A story about Christ the King
(From the Gospel of John, chapter 18, verses 33-37)
On the night before he died, Jesus had a special supper with his friends in Jerusalem. He told them, "Whenever you eat bread and drink wine together, I want you to remember me and how very much I love you. When you do that, it will feel like I am very close to you – and, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, I will be."
Then Jesus took his friends to a garden to pray. A group of Roman soldiers and police from the Temple found them there. They arrested Jesus and led him away.
Early the next morning, the Temple police took Jesus to the palace of the Roman governor. His name was Pontius Pilate.
Pilate asked them, "Why did you arrest this man?" They told him, "He is a criminal. We think he should be killed."
Pilate turned to Jesus and said, "I know that you are a Jew. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem have handed you over to me. They think you have broken a law. What have you done? Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not from this world."
Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I am here to teach people what is true. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Questions to think and pray about:
I wonder what it was like for Jesus' friends to see him get arrested and led off to jail.
I wonder what Jesus meant when he said, "My kingdom is not from this world."
Would you use the word "king" to describe Jesus? Why or why not?