LIVING on the edge of Western Europe it is not surprising that many British people have something of a fascination with the Roman Empire. In the first century AD, the Romans conquered Britain and ruled here for nearly four hundred years. They gave us many things: including straight roads, plumbing and under-floor heating, and founded towns many towns such as Carmarthen. Just off Priory Street in Carmarthen are the remains of a Roman amphitheatre which could hold about five thousand spectators. It isn’t quite the size of Colosseum in Rome — and it is highly unlikely that it was ever flooded to stage a mock sea-battle — but it is a reminder of how far Roman influence stretched. 

Rome was an empire, with an emperor at its head. The bad emperors are generally portrayed as cruel autocrats in films like Gladiator. However, these depictions tend to gloss over the fact that these emperors were worshipped as  being divine. One of their first acts on accession to the throne would be for the new Emperor to declare their predecessor, or father, a God. They would then be referred to as ‘DIVI FILIVS’, ‘Son of a god’, ‘Fab duw’. This feels alien to us, because we are Christians, and we are followers of Jesus, the Son of God the Father, the Creator and Sustainer of us all. 

In this morning’s Gospel, Jesus is in Pilate’s headquarters, being questioned, before He is condemned to death on the Cross. Since Our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem a few days earlier, He has been hailed as the Davidic King, the Messiah. This is viewed as a clear challenge to Herod, and thus to the Roman occupation. Pilate is afraid of an insurrection leading to a rebellion and a change of government, all of which could mean his own death. So he asks Jesus:

“Ai ti yw Brenin yr Iddewon?”

“Are you the King of the Jews?” (Jn 18:33)

Our Lord does not answer, but instead asks Pilate a question:

“Ai ohonot dy hun yr wyt ti’n dweud hyn, ai ynteu eraill a ddywedodd hyn wrthyt amdanaf fi?”

“Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” (Jn 18:34)

Pilate then replies:

“Dy genedl dy hun a’i phrif offeiriaid sydd wedi dy drosglwyddo di i mi. Beth wnaethost ti?”

“Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” (Jn 18:35)

The back and forth is an attempt by the Roman Governor to see if there is substance to the charges, and to see whether Jesus will confess, or whether evidence can be gleaned, which would substantiate the accusation against Him. This leads Our Lord to make the following declaration:

“Nid yw fy nheyrnas i o’r byd hwn. Pe bai fy nheyrnas i o’r byd hwn, byddai fy ngwasanaethwyr i yn ymladd, rhag imi gael fy nhrosglwyddo i’r Iddewon. Ond y gwir yw, nid dyma darddle fy nheyrnas i.”

“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (Jn 18:36)

Jesus Christ is not an earthly king, concerned with power, honour, wealth, and prestige, but rather a heavenly one, seeking to establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts and minds of men, women, and children. He seeks to build a kingdom of peace, love, and joy, and of healing and reconciliation. Pilate fails to grasp the nuance of Jesus’ proclamation, and instead focuses on what Jesus says, rather than what He means.

‘Yna meddai Pilat wrtho, “Yr wyt ti yn frenin, ynteu?”’

‘Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?”’ (Jn 18:37)

The Roman Governor is concerned with law, and not theology. He takes Our Lord’s words as a statement that Christ considers Himself a King, and that the charges against Him are true. So Jesus makes the following reply:

“Ti sy’n dweud fy mod yn frenin,” atebodd Iesu. “Er mwyn hyn yr wyf fi wedi cael fy ngeni, ac er mwyn hyn y deuthum i’r byd, i dystiolaethu i’r gwirionedd. Y mae pawb sy’n perthyn i’r gwirionedd yn gwrando ar fy llais i.”

“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18:37)

Christ’s purpose is to bear witness to the truth, that He is God, and is calling people to repent and believe in Him. Pilate, however, is not listening to Jesus. The Governor focuses on the surface meaning, ignoring the truth beneath Christ’s words. And yet the truth will out in the end. A few hours later Our Lord will be crucified and the title fixed to the Cross will read: ‘Iesu o Nasareth, Brenin yr Iddewon’, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’, in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. In this way Pilate will proclaim Christ’s Kingship to the whole world. Because of this all people can see and know what a true King looks like; not robed in splendour in a palace, but nailed to a Cross, and dying the death ascribed to a criminal. In His Passion and Death, Christ bears witness to the truth, namely that:

‘Do, carodd Duw y byd gymaint nes iddo roi ei unig Fab, er mwyn i bob sy’n credu ynddo ef beidio â mynd i ddistryw ond cael bywyd tragwyddol. Oherwydd nid i gondemnio’r byd yr anfonodd Duw ei Fab i’r byd, ond er mwyn i’r byd gael ei achud trwyddo ef.’

‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.’ (Jn 3:16-17) 

This is what real kingship looks like: selfless love and sacrifice. This is what Jesus offers the world in the Eucharist — His self-giving love with the power to transform the world. God gives Himself to us, so the world can share Eternal Life in Him. It is not about acquiring and displaying wealth, power, or privilege — things of this world. Instead, as Christians, we look to God and Heaven, as both the source of our being and as our eternal home.

To acknowledge Christ’s kingship is to do something truly radical. It is to say to those with worldly power, ‘We recognize something far greater and more powerful than you!’ This is a profound political act, which terrifies those who are insecure, just as it terrified Pilate and Herod. As followers of Jesus we have built the house of our faith on the rock which is Christ, and not the shifting sands of this world. 

So, my brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge Christ as our King. Let us serve Him, filled with His love for us, and for all people. Let this love form a Kingdom with God as its head. And as citizens of God’s Kingdom let us give praise and honour to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion and power, now and forever. Amen.