“Whoops”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, November 24, 2024
John 18: 33-37 (Forward, p. 26) CEV p. 1126
How in the world did we miss it? How did we somehow slip into the mode of thinking that God’s will is that His kingdom is to be established in this world, when He clearly says, in this passage, that His kingdom is not of this world? And yet in much of medieval Europe, Cromwell’s Commonwealth, and the United States over much of its existence, this has been the prevailing narrative. Over against this, the apostle Paul tells us plainly that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
So why might we succumb to this temptation, this folly, so often? On its more positive side, there is the motivation alluded to us in the First Letter to Timothy (1 Timothy, 2:2): so that we might live quiet and peaceable lives where we are fully able to worship and honour God. Furthermore, Paul goes on to say that such a climate, such an environment, might also be conducive to the spread of the Gospel.
However, on the negative side, I think that the appeal of an earthly kingdom also feeds into our base, earthly desires for power, control, comfort, and predictability. If the kingdom is here and now, the erstwhile temptation for us fallible humans, is to take over the reins ourselves and ‘manage’ the kingdom as we see fit. It also means that there is a temptation to ‘have all our eggs in this one basket’, an earthly basket, whereas Paul tells us plainly that our sight, our perspective, and our allegiance should be fixed firmly in heaven. As long as they are fixed on things here on earth, we will be more likely, on the one hand, to be fearful and upset if other theologies or ideologies take hold on earth. And, on the other hand, want to fit it and be part of however that kingdom ‘plays out’ on earth, even if it isn’t equally godly, beneficial, or scriptural. There is a big ‘whoops’ here, and it is so very easy, and natural, to slip into it. I pray that God will assist us greatly in seeing what is, and what isn’t, of His will and of His kingdom.
Forward notes: ”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” (verse 37b).
“In the world, so much seeks our attention. So many voices ask something of us. Sometimes, these voices come from outside—from work, friends, or family—and sometimes, they come from inside—from expectations we have of ourselves. It can be hard to quiet those voices enough to listen to Jesus. What can help is having some understanding of what we’re listening for.
“In my experience, Jesus doesn’t speak to us directly. It’s not like Jesus texts us or calls for a coffee date. We know from Scripture that Jesus speaks to us in many other ways: through friends, family, and nature. Jesus is speaking all around us, all the time. Jesus is speaking words of love, life, and liberation. We belong to Christ, and as faithful followers, we need to train our ears to listen to his voice, to the voice of truth.”
Moving Forward: “What is a truth that has revealed itself to you today?”