area of our reach. And though tyranny and insanity and cynical exploitation seem to overwhelm our consciousness, the greatest danger these things pose to us is to inhibit us from doing those things within our reach.
So here’s what we do in the face of insane fanaticism and the reaction of anger and fear: do not despise the little things within our reach. We are assured that every small act of feeding the hungry or offering kindness and blessing to the alien and the refugee, providing shelter for the homeless or giving hope and opportunity to the hopeless – every act and word of blessing will be taken up into the world God is building even as this world is tearing itself apart.
So to cobble together a few lines of Scripture:
Be not afraid little flock
In the [Pilate’s] world we will indeed have tribulation
But Jesus has overcome that world
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
And all things done in Christ are never done in vain.
The Apprentice Priest 