Jn 18:33b-37
Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
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."
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
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."
What do I remember from this reading?
The phrase "But as it is, my kingdom is not here." keeps drawing my eye back to it. It is one of those phrases we see so often in the gospel that, like our Lord, is a mystery. Again, a mystery is something that holds deeper and unexpected meanings when viewed, pondered, or meditated on, and this line has been turning over in my mind for a few days.
Also, I will not lie...I thought I had done this week's meditation already. Please forgive me, and pray that my memory stays more focused.
How does this relate to my current situation on my path towards the kingdom?
As I continue to meditate on this phrase, I of course see the surface meaning...that is to say that Jesus is proclaiming that his kingdom is heaven. For a lot of people, that means it's in the clouds, or some place "up"...someplace not of this world. Yet, if you dig deeper into what Jesus chose to say here, you unravel much more than that.
Jesus's kingdom is not here, but it should be! We, through our actions, thoughts, words, and works for others, should bring about a sharpening of the image of heaven to those around us...and through those same actions and the constant application of those actions you and I...everyone should bring that image into such sharp focus that the line between heaven and earth becomes so blurred that heaven actually will exist right here! At that point, Jesus's kingdom would literally be here!
How does this call me to better myself?
With this mediation, I see a clear and straight forward path to better myself: The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are my guide, and I should commit myself to their application.
Sometimes, it just seems like we have been given a manual for how to live and even thrive in this crazy world...
On another note:
My wife, Brandy Miller, is going to be going through the Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary...and I invite you to follow along. It's a wonderful way to help you grow your faith during this upcoming time of Advent.
God bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment