“Are You the King?”



April 6, 2025, | Hodgdon UMC

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King (John 12:12-15)

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna![a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
    see, your king is coming,
    seated on a donkey’s colt.”[c]

 

Jesus Before Pilate (John 18:33-38)

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this, he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

 




<Henry VIII>

A long time ago, a king in England named Henry VIII. Right after his coronation, he began exiling or executing people who didn’t please him. He married six times and, in the process, led the English Reformation, breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church and starting the Church of England.

In 1534, he issued the Act of Supremacy, declaring himself the "Supreme Head" of the Church of England. This meant rejecting the Pope's authority and establishing the church under the control of the English crown. Why? Because the Pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. So Henry married Anne Boleyn anyway and then made the law to back it up.

That act united church and state, blending religion and politics. This imperfect beginning still sparked a movement that eventually brought the Bible, simple worship, and a call to holy living to the Puritans—and later, across the sea to America.

What does that tell us? Even through selfish motives and messy politics, God was still building His kingdom.

This past week, in both the U.S. and Korea, there have been moments of uncertainty and division. One of my pastor friends here couldn't get his visa renewed. She and her husband have to return to Korea, leaving some of their children behind for the rest of the school year. It’s heartbreaking.

In Korea, after 111 days of investigation, the president was impeached for unnecessarily declaring martial law. Political tension and division are growing in both nations—and even within churches. In all this fear and confusion, we long for a true King.

<A Humble King>

Back in Jesus’ day, the Jewish people were also under pressure—under Roman rule—and they longed for a Messiah to save them, both spiritually and politically. Then Jesus appeared: healing the sick, and teaching with authority. The people wanted to make Him king (John 6:15), but Jesus withdrew—because His kingdom wasn’t of this world.

But when the time came, He entered Jerusalem not on a war horse, but on a young donkey—just as Zechariah prophesied. The people waved palm branches and shouted from Psalm 118, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!”

This humble King came not with force, but with peace.

During His trial before Pilate, the word “King” comes up ten times. Pilate asked, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Pilate asked again, “So you are a king?” Jesus said, “I came to testify to the truth.” And Pilate, intrigued, asked, “What is truth?”

Pilate didn’t find any guilt in Him and tried to release Him. But the crowd asked for Barabbas instead. Soldiers mocked Jesus, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Pilate said, “Here is your King! Shall I crucify your King?”

Then he wrote it on the cross in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek: “The King of the Jews.” When people asked him to change it, he said, “What I have written, I have written.”

Pilate sensed the truth—but he feared people more than God. He knew Jesus might be King, but he didn’t surrender to Him.

<You Are My King>

So, who is your King? Who is King over your life, your family, your church, your country, and this world?

For me, growing up, many of my wounds were connected to my father. Though he was a pastor, he carried unhealed hurts that hurt me too. But God used that pain to draw me closer to Himself.

Strangely enough, the very faith my dad tried to pass down to me became real when I experienced how God healed the wounds caused by him. Every turning point in my faith came in the midst of struggles with my dad. But then, I saw God change my father—completely. And I saw how God changed me, too.

At eight years old, I made a decision to follow this King with everything I had. And I still do.

When Jesus is truly the King of your life, He heals, restores, and provides. I’ve lived a life full—not because everything is perfect, but because my King is good. That’s why I keep preaching this good news.

So what about you?

In the chaos of divided politics and religion…
In the pain of personal struggle…
In the weariness of physical and emotional burdens…

Who is your King?

The history of England’s Reformation teaches us this: political leaders are not our ultimate hope. God’s Kingdom doesn’t rise through human power but through the quiet, powerful transformation of hearts.

When the Holy Spirit changes individuals, He forms a people—different backgrounds, different views—who are united under one King. That’s the Church. That’s the Kingdom of God.

We may not experience the fullness of that Kingdom on this earth. But in our longing and our humility, we keep walking toward it. And the King who uses all our weaknesses for His glory is walking with us.

Jesus, You are my King and You are our King. Amen.

 

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