In John 18 is the story of Jesus before Pilate. Jesus was being portrayed as a threat to the stability of the fragile politics under Roman rule. He was seen as a potential source of uprising against the established government. Afterall, he was developing quite a following! And the Jewish leaders who turned him in - they saw him as a threat to their established sacred order. He was questioning and overturning so many of their traditions and beliefs! They saw his influence on the people as taking their rightful authority from them. And so the question - "Are you the King of the Jews?".
They were hoping for self-admission of guilt! A quick and easy fix for a sticky problem - that of proving him guilty of something in order to remove him from his place of influence and assure that authority remained with those in charge. But Jesus came back with this answer "My kingdom is not of this world." In other words - "I am no threat to you. I am not leading a political uprising." Previously, when questioned about when his kingdom would be seen, Jesus had answered that it wasn't a kingdom that was visible! "The kingdom of God is within you!" (Luke 17)
It might seem sometimes, that we are still waiting for his kingdom to be established! Afterall, darkness still runs rampant here! But know this! The kingdom of God is alive and well in the hearts of those who are his, scattered throughout this world!! That tiny spark that caught light in Judea, has spread all over this planet!! And we still pray "Your kingdom come..." because there are still many for which it is not a reality! But the hope in man's hearts that was born with the babe in Bethlehem, has become a kingdom of light that continues to grow!!
One day Jesus will come back, and his kingdom will be obvious to everyone! He will banish darkness and the new world will be free of pain and sickness and death that destroys us. That will be the physical manifestation of what already exists in so many! He is the King! We are his kingdom! As long as he is king in our hearts, his kingdom lives!! Never forget who you are! You represent that kingdom to everyone you meet! Maybe you are their key to seeing it!
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