Politics, Christians, and the nature of Christ’s kingdom

November 5, 2024

Until Christ returns, believers are called to live as faithful citizens of his kingdom, engaging with the world around us but always remembering where our true citizenship lies.

When Jesus stood before Governor Pilate and declared, “My kingdom is not of this world,” it wasn’t just Pilate who was perplexed (Jn 18:36). The Jewish leaders who brought Jesus to him were equally confused. So were the crowds, and even the Lord’s own disciples struggled to understand the true nature of his kingdom. Despite walking with Jesus for years, hearing his teachings, and witnessing his miracles, they could not fully grasp what he was doing. The idea of a kingdom not rooted in the politics or power of this world was utterly foreign to them.

Let’s consider the profound implications of Jesus’s statement and why it mattered so much, not only for the people of his time but for us today. We’ll examine the misunderstanding of his kingdom, the role prophecy played in shaping Jewish expectations, and what it means to live as citizens of Christ’s heavenly kingdom while still in this world.

Peter’s impulse to fight

Let’s begin with Peter, whose confusion is vividly displayed in the Gospel of John. When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter’s first reaction was to fight back. Drawing his sword, he struck one of the men, cutting off his ear (Jn 18:10). His instinct was to defend Jesus, to stop what he saw as an unjust arrest. From Peter’s perspective, Jesus was innocent. How could he just stand by and watch this injustice unfold?

But Peter’s response shows a deep misunderstanding of Christ’s mission. Throughout his ministry, Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer and die (Mt 16:21). Yet Peter had always struggled with this. In Matthew 16, when Jesus first predicted his death, Peter rebuked Him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Mt 16:22). Jesus’s response to Peter’s well-intentioned but misguided objection was sharp: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mt 16:23).

In both instances, Peter’s intentions were good—he loved Jesus and wanted to protect him—but he didn’t yet understand the greater plan. Jesus’s path to kingship wasn’t through military might or political power. It was through suffering and the cross. So when Peter attempted to fight off the soldiers, Jesus corrected him once again, saying, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (Jn 18:11).

Peter’s actions were driven by a very human impulse—the desire to fight for what he believed was right. But Jesus’s kingdom was not going to be established through violence or force. Peter, like so many others, misunderstood the nature of Christ’s mission and his kingdom.

A conquering king?

To fully understand Peter’s confusion, we should consider the broader Jewish expectations for the Messiah. The Jews were waiting for a king, but not the kind of king Jesus claimed to be. Their understanding was shaped by the Old Testament prophecies, which spoke of a ruler who would deliver them from their enemies and establish an everlasting kingdom.

Consider some of the key passages that shaped their expectations:

Genesis 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
Psalm 2: “I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” (Psalm 2:8)
Daniel 2:44: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.”

These passages point to a powerful, conquering king. The Jews in Jesus’s day interpreted these scriptures as promises of a Messiah who would overthrow their Roman oppressors and restore Israel to its former glory. They expected a political revolution, not a suffering servant.

But the prophecies also pointed to something else—a Messiah who would suffer and die. Isaiah 53 speaks of this “suffering servant” who would be “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities” (Isa 53:5). However, the people of Israel struggled to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory images of a conquering king and a suffering servant.

The disciples themselves were caught up in this tension. They recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Peter even declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). But like many others, they expected him to establish a physical kingdom, a nation on earth that would crush its enemies and reign forever.

This confusion persisted even after Jesus’s resurrection. In Acts 1:6, the disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” They still didn’t fully grasp that Jesus’s kingdom was not going to be a political one, at least not yet.

Jesus’s kingdom is not of this world

When Jesus stood before Pilate and said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” he was making a profound statement about the nature of his reign (Jn 18:36). Pilate, as a Roman governor, would have understood kingdoms in terms of power, territory, and military strength. But Jesus’s kingdom operates on a completely different plane.

He clarified this to Pilate: “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” (Jn 18:36). Jesus was not here to lead an armed rebellion against Rome. His kingdom would not be established by force. Instead, it was a spiritual kingdom, built on truth, righteousness, and the transformation of hearts.

This is a radically different kind of kingdom. Throughout history, kingdoms and empires have risen through conquest, violence, and dominance. But Jesus’s kingdom would grow through the power of the gospel and the proclamation of truth. As he said to Pilate, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37).

The expansion of Christ’s kingdom would not be marked by military victories or political revolutions but by the spread of the gospel and the transformation of lives. It would grow as people from every nation, tribe, and tongue came to know and follow him. Jesus likened His kingdom to a mustard seed, starting small, but growing into something vast and far-reaching (Mt 13:31-32).

The kingdom now and not yet

The full realization of Jesus’s kingdom is something that will come in the future, at his second coming, when he returns as the conquering King the Jews expected. But even now, his kingdom is present. It’s here, in the hearts of believers, in the church, and in the ongoing work of the gospel throughout the world.

This is the already-but-not-yet nature of Christ’s kingdom. It’s already present wherever the gospel is proclaimed and received, but its fullness has yet to be realized. One day, as Jesus taught in the parables of Matthew 13, he will return and separate the wheat from the tares, gathering his people to himself and judging the wicked (Mt 13:41-43).

Living as kingdom citizens

Understanding that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world but is still advancing within it has profound implications for how we live today. As believers, we are called to be citizens of heaven even while we remain here on earth. This means rejecting both the temptations of isolation and assimilation.

Isolation

Some, like Anthony the Great in the 3rd century, have sought to escape the world entirely, withdrawing to remote places to focus solely on spiritual matters. While it’s true that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, Jesus himself prayed that his followers would not be taken out of the world but protected from evil (Jn 17:15). We are not called to flee from society but to be a light in it.

Assimilation

On the other hand, it is tempting to become so immersed in this world that we lose sight of the kingdom to come. The Bible warns us not to conform to this world (Ro 12:2). We live in this world, but we are no longer of it. Our values, our priorities, and our ultimate hope must be rooted in Christ’s eternal kingdom, not in the fleeting systems and structures of this age.

As citizens of Christ’s kingdom, we are called to be his ambassadors (2Co 5:20). We represent his reign here on earth, not through force or political power, but by living out the values of his kingdom: humility, mercy, peacemaking, and a thirst for righteousness (Mt 5:3-10). We are to live in a way that points others to the true King and the eternal kingdom that is coming.

The kingdom for this world

Jesus’s kingdom may not be of this world, but it is most certainly for this world. It is for the redemption of the lost, the transformation of hearts, and the spreading of truth. And one day, it will come in its fullness when Christ returns to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Until that day, we are called to live as faithful citizens of his kingdom, engaging with the world around us but always remembering where our true citizenship lies. We are ambassadors of a kingdom that will never fall, serving a King who reigns forever. And for those who have not yet entered that kingdom, the invitation remains open: repent, believe, and become a part of the kingdom that will never end.

“My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36). Yet it is for this world and you. Will you enter before it’s too late?