The Game Of Thrones Goes On

We continue our meditations upon the LORD's Prayer . . .

During the days of Jesus' earthly life many were playing—in terms of the currently popular TV show on HBO—their own Game of Thrones. Many members of the Jewish Sanhedrin tried to maintain their control of the Jewish people while balancing the Roman occupiers' demands for taxes. In turn, the High Priests sought to control the Sanhedrin and enrich themselves at the same time. The Herodians had limited political control of various parts of the land as they killed one another and indulged their fleshly appetites. And in the midst of all this the Roman prefects and governors had to maintain peace with all these factions while their soldiers pursued Jewish zealots and sicarii (assasins) hiding in the hills or killing in the very streets of Jerusalem.

Here's part of the private conversation between the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus as reported in the Gospel of John. Notice how each plays the game.

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 

Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" 

Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?" 

Jesus answered, "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." 

Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" 

Jesus answered, "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." 

Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" 

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him. - Jhn 18:33-38 ESV

What did Jesus mean by accepting the title of king? What did he mean when he said he was born for that very purpose? What did he imply by saying that he came into the world for that purpose? That he existed somewhere else, in some other world? And what is or was the nature of his kingdom? How could he come into the world and yet not be of this world? Or from the world? What world was he from?

It all sounded like gibberish to Pilate, this talk about kings, truth and listening to Jesus' voice. The guy was obviously nuts, spouting nonsense. That's why Pilate concluded, "I find no guilt in him." This prophet was not guilty of insurrection as the Sanhedrin claimed. They were playing their own games and Pilate knew it. He simply wanted to get rid of this craziness and be done with it. So he played his card, hoping it would all go away. He would release Jesus and crucify the robber Barabbas, but they demanded Barabbas and the game went on.

With all this in mind, we are taught by our LORD to pray, "Father in the heavens . . . your kingdom come!" So whose kingdom are we praying for? Jesus' or the Father's? Both? More on this in my next post.