Be Part of History

The first two men are in today's gospel. They are

• Pilate and Jesus.
• One a ruler and the other a slave
• One a master and the other a  servant
• One a king and the other a subject

But which is which? Who is the ruler and who is the slave? Who is truly King?

Pilate seems powerful enough, but scratching around a bit we find he is actually a googly mess.

Pilate occupies the chair of the governor; he wields the authority of Caesar himself.

He has servants and slaves to carry out his wishes and fighting men at his disposal.

Undoubtedly he would have been from the top end of town.

He certainly seems to be a powerful individual, and in the ways of the world, a real success story; one of the mighty ones with a bright future ahead. And the fact that he probably got there by stepping on the heads of his opposition would make the world respect him even more. Someone to be looked up to.

But Pilate himself is ruled by other things.

We see a man ruled by doubt.

• He is constantly running back and forth: he goes inside and comes out again; from Jesus to the outside crowd and from the crowd back to Jesus.
• He, the strong man, asks the crowd: What must I do? What do you want me to do with this man Jesus? Whom shall I release for you - this man or Barabbas?

We see a man ruled by contradiction.

• He finds no guilt - so he has Jesus scourged.
• He washes his hands in innocence - and orders his crucifixion.
• He realises that they are out to get Jesus through jealousy - and hands him over.

We see a man ruled by fear.

• He is afraid of losing his grip on his power and prestige.
• He is afraid of a riot
• He is afraid of losing face before the people.

Outwardly big in the eyes of the world this man is inwardly very small. Pilate is really only a little man.

The second Man is the Master

The Master stands before Pilate the giant with feet of clay, whose world is about to crumble.

Face to face with him, his arms bound, his eyes swollen from the blows he has received.

Jesus stands shivering with the cold.

• In Jesus, evil is not king because Jesus IS Love.
• He is not ruled by violence because he IS Peace.
• In him, there is no room for lies and cheating, no questions like 'What is truth?' because he IS the Truth.
• Jesus is not a giant with feet of clay but rather the cornerstone of the whole building.
• In him, there is no frantic movement to save himself but rather deep confidence and trust in his Father.
• He does not even turn his face from those who spit at him and tug at his beard; you have to be powerful to be able to do that.
• No need, like Pilate, to use threats - he is calm knowing he stands in the authority and power of God.
• No need, like Pilate, to protest his innocence because his Father will show his innocence when the time comes.
• No whimpering because he faces a savage death because his life has been one long preparation for this moment.

The moment of fear has passed in the Garden the night before and now Jesus stands before Pilate in the full strength and power of his Father's will and his own integrity - and Pilate is profoundly disturbed.

Well, who is the real king? Who do men say that I am .... who do you say that I am?

And the third man.

If we were to ask King Charles who he is he could rattle off a long list of impressive titles. It’s quite a library so strap yourself in for the ride.

His Royal Highness, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Earl of Chester, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Intendant of Scotland, Knight Royal Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Extra Knight of the Oldest and Most Noble Order of the Wild Thistle, Grand Master and Main Knight of the Great Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight of Order of Australia, Fellow of the Queen's Order of Service, Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Private Council, Her Majesty's Field Helper.

And while all those things are lovely and grand they are not the most important thing about King Charles.

The most important thing about King Charles, the way that we should truly see him is to see him as God sees him. King Charles, well above and beyond anything else, first and foremost, is… a child of God. Our Lord went to the cross for King Charles and Our Lord loves him deeply and dearly.

And this is true of us and it is true of everyone else we meet. We too are a child of God. And everyone we see and meet and talk to and even those who make us very grumpy, are first and foremost, … a child of God.

And when we understand that about King Charles, when we understand it about our neighbour and when we finally get it and understand that about ourselves, then God’s kingdom will have truly come.