We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded by your direct support for ReKnew and our vision. Please consider supporting this project.

jesus and pilate

A Kingdom Not of This World

In the previous post, I introduced how Jesus directly taught against the favored nation status of Israel, an theme that runs throughout his ministry. For example, Yahweh’s Sinai covenant with Israel was rooted in a system of immediate rewards and punishments. Jesus not only canceled these covenantal promises; he sometimes explicitly reversed them. The Sinai covenant taught that those who obeyed God would be blessed with food and wealth, for example, while disobedience would result in hunger and poverty (e.g. Deut 27-28). Yet, Jesus pronounced woes on those who were well fed and wealthy while promising blessings to those who were hungry and poor (Lk. 6:20-21; 24-25).

Similarly, under the Sinai covenant those who obeyed God were promised they’d enjoy military victories over enemies and would possess the promised land. By contrast, Jesus taught that the humble and meek would inherit the earth, while those who showed mercy toward enemies and who were peacemakers would be blessed (Matt 5:5, 7,9; Lk 6:2).

Jesus’ assault on the Jewish nationalistic spirit of his day can also be seen in his interaction with a Roman Centurion (Mt. 8:5-10). Jesus not only obliged this commander’s plea to heal his servant; he commended his faith as being greater than that of any Jew he’d encountered. In the minds of many of his contemporaries, the Messiah was supposed to incite vengeance against officers like this, not serve them and praise them!

Along similar lines, Jesus violated customary Jewish taboos about fellowshipping with Samaritans, whom most Jews regarded as even further outside God’s favor than Gentiles. He even went so far as to make a hero of a Samaritan in one of his parables, contrasting his kindness with the calloused response of a Jewish priest and a Levite in the process (Lk 10:29-37).

Yet, Jesus’ most explicit repudiation of the nationalistic understanding of divine favor came in response to Pilate’s question about whether or not he was “king of the Jews.” Pilate was naturally wondering whether Jesus regarded himself to be on a par with, and therefore in competition with, his position as ruler of the land. “My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus replied, citing the fact that his followers were not fighting on his behalf as proof of his claim (Jn. 18:36). Jesus was acknowledging that he was indeed a king, but not over any particular geographical region, any particular people, or any particular political regime. He was thus declaring that his kingdom was no more aligned with the nation of Israel than with any other nation. Whatever God was up to in working with a “favored” nation in the past, it’s evident that Jesus believed this nationalistic program had come to an end with him.

While it took some time for the Spirit to overcome the deeply entrenched nationalism and racism of Jesus’ earliest disciples—remember, some of them were expecting Jesus to restore Israel even after the resurrection (Acts 1)—we see Jesus’ trans-nationalistic view of the kingdom evidenced throughout the New Testament. In Jesus, Paul says, the distinction between Jew and Gentile has been abolished and “the dividing wall of hostility” has been “destroyed.” Indeed, in Christ God has created “one new humanity,” replacing the old fragmented humanity in Adam (Eph. 2:11-17). Hence, there is in Christ no longer any place for attaching any significance to one’s nationality or ethnicity—or, Paul adds, to one’s social standing, wealth or gender (Gal. 3:28).

Photo credit: Lawrence OP via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

Related Reading

God and Our Political Platforms

Rachel Held Evans posted a blog today on the stir created when Democrats booed the passing of “an amendment to the party platform reinstating language that identified Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel and that referred to people’s “God-given potential” in its preamble.” Of course this fed into the belief that if you’re a…

Is America Uniquely “Under God”?

As a rallying slogan for our civil religion, the proclamation that we are “one nation under God” arguably serves a useful social function, for it gives many Americans a sense of shared values and vision. But it is not a slogan kingdom people in America should take too seriously. We must always remember that, while…

The Destiny of God’s People

Jesus represents the realization of God’s glorious dream for humanity. In Christ, we see what we who are in Christ are destined to be. As a stick placed in a river is destined to be carried to whatever body of water the river runs to, so all who have allowed themselves to be drawn by…

Why Racial Reconciliation Matters

In Psalm 72, the author prays for a day when “all kings” would “bow down” to God’s anointed and when “all nations” would “serve him” (vs. 11). At this time, the Psalmist continues, God’s king will deliver “the needy who cry out” and save “the afflicted who have no one to help.” He will “take…

Politics & the Kingdom of the World

Instead of aligning any version of the kingdom of this world with the kingdom of God—as is common in American Christianity—kingdom-of-God participants must retain a healthy suspicion toward every version of the kingdom of this world. This is especially necessary regarding one’s own version because that’s precisely where we’re most tempted to become idolatrous (see…

Are You Anti-American?

Greg answers the frequently asked question of whether he is anti-American. What’s your best guess? Watch the video and find out!