Rebel with a Cause: Jesus as King

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John 10:22-39

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

Sermon: “Rebel with a Cause: Jesus as King”

How do you know the sky is blue?  Do you calculate the exact composition of shades, or ask it to tell you?

No.  You see it.

How do you know a particular food is delicious?  Do you  statistically analyze the responses of those who have eaten it before?

No.  You taste it.

How do you know someone cares for you?  Do you ask them to prepare a thorough essay on the scientific emotional responses happening within them when they’re around you?

Of course not.  You feel it.

So, how did Jesus communicate his identity as Messiah, Christ, King?  He didn’t prepare scroll after scroll detailing his family history in the line of David.  He didn’t walk around with a shiny crown on his head for all to see.  He didn’t demand that people pay him homage or engage in tactical debates to convince officials he was King. 

He lived it.

He healed the sick, whether or not it happened to be a Sabbath day.

He drank water with a Samaritan woman, whether or not it was religiously or culturally acceptable to do so.

He called out the religiously powerful, not caring if it put him at risk.

He ate with outcasts and sinners, he prayed, he fed the hungry, he taught people that throwing stones is never the answer, he raised the dead. 

His entire life proclaimed that he was the Messiah, come to fulfill the law of God.

But that wasn’t enough for the keepers of the rules, those scribes and Pharisees.  They pushed him, time and time again, to don a shiny crown so they could take him out.  (It turns out they put their own crown of thorns on him, in the end.)

They demanded, “How long will you keep us in suspense?”  In the Greek saying, “How long will you make us hold our breath?  If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 

But a Messiah wasn’t what they really wanted, y’all.  They wanted blood.  They wanted to destroy the rebel who had flouted their rules and made them look powerless.  They wanted to finally have enough reasons to silence this Jesus character once and for all.

But Jesus wouldn’t budge.  He replied simply, “I’ve told you, but you don’t believe.   The works I do in my Father’s name have shown you, but you don’t see beyond your rules.”  He explained that he came like a shepherd bringing salvation, calling sheep to him, being one with the Father. 

They responded by picking up stones, showing the extremes we human beings will sometimes go to in trying to prove we are right.  Jesus didn’t run.  He didn’t defend himself.  He simply said, “Why are you doing this?  You’ve seen the good works I’ve done.  You’ve seen people healed, communities reconciled, masses fed.  Which of these justifies a death sentence?” 

Knowing the loud witness of those good works, these scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus, saying, “You are making yourself God.”   He might have said the same thing to them, though they made themselves a much more graceless god.

They were preserving the rules even if those rules trampled the sick and afflicted.

They were protecting the wealthy while demanding more and more sacrifice from the poor.

They were placing themselves as gatekeepers of the covenantal law, deciding who was and was not faithful (but not holding themselves to their own standards).

They were making themselves God…well, a lousy copy of God. 

But Jesus – who IS God – wasn’t going to kill them for it.  He actually offered them yet another chance to accept who he was or, if they couldn’t do that, to at least acknowledge the holiness of his good works.  But they couldn’t.  Too much of their power and reputation was at stake.  This rebel Jesus had to die, and with him the insurrection he stirred up among the people.

If Jesus had only been masquerading as a King, as a Messiah, perhaps killing him would have worked.  It didn’t…we’ll talk more about that closer to Easter. 

You see, the scribes and Pharisees missed something essential because they assumed Jesus’ followers were ignorant.  Those who followed Jesus in his time on earth didn’t name him King because he manipulated them, or because he had the right last name, or because he wore a crown.  They called him Messiah because of what he did.  And what he did was, quite simply, good.

You don’t know the sky is blue by deep analysis of colors.  You see it.

You don’t know a food is delicious by getting everyone’s opinion on it.  You taste it.

You don’t know someone cares for you because they can scientifically describe their emotions.  You feel it.

Christ showed that he was King of the just and grace-filled kingdom of God because he did good works, not to earn that title but simply because that’s what it looked like to live out his true identity. 

How about us?  How do you know someone is a Christian?  Not by demanding deep analysis of their understanding of scripture.  Not by seeing how influential they are in convincing people they are right.  Not by their flaunted piety or rigid rule-following.  You know someone is a Christian because they do the good works Christ did.  Even if it means breaking the rules to fulfill the loving law of God.  It’s that simple.

If the world will ever know we are Christians, it won’t be because of our clever arguments, our perfect consensus on every issue, our expensive marketing techniques or our showy spirituality.  It won’t even be because of how efficiently we Presbys can run a meeting or how plentiful our potlucks are.

They will only know we are Christians if we do the good works Christ did.  And, to be honest, friends, we could spend several lifetimes just doing that, and never finish.  So, why would we waste our time doing anything else?    

Amen.