SERMON on John 18:33-37

Is Jesus Your Co-Pilot?

John 18:33-37 (NRSV)

 

You have probably seen a bumper sticker (or some other sign) that says, God is my Co-Pilot! … or “Jesus is my Co-Pilot“.

On the surface, it sounds spiritual … as if someone has his/her priorities right … but it really isn’t.

Here’s why … IF God is the co-pilot, THEN God is not the pilot … which means He is NOT the one flying the plane.  It means He’s not in charge; someone else is … It means that someone else is choosing the altitude … the speed of the flight … the destination … the flight path.  It means God is really just a sort of backup … someone to help when the person hits some turbulence … or needs some rest.

If God is the co-pilot, the person ceases to be a follower.  The person may see himself/herself as an equal partner or pal.  Either way, the person is the pilot … and God is just the co-pilot.

So, what does this have to do with today’s sermon?

Today … on the liturgical calendar … is a special day called “Christ the King Sunday.”  This marks the last day of the Christian worship calendar before we  start over again with Advent.  The Christian calendar, which focuses on the life, death, resurrection, ascension and return of Jesus, culminates with this crowning moment: Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.  The focus, today, is on God as King, not as co-pilot.

So, in keeping with this theme, the title for today’s sermon asks the question, “Is God Your Co-Pilot?”, which is really just another way of asking, “Is God Your King?” … and the text is John 18:33-37.

Let’s begin by reading the passage.

33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?

35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?  Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?”

36 Jesus answered “My kingdom is not from this world.  If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.  But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.

37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “YOU say that I am a king.  For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:33-37 NRSV)

What’s happening here?

For starters, let’s back up and see what leads up to Pilate asking Jesus if he is a king.  Jews (Jewish leaders) want to KILL Jesus … but they can’t (.. are not permitted to … John 18:31) … so they want the Roman state to kill Him for them.  Now, the state can’t kill Jesus for blasphemy … but it can kill Him for sedition … SO the Jewish leaders are trying to get Pilate to kill Jesus … not because He has claimed to be God, but because He has claimed to be King.

Pilate is conflicted over the entire matter … He doesn’t want to sentence Jesus (that, as far as he can tell, presents no threat to the political state) … but he has his own personal aspirations and political positioning to worry about … so he is reluctant to do what the Jewish leaders want him to do …  That leads to our passage at hand …

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33 NRSV)

When Pilate asks this question, his concern is that a king of an occupied country like Israel may want to rise up to overthrow its Roman occupiers/oppressors.  His concern is that Jesus could be a risk to his rule.  His questions could be an attempt to assess the threat level of Jesus to his own authority.  If he is not a threat, Pilate would rather not get involved with an internal conflict between Jesus and his accusers.  Pilate, like any Roman political authority, is being self-serving.  His question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” can be read as a threat to Jesus, but it can also be read as an attempt to assess the threat level Jesus poses.

Jesus’ answer is interesting:

Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” (John 18:34 NRSV)

Jesus answers Pilate’s question with a question … and, by so doing, He is putting his finger on the fact that Pilate’s political strings are being manipulated against him.  Why is Pilate even investigating this baseless charge presented by the crowds?  In the way John is telling the story, Pilate is the one caught up and tossed to and fro, not Jesus.  This is pointedly clear after John wrote his Gospel.

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.  I have received this command from my Father. (John 10:17-18 NRSV)

Jesus is no pawn, and He is no co-pilot.  He is in control from beginning to end.  Even Pilate later in the story seems to pick up on this reality. (See John 19:9-10).

Now Pilate is responding to Jesus, and we see him try to pivot:

Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?  Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me.  What have you done?” (John 18:35 NRSV)

The first part of Pilate’s response reminds me of John 1:11, where John reminds us that He came to His own and His own received Him not.  Pilate seems to be saying, “This is not between you and me.  Is it?”  

The last part of Pilate’s response to Jesus’ question (“What have you done?”) is an admission that he doesn’t have anything on Jesus to warrant the death penalty.  Pilate seems to realize he had lost some ground and wants to redirect the heat.  Jesus’s answer shows that He is really the main player in the room.

Jesus answered “My kingdom is not from this world.  If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.  But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36 NRSV)

“… my kingdom is not from this world … not from here.”Instead of answering the question of whether He is a king or not, Jesus talks about his kingdom, which does not operate as other kingdoms do, as indicated by the fact that His followers were not fighting to release Him.  Pilate can only see things from his own political power-seeking point of view and therefore is blinded from seeing what’s going on and who Jesus is.  But Pilate cannot shake his political fears as he reacts to the word “kingdom” with one final attempt of getting Jesus to answer to him:

Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king.  For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37 NRSV)

“So you are a king?”Pilate seems so intent on getting Jesus to answer his question that he inadvertently provides his own answer.  Some translations have it as a question … others have it as a statement.  Whether Pilate says it as a question or as a statement, Jesus lets him know that he has in fact provided the answer to his own question.  “You say that I am a king.”  Jesus is not trying to manipulate Pilate.  He is trying to help Pilate see that Jesus is not a king like the emperor … and his kingdom is nothing like the Roman empire.  Pilate needs to rethink everything he thinks he knows about power and authority, rule and control.  Jesus brings a far superior reign to a kingdom beyond the control of any earthly power.  Jesus is not playing games; he is speaking of truth.  His kingdom is the reality that all other kingdoms will have to submit to.  Jesus is going to be King of all kings, NOT Co-Pilot of all co-pilots.

WHAT SHOULD WE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PASSAGE?

There is much … but I want to point to three … and they have to do with the three responses Jesus Christ gave … To get the takeaway, personalize the response … Listen to the response as if Jesus were talking to you, not to Pilate.

  1. Verse 34
  2. Verse 36
  3. Verse 37 … As we close, let us notice verse 37 again … because we should not miss the opportunity to listen to the voice of the King who has a very pointed statement you and I should ponder on long and hard.  Let me put emphasis on the word “you” in restating it:

Jesus answered, “YOU say that I am a king.

What do WE say about Jesus?  Whom do YOU say Jesus is?  What is Jesus to YOU?  I believe Jesus would want YOU to ask yourself that question.

Matthew 16:13-17 NIV

  • 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is?
  • 14 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
  • 15 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. Who do you say I am?
  • 16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
  • 17 Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

When we consider this passage in Matthew along with our keynote passage in John, what do we see?  

  • We saw earlier where Pilate said Jesus was a king.
  • We see, in this passage, Peter saying that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

QuestionWhom do YOU say that Jesus is?

  • Here on this final day of the Christian worship calendar, we celebrate Christ the King Sunday
  • When we say Jesus is king, do we mean the type of king he has revealed himself to be? 
  • Or have we been manipulated and played by the crowds, the culture, the political voices, and powerful rulers of our day?  
  • Do we proclaim that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, while questioning his reign, as if he were a mere idol in our own hands to aid us in self-worship? 
  • Or, do we listen to our true King who came into this world for you and me, not to manipulate or control us, but to die for us and set us free to know him and his Father who are not of this world? 

CONCLUSION

As we close, the three responses are all important, but, I believe, the 3rd one, in verse 37, is particularly important on a day like today … because it contains a very pointed statement you and I should ponder on long and hard.  Let me put emphasis on the word “you” in restating it:

Jesus answered, “YOU say that I am a king.

We have come here today to join voices in praise to proclaim that Jesus is King.

What does that mean to you?

  • Does He rule over you?  Or is He helping you to rule?
  • Are you doing what He wants?  Or are you doing what you want?
  • Whom do YOU say Jesus is?  Is Jesus your KING … or is He just your CO-PILOT?

 

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