My Kingdom is Not of This World
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
These were the words of our Lord on trial, as Pilate inquired of this king and kingdom that had come to the attention of his Roman ears.
Contrary to some interpretations, by these words Christ did notmean that His kingdom had nothing to do with this world. Instead, He was communicating to Pilate that His kingdom was not like Rome or the other kingdoms in the earth. It was from above, and its authority was far greater than Pilate could ever imagine. And so while Christ’s kingdom is not of or from this world, it is most certainly for this world. Which is why He taught us to pray for it to come. And why He commanded the church to make disciples of all nations.
What Christ does mean by this statement is that His kingdom does not conquer through carnal means. His servants do not fight by the sword and we have no need for the weak weapons of this world. Rather, our weapons are much more powerful. For they are Spirit and truth, Word and water, bread and wine.
The world is filled with anxious citizens, anxious politicians, anxious kings and elected officials. But we have no reason to fret or scheme in ungodly ways. We absolutely call upon our leaders to rule righteously, to establish justice, and to kiss the Son. But we would never dream of placing our trust in them.
Why? Because we have no need to. For our Lord, the King of kings, has invited us to a meal. He bids us to come and sit, to eat and drink, all in the presence of our enemies. And as we do so, week after week, we watch strongholds fall – and to the Lord these victories belong.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.