Albert D. Mosley - "A Paradoxical Kingdom" (November 25, 2001)

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-	Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world,	0:11
	if my kingship were of this world, my	0:18
	servants would fight	0:21
	that I might not be handed over to the Jews	0:23
	but my kingship is not from this world".	0:28
	Let us pray.	0:32
	Oh, Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the	0:39
	calming of our minds and the longing of our hearts,	0:47
	by the words of my lips and the meditations	0:52
	of our hearts.	0:56
	Speak, Oh Lord,	0:59
	for your servants listen, amen.	1:01
	Fredrick Buettner, and his succumbody at the gospel	1:08
	wescumbody tragedy and fairytale,	1:12
	retells the story of Jesus before Pontius Pilate	1:16
	the following way,	1:20
	"the man stands in front of the desk,	1:23
	with his hands tied behind his back,	1:27
	you can see that he has been roughed up a little.	1:31
	His upper lip is puffed out and one eye	1:35
	is swollen shut.	1:39
	He looks unwashed, and smells unwashed.	1:41
	His feet are bare, big, flat, peasant feet,	1:47
	although the man himself is not big.	1:53
	There's something almost comic about the way he	1:58
	stands there, slightly bent forward because of	2:00
	the way his hands are tied,	2:05
	and goggling down at the floor through his	2:07
	one good eye, as if he's looking for something	2:09
	he has lost.	2:13
	A button off his shirt, or a dime somebody slipped	2:15
	him for a cup of coffee.	2:18
	If there were just the two of them, Pilate	2:22
	thinks he would give him car fare and send	2:25
	him back to the sticks where he came from,	2:29
	but the guards are watching and on the wall the	2:32
	official portrait of Tiberius Caeser is watching,	2:36
	the fat, powdered face,	2:39
	the toothy imperial smell,	2:42
	so Pilate goes through the formalities,	2:45
	'so you're the king of the Jews?' he says.	2:48
	'The head Jew?'	2:52
	The man says 'is not this world	2:55
	that I'm king of?'	3:00
	But his accent is so thick that Pilate	3:02
	hardly gets it.	3:04
	The accent together with what they've done to his lip,	3:07
	as if he has a mouth of stones.	3:11
	Jesus says, 'I've come to bear witness to the truth'.	3:14
	And at that, the procreator of Judea takes such a,	3:21
	such a deep drag on his filtered tip that his	3:24
	head swims and for a moment	3:27
	he's afraid he may faint.	3:30
	He pushes back from the desk and crosses his legs.	3:32
	There's a papery rustle of wings as a pigeon	3:38
	flutters off the sill and floats down toward the cabals,	3:41
	standing by the door	3:46
	the guards are not paying much attention	3:49
	cigarette smokes drifts over the surface of the desk,	3:52
	the picture of his wife when she still had her looks,	3:56
	the onyx box from Caesar,	4:00
	the clay plaque with the imprint of his first	4:02
	son's hand on it,	4:04
	Pilate squints at the man through the smoke."	4:07
	Buettner's portrayal of this episode of Jesus	4:13
	before Pilate captures elements of this story that	4:15
	are lost in the disciples surrendering of it	4:20
	in each of the gospels.	4:22
	Buettner offers us a glimpse into the courtroom drama,	4:25
	and it's not just any ordinary glimpse,	4:29
	it's a glimpse that allows us to use all of our senses.	4:32
	If you use your imagination, you can see the guards	4:37
	standing there holding their weapons,	4:41
	you can hear the taps on Pilate's shoes	4:44
	as he walks back and forth in front of Jesus.	4:47
	You can smell the smoke that fills the judgment hall	4:52
	from Pilate's cigarette.	4:56
	You can taste the dryness and staleness of the air,	4:59
	almost like the taste you get	5:04
	when you enter a room that has been shut	5:07
	for a very long time.	5:08
	You can feel the pain of Jesus from His puffed lip	5:11
	and eye that is almost swollen shut.	5:15
	This story is real, very real.	5:19
	This story also seems strangely out of place	5:24
	just a week before Advent.	5:27
	Here we are, the last Sunday of the church, here,	5:30
	Christ, the King's Sunday.	5:34
	We are a half year away from the events of Holy weekend	5:37
	Easter, but today they come back to us with lessons	5:40
	that remind us of the condemnation of Jesus' earthly	5:43
	ministry and the completion of His earthly ministry	5:46
	and the inauguration of His universal kingdom.	5:51
	The far majority of people living in this country	5:55
	at this time are not accustomed to the ideal	5:57
	of a King or a Lord.	6:01
	Most of us simply have no experience of persons	6:04
	embodying these social roles,	6:07
	much less of the social system that support such roles.	6:09
	Pope Pius 11 instituted Christ to King Sunday in 1925	6:15
	as a way of combating the destructive forces of this age.	6:19
	It was eventually moved to the last Sunday of the	6:24
	Pentecost season this Sunday,	6:26
	the last Sunday of the church year.	6:28
	As a climax toward which to celebration of the Christian	6:31
	year moves and toward which the Chris-	6:34
	the individual Christians orient their own lives.	6:37
	This Sunday is meant to help Christians replace	6:42
	other kings in their lives	6:44
	with Christ, the one and true King.	6:46
	Here in John's gospel,	6:52
	we have an account of Christ arraignment before Pilate,	6:55
	the Roman governor,	6:58
	and the hall of judgment.	7:00
	The chief priest and elders, those who brought	7:03
	charges against Jesus were not in the Praetorian,	7:06
	they were not in the judgment hall,	7:09
	they refused to enter Pilate's headquarters so	7:12
	as to avoid ritual defilement	7:14
	since the passover was so near.	7:17
	The irony here is almost comical.	7:21
	So religious, and so Pius for these leaders who	7:23
	were scheming to do away with Jesus.	7:28
	They made a big deal out of entering the house	7:32
	of an uncircumcised gentile	7:34
	but made no scruple of breaking through all the	7:36
	laws of equity to persecute Jesus.	7:39
	In the mean time, Pilate	7:44
	this tragedy comical figure,	7:47
	shuttles back and forth between the Jews outside	7:49
	and Jesus inside.	7:54
	Pilate typifies that person or institution confronted	7:57
	with a critical decision	8:01
	and in the process, he is torn between what he feels	8:03
	and what the circumstances present.	8:07
	In the exchange between Jesus and Pilate	8:11
	you can feel the agony that Pilate endures.	8:14
	Pilate asks Jesus, "are you the king of the Jews?"	8:18
	(echoes)	8:22
	"Is that your own idea?"	8:24
	Jesus responded.	8:26
	"Or did others talk to you about me?"	8:29
	"Am I a Jew?"	8:32
	(echoes)	8:35
	Clearly, Pilate who purports to be in charge	8:37
	is definitely not in charge.	8:42
	He began these proceedings as to judge,	8:45
	the figure with all the authority but as	8:48
	the drama unfolds the reader becomes	8:50
	increasingly aware that the real judge,	8:53
	the one with ultimate power is Jesus Himself, the prisoner.	8:56
	Thomas Long notes the irony here by writing that	9:02
	it is Jesus who is to be crucified,	9:05
	but it is Pilate and all like him who are defeated.	9:08
	It is Jesus who will suffer death,	9:12
	but it is the ways of the world that are perishing.	9:15
	The stage is set.	9:21
	Jesus, this itinerant Jewish preacher	9:24
	has been attracting larger and larger crowds.	9:28
	People travel from miles around just to see Him	9:32
	and to hear His message.	9:35
	He seems to have some awesome magical powers to	9:38
	heal those who are sick,	9:41
	to give sight to those who are blind,	9:43
	and to make the lame walk again.	9:45
	Rumor has it that He has recently brought a dead	9:49
	man back to life.	9:51
	Clearly, this Jesus must be reckoned with.	9:54
	He is becoming a threat to the religious authorities,	9:59
	and the same religious authorities want to portray Him	10:02
	as a threat to the Roman Empire.	10:06
	Up until this point	10:10
	no real charge has been brought against Jesus,	10:12
	other than that of evil doer.	10:15
	His accusers are not able to say that Jesus is a trader,	10:18
	they are not able to say that Jesus is a felon,	10:22
	they're not able to say that Jesus is breaker of the peace.	10:25
	All they can say is that He is an evil doer.	10:29
	He is seen as a trouble maker	10:34
	then suddenly the stakes get higher.	10:38
	The charges against Him make Pilate and others	10:42
	sit up and take notice.	10:44
	Some are now calling Him 'King of The Jews'	10:47
	or 'King of Judea'.	10:50
	To the Roman Empire, this claim of being king of the Jews	10:53
	or king of Judea is a treasonable offense	10:57
	punishable by death.	11:00
	But why?	11:03
	What prompted the religious authorities to hand over	11:06
	one of their very own to Pilate and the Roman Empire?	11:08
	Part of it, was that they were disappointed that	11:13
	this Jesus, who claimed He was sent from God,	11:17
	was not an epic hero.	11:21
	He was not a military figure,	11:23
	and he was not a strong political leader.	11:26
	The religious- the religious authorities were	11:30
	expecting and waiting for someone to come and	11:32
	wage the great apocalyptic fight against the	11:34
	evil Roman Empire.	11:37
	They were wishing and hoping for a decisive military	11:40
	victory once and for all.	11:43
	The kind of victory that would rid God's people	11:45
	of their enemies.	11:48
	Instead, the religious leaders got Jesus.	11:51
	Instead, they got someone who urged them to	11:55
	love their enemies.	11:57
	They got someone who urged them to not take	11:59
	up arms and fight.	12:01
	They got someone who urged them to mingle with those	12:04
	who were considered unclean.	12:06
	"What a disappointment",	12:09
	thought the chief priest and elders.	12:12
	They've failed to understand that Jesus' lordship	12:16
	that His kingship,	12:20
	is of a different and new nature.	12:22
	Jesus, by way of His ministry,	12:26
	and by way of his life,	12:28
	turned the expectations of kingship upside down.	12:31
	When Jesus says to Pilate, "my kingdom is not of	12:37
	this world", He does not mean to imply	12:39
	that He and His followers have no role to play	12:41
	in human affairs and the struggle for	12:44
	justice and peace.	12:46
	This claim of Jesus distinguishes His kingdom from	12:49
	other kingdoms.	12:51
	Other kingdoms were domination, where violence and	12:53
	economic exploitation are common.	12:58
	The values of this kingdom,	13:02
	the values of Jesus' kingdom are not	13:04
	and should not be the same as the values	13:08
	of earthly kingdoms.	13:10
	The Jewish people living during the time of Jesus	13:14
	were hoping for a king like the one they heard	13:16
	their ancestors speak of.	13:18
	They were hoping for another King David,	13:21
	an ideal king, beloved of God.	13:23
	They were longing for king described in today's	13:28
	old testament lesson and in so many ways	13:30
	that's just what they got.	13:35
	Like David, Jesus' God's anointed one,	13:37
	the lesson from Samuel iterates God's resolve to	13:41
	use the anointed one to bring well being and	13:44
	God's power to raise up One suited to God's purposes.	13:47
	The message and the lesson from Samuel,	13:54
	and of the lesson from John is the same.	13:56
	Both messages challenge us to look at our leaders.	14:00
	From whom do they derive their authority?	14:06
	And for what do they stand?	14:09
	Are they like Pilate?	14:11
	Mere pawns in a political machine	14:14
	or do they stand for peace and equality?	14:17
	And do they take up the calls of the marginalized	14:20
	and powerless of our society today?	14:22
	Are their political actions and moves designed	14:27
	to get high approval ratings?	14:29
	Or are their political actions based upon wise counsel	14:32
	and discernment from God?	14:36
	Beyond examining our leaders,	14:39
	these lessons also present a personal challenge	14:41
	to each of us.	14:44
	To whom do we owe our ultimate allegiance?	14:46
	When the chips are down,	14:49
	what really counts for you?	14:51
	Do we understand any better than Pilate did?	14:54
	The higher authority to which Jesus referred?	14:58
	Have we given God ultimate authority in our lives?	15:01
	Do we really allow God to be sovereign	15:05
	in our lives?	15:08
	Or would we have stood in the crown in Jerusalem	15:10
	and shouted "crucify Him! Crucify Him!"	15:14
	As I said earlier, it seems a bit strange	15:21
	to focus on a scripture lesson about Jesus'	15:24
	condemnation and death as we prepare to enter	15:26
	the season of Advent,	15:30
	but it is essential that each of us remembers that	15:32
	Jesus' birth is only the beginning of the story,	15:36
	or better yet, the middle of the story.	15:39
	Jesus came to be part of a long term solution,	15:42
	by His life and death, He set new standards	15:47
	for moral and ethical behavior.	15:50
	He testified to the power of God and to God's	15:53
	enduring faithfulness.	15:55
	He called us to accept God's rule in our lives	15:57
	and then to become part of the solution to today's problems	16:00
	by choosing not the easy, but the difficult path.	16:04
	Not the simple solution, but the high moral ground.	16:09
	The easy path, the simple solution is to behave like	16:14
	the kingly powers of this world.	16:18
	To not be to some political party,	16:25
	nor even to our country,	16:29
	but to Jesus Christ only.	16:31
	Certainly, we have an obligation of loyalty to	16:35
	our country, if it's principles are consistent	16:37
	with those of the gospel,	16:40
	as disciples of Jesus Christ,	16:42
	we have chosen God to be the highest authority in our lives.	16:45
	When we have a tough decision to make	16:49
	we should turn to God,	16:52
	not to our local senator.	16:54
	When we look for a motto of leadership	16:57
	we should turn to Christ,	16:59
	not to the mayor, not to the governor,	17:01
	not even to the president.	17:05
	Today in a sense, we come to a conclusion of the story.	17:08
	Jesus reigns as king over all forever more.	17:13
	We come to the conclusion only to turn around	17:17
	and begin again.	17:20
	We will hear once more from the beginning of the story of	17:23
	our Savior's earthly life among us	17:25
	starting with His conception and His birth,	17:28
	we will hear once again the stories and words we	17:32
	know so well.	17:36
	And we'll once again be surprised by what new insights,	17:38
	what new understandings they bring us.	17:42
	But before we start over,	17:45
	before we hear those old familiar stories again	17:48
	we have to face the reality of Christ's kingship.	17:52
	Today is Christ, the King's Sunday.	17:58
	Is Christ your king?	18:01
	Is He Lord of your life?	18:04
	Do you make your decisions based upon His life	18:07
	and His teachings?	18:09
	Is Jesus Christ your king?	18:12
	If not, then something else or someone else is.	18:15
	You may protest and say "I have no king",	18:19
	but we're all subjects to one thing or another.	18:23
	If Christ is not king in your life, than perhaps	18:28
	is some earthly philosophy or discipline?	18:31
	Perhaps it's greed or lust.	18:35
	Perhaps it's your career.	18:37
	The kings of this world exact a huge toll	18:40
	on people's lives.	18:44
	To call Jesus "King" is a major leap,	18:46
	it is to make Him the only One you will serve.	18:49
	To serve another is treason.	18:53
	In this world where every organization and	18:56
	every person wants our unwavering loyalty,	18:58
	to make Christ king is an enormous personal challenge.	19:01
	How will Christ as king effect your work?	19:06
	How will Christ as king in your life effect	19:11
	your business dealings?	19:14
	How will Christ as king in your life effect your marriage?	19:16
	How will Christ as king in your life effect	19:22
	your relationship with your children?	19:26
	To whom will you swear your allegiance?	19:31
	For whom will we give our lives?	19:35
	To whom have we sold our souls?	19:38
	It is my prayer that Jesus Christ is king of your life	19:42
	and that it is He and He only	19:47
	who reigns within your heart.	19:50
	Amen.	19:53

Item Info

Title:

Albert D. Mosley - "A Paradoxical Kingdom" (November 25, 2001)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 0:10. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 19:54.
Through the story of the battered and criminalized “King of the Jews,” this sermon reveals how Jesus’ kingship of love establishes a kingdom of justice and peace that overturns the disappointed expectations of the world; it calls those who claim Jesus as their king to claim him as lord in the relationships, business, and allegiances of their public and personal lives. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4736mh4n

Date:

November 25, 2001

Speaker:

Mosley, Albert D.

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Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-1095
ref10347_lvj
uachapelsermaud
duke:320617
dcrau001739
ark:/87924/r4736mh4n
ce80089d-e630-47ea-b9fa-17cba865c13a

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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CC BY-NC 4.0

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This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Albert D. Mosley - "A Paradoxical Kingdom" (November 25, 2001)

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