“Pilate said to Jesus,

‘Are you the King of the Jews?’

Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this on your own

or have others told you about me?’

Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? 

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. 

What have you done?’

Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong to this world,

my attendants would be fighting

to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. 

But as it is, my kingdom is not here.’

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

Jesus answered, ‘You say I am a king. 

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth. 

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’”

Jesus Christ is King of the Universe! Jesus clearly tells Pilate, however, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” That is not to say that his kingdom is not in this world, but it does not originate here. It is of divine origin and initiative. It is God’s doing, not our own. If Jesus’s kingdom did belong to this world, it would follow worldly rules. Power, coercion, force, subjugation, violence, and might would expand the kingdom territorially. We understand kingdoms to exist geographically. Those people found in a territory are subject to the king or ruler of that territory. Jesus’s kingdom is universal, but not territorial. There is no place in the universe subject to another kingdom than his. That is because his kingdom is a kingdom of truth. He says, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Jesus’s kingdom spreads not by military might conquering a territory, or a victorious election in modern democracies, but from person to person and heart to heart. It is not a kingdom that enforces compliance, but inspires love. It transcends circumstances and transforms hearts. It brings true interior freedom (the truth will set you free), breaking the bonds of sin and death. It is a voluntary kingdom. No one is forced, but all are invited. Rather than in a high castle surrounded by turrets and moats and soldiers, Jesus stand among us, removing his outer garments, taking up a basin and towel, and washing our feet. He is a king who serves. He is a king who loves to the point of sacrifice. He is a king who does not demand tribute, but who gives his life as a ransom for many. Make no mistake, Jesus is the King of the Universe. It is a universe created in love, sustained by love, and destined for love. All other kingdoms are passing away. They are weak compared to the power of love. 

Jesus’s kingdom does not belong to this world, but it is in this world. It is in every heart that responds to his love. It is in every gift of the self in freedom. It is in every act of service, liberation, empowerment, justice or peace. It is in every moment of beauty, truth, goodness, or love. It is in every place of reconciliation, hope, community, and peace. Jesus’s kingdom flourishes from person to person and in heart to heart. In him, may we each find the freedom to be who we were made to be, to love without measure, to serve without payment, and to soar without chains. Our Lord Jesus Christ is King of the Universe! He is the King of Peace! He is the King of Glory! He is the King of our hearts!