By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
November 11, 2024
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John 18:33–37 (ESV)
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. 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.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Today I come before you just a bit distracted. As I work from home I will often listen to various things on YouTube or other sites as I am working my way through the verification of employee hours. Occasionally as I am listening and watching things, concepts are brought up that I want clarification on or I answer a question that was posed in the discussion. Usually as I am watching these videos I will watch interviews with people that challenge my understanding of faith and life in general. I do this, to the annoyance of some of my friends and family, because I want to know what people outside my faith tradition are saying about what I say I believe.
To set your mind at ease, most of the videos present arguments that people have researched a great deal and most of the video commentators choose not to look at that. Like I have watched several videos about how the Nicaean Council determined the books of the Bible, when the records of that council never discussed what was regarded as scripture, but instead discussed the nature of Jesus and began to establish cannon law within the ancient church. The vast majority of scripture was established before that council in 325AD, with a few exceptions. What we have presented to us today as scripture we can with confidence accept as being the same scripture the early church accepted. I did mention there are a few exceptions. Those exceptions are that the Orthodox and Catholic bibles include the deuterocanonical books that are included in the Greek Translation of the Old Testament but are not in the Hebrew manuscripts. And the Ethiopian church includes the Book of Enoch, Jubilees, along with the deuterocononical books.
I mention all of this because there are questions within the seeking world that we should try to answer and at times we have answered those questions yet they just do not satisfy them. I see this even in my own life. I was sucked into a discussion about the Book of Mormon because someone made a video about the history of the LDS church. They expressed that the video was rude and expressing false concepts of their faith. I initially commented that the original presenter did that with every religious group, not just Mormons, and I continued to say that there were issues that I had with their faith that I had never received a good answer for. Oddly, I still have not heard a good answer, because the major issue I have is that there are not textual verification on the translation where we can see if things translated as one thing, in the case I made chariots, which were not used by indigenous people of the Americas, could have meant something else. The reason we do not have textual verification is because there have been no writings found containing the language that the book of Mormon was supposed to have been written in.
The online debate, which I have to admit went nowhere and accomplished nothing, but it did spark within me a thought that the discussion between Pilate and Jesus during the trail has similar themes. We have two people engaged in an argument, and they are on two completely different plains. And that discussion concludes with Pilate saying in exasperation, “What is truth?”
You have been in conversations like this, we all have. You have them with your children when discussing the best way to do something, and we end up defeated and resort to the default answer, “Do it because I said so.” Maybe you do not end up there, but I definitely do. In some ways it annoys me but in other ways it fill me with healthy pride, because my child is developing a sense of their own identity and are willing to stand even if the opposition does not agree. We have had these discussions with coworkers and people from opposing political philosophies. We go around and around never finding a solution because we are speaking from two different places about two different things, and if we could only take a step back and listen we might find that we actually agree more than disagree.
Jesus and Pilate were having a discussion, maybe not an argument, because this was a trial. Pilate enters the headquarters and calls Jesus to stand before him and he asks, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
To us this might seem like a big but straight forward question. But it is not as simple as it seems. I mentioned that I cannot take the Book of Mormon serious because there have not been any other writings using the language that the documents. That is not the case with the writings of the New Testament, or even with the language of the Old Testament. In the case of the Old Testament there might not be many documents from people outside of the Israel, but there are languages that emerged from a similar place as Hebrew. These languages give us an indication as to how words were used in various places. And when we study those cultures along side that of the Hebrew people we can see the similarities and differences. And much of the Old Testament law or teachings can be found throughout the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian world. It is the differences that make it the most interesting.
In regard to New Testament Greek, we can see how a wide variety of words have been used. We can read it in ancient medical texts, plays, legal documents and religious writings but within and outside Christian traditions. And sometimes we can learn that what we once thought about a passage could be interpreted differently in light of how the words were used elsewhere. The concept of King is one of those words.
In much of the ancient world the king was more than what we regard a king to be. Our understanding of king comes from feudal Europe of the middle ages. In those cases there was a concept of the Divine rights of a king or monarch to rule. This idea means that God chose them to rule, that they are above the law of the average person because they reside in a different place of humanity. They are set apart by divine decree. How does one become king though? There are only a couple of ways really. The first is you are born into the role. One of your parents were the ruling monarch and when they died that role was passed down to the next in line, usually the eldest son but in some cases it could be the daughter. The second way of obtaining the title of king comes through might. In this case the king conquered. Either there was a challenge made and the victor of the duel seized the title, or the previous monarch was defeated in a military campaign. Sometimes there is both a hereditary and conquest aspect to it, but in general that is the way it happens.
There are similarities and differences to how the ancient cultures became kings. Most ancient kings were not only rulers in a political sense, but they were regarded as being gods living on earth. Not only did they have a divine right to rule, but they were the divinity. When Moses challenged the Pharaoh of Egypt, he not only challenged the king, but the god of Egypt because the pharaoh was thought to be the offspring of the gods. This royal divinity can be seen throughout Persia and the Mediterranean basin. Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Canaan all had similar ideas that their kings were the sons of the gods, the mighty men of renown.
We see this in scripture. Genesis speaks of this, Deuteronomy talks about how God divided the nations among the sons of God, the Prophets speak of how the beasts that were given dominion over the nations had it stripped away from them. There was teaching throughout the ancient near east that the king, the giant, was the offspring of the gods and that gave them the right to rule.
There is a difference in the Hebrew understanding of king. Most of us read the book of Judges and we see that the men did what was right in their own mind because they had no king over them. We read statements like that in the scripture and we often think that God wanted Israel to have a king, but Israel did have a king. Their king was God. But Israel thought they needed a king over them like the Philistines, and they demanded that Samuel would give them a king to fight their battles for them. Samuel became depressed at this demand. He thought of himself as a failure of a prophet, priest and judge. He thought that he could not lead the people. But God told Samuel that they rejecting God not Samuel. They wanted to be like the rest of the world, they wanted their own giant to fight for them. So they chose the man Saul to be their king. Saul was picked because he was taller than the others, he looked like a king.
Israel rejected their true king, God, and wanted a king of this world. They wanted to be like every other nation. God allowed them to have their king, but he gave them a warning. The king would become a tyrant. They would demand tribute and taxes, they would lead them into battles with nations not only to defend their land but to increase their power and influence. And this is exactly what the kings did. Saul the first king sought to kill David because he threatened his power. David eventually became king, and his son Solomon was regarded as the wisest man to live, yet shortly after his death the kingdom of Israel divided in two. It divided because of God’s warning, Solomon was regarded as a wise king by some and a tyrant by others.
Israel obtained a king, but the king was not seen as a god. In most of the ancient Near East the king was not only the political leaders, but the head of the religion. The king’s word was law because he was god, and the king could demand tribute and taxes and you would gladly pay because it satisfied some divine mandate. Caesar was not only an emperor but the son of Zeus. He was not only the leader of the politic, but one to whom honor and praise was directed. There was no separation of government and religion they were one in the same. So when Pilate asks, “Are you the King of the Jews?” there is more to that question than we might think.
Pilate is concerned with political riots. He is concerned with his own place within the governing system of the empire. When Pilate is thinking of a king, he is also weighing something far greater. If there is a king of the Jews in his mind, there is a second god contending for the empire. This trial is both one of political and spiritual warfare.
Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
Do you see the layers within the question and the answer. Pilate is asking if he is the king, a new divine being ready to take on the claim of Caesar over the Jewish people both in reference to government and religious devotion. And Jesus in his answer is asking Pilate if he asks because he recognizes some divine aspect within Jesus or if he is on trial based on hearsay.
Pilate then answers Jesus’s question, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me.” We might miss that if we are not careful. Many outside the church like to say that Jesus never claimed to be God, but when we consider the path of the conversion within the trial it becomes clear that Pilate believes that Jesus is before him because Jesus claimed to be God. He claimed to be the God of Israel, and their king. Notice both aspects, the civil leaders of the nation and priest of the temple handed Jesus over to Pilate. To Pilate, Jesus claimed to be God, and his own people rejected him. Are you the king of the Jews? He asked. How can you be king when your nation and priest turn you over to me. Pilate is politically and religiously arrogant. The Jewish people in his mind are rejecting their king, their God, and giving Caesar their full allegiance.
“My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus responds, “ 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.”
For the past month or so we have discussed Jesus’s teaching on power and authority. He said that the rulers of the gentiles, or the kingdoms of men, lord their power over others and exercise authority. He is alluding to the use of violence and coercion to force submission. This is exploitation and oppression. He then said that, “this shall not be so among you.” If we are part of God’s kingdom we should not exploit and oppress. We should not use the powers of legislation and the courts to force adherence to our will. Jesus repeats this sentiment to Pilate at his trial.
My kingdom is not of this world. That one small word, of, has a great deal of meaning. It is a word of separation or disassociation. Meaning if Jesus’s kingdom is not of this world, it is of something else. It is not in this world, it is outside or beyond what we or Pilate, regards as kingdom.
Jesus is telling him that his concept of king, kingdom, life, death, power and authority is completely different. If Jesus’s kingdom was of this world his servants would be fighting. They would be using force, violence, might and coercion to force Rome into submission.
This is the way the world works. We see it in Russia verse Ukraine. We see it in presidential elections. We see it in corporate take overs within our economy. The kingdoms of this world use their power to exploit and oppress. This is why after one hundred and sixty one years after the emancipation proclamation we are still discussing issues of racism in America. This world, the kingdoms of this world fight to retain control, influence and power. Progress has been made sure, but we are still fighting. Why?
“My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus says, “If it were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.” Jesus says this calmly. He says these words as if they were of no consequence to him. He says that his servants would have been fighting, but the sense of the conversation is that there really would not have been a fight. Rome and the temple guards would be fighting but if Jesus’s kingdom was of this world there would not have been a contest. Pilate probably shuttered at these words. He knew the fighting spirit of the Hebrew people. When people fight for their homeland it is as if the strongest army of the world is brought to their knees. And this is how it was in Israel. I mentioned last week that the Roman Colosseum was built after the fall of Jerusalem and that the argument could be made that the riches plundered from Israel were used to fund the things we see today as Roman marvels. There is more to the story. The Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Africa, from Spain to Israel. They controlled one fifth of the world’s population. Today India is the most populous nation in the world and they only rule 17.7% of the world’s population, Rome controlled 20%.
That vast Empire ruled 20% of the world’s population and when Israel began to fight, Rome had to move their armies away from their frontiers to assist. It can be argued that the wall built across Northern England was built to help alleviate the pressure of invasion because there were not enough troops to adequately protect the Roman Britain.
Pilate knew the strength and character of the Hebrew people. He had governed that region longer than any Roman governor had. He used violence and bribery, and was known to be one of the most vicious governors within the Empire. Jesus looked at the man about to sentence him to death and said, “if my kingdom was of this world like yours, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“But my kingdom is not from the world.” You could probably hear the sigh of relief from Pilate at this point. But there is still confusion. There is confusion because Pilate is attempting to process a concept in his mind while looking at it from the improper perspective. At this point I will refer to YouTube once again. Neal deGrasse Tyson is a well known astrophysicist today and I often listen to his podcast. I listen because when I was growing up those were the shows I always watched, because out in the middle of nowhere we had three channels on TV on a good day, two on most days, but even on the worst days we had PBS. So I would often watch NOVA, 321 Contact, Reading Rainbow, and the Joys of Painting. Well Tyson asked on his podcast, how do you trap someone in a two dimensional world? The answer is that you draw a square around them. They cannot escape that square without stepping out of the 2nd dimension into the 3rd. That is what Pilate is attempting to do. He is trapped in his 2 dimensional world, while Jesus is speaking from a different place entirely. “My kingdom is not from this world”. The kingdom of God is beyond what we experience in this world. Aspects exist in this realm yet there is more, something beyond our grasp. And this is what confuses Pilate.
Jesus has evaded his question. He challenges Pilate with questions of his own, which causes this Judge to feel as if the roles have been reversed. And now he shakes his head and says, “So you are a king?”
He almost gets it. He is almost able to see into the unseen realm, just outside our 4 dimensional existence of time and space. He recognizes that Jesus has said that his kingdom is not of this world and he grabs hold of that. “So you are a king?”
This takes us right back to the beginning again. A king in the ancient world was both the political and religious head. He was the ruler of men because he was a god on earth. This is the thought process of Pilate at that time, Caesar is emperor, which is really a king but Rome cannot say king because they are a republic yet they want this authoritarian ruler. Caesar is also a god, which is why there were temples built in his honor. The ancient world belief both inside and outside of the Hebrew religions was that there were spiritual beings place over the various nations, and these spiritual beings ruled the nations through their offspring, the men or renown or kings. These kings used the wisdom and power of these spiritual beings to gain power and authority over others nations and as nations rose in power so did their spiritual being or god.
When Moses challenged Pharaoh, God was not only embarrassing a man, but he was defeating the Egyptian gods. And in this defeat over the gods of Egypt, God was telling the entire world that he was greater than all other god. Our God is the king of kings and Lord of Lords, he is the Most High God. And Pilates looks at Jesus ans says, “So you are a king?” You are this incarnation of the Jewish God? You are what is being said, the messiah that will cast off the bonds of Rome and bring in a new era for Israel?
“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Why did Jesus come into the world? John the Baptist presented the Gospel on the banks of the Jordan saying, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Turn or return to God because his influence and power is all around you. This is the same message that Jesus gave. We often say that the Gospel is that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and provide a way to heaven. This is part of the Gospel, yes, but the Gospel is so much more. It is God reversing the curse brought about by the spiritual rebellion on earth and in heaven. It is about God, stepping into full humanity, bringing God to mankind and lifting mankind to God. The Gospel is that God is making all things new. And that is all around us, then, now and forever more. For this purpose Jesus came into the world, and Everyone who is of the truth listens to his voice.
Are we listening?
Are we embracing the kingdom of God that is at hand right here and now? Or are we grasping for a kingdom of this world? Are we seeking the restoration of creation or are we seeking power and authority over others? Are we seeking justice or are we participating in the continued exploitation and oppression of those who happen to be weaker at this moment?
Pilate shuttered at the thought of a rising king. He shuttered because that is always the fear of those that hold fleeting authority. Eventually every empire falls. Persia is dust, Greece is a memory, the glory of Rome is in ruins, and there are other empires of more recent history. They rise in power, they use their authority, and eventually the oppressed push back and the mighty fall. Just like Goliath falling before David.
If we are of this world, we look at the state of the world and we live in fear, because we might lose everything. We think we need to struggle and fight. “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; rage, rage against the dying of the light.” says the poet Dylan Thomas. Rage Rage he says, fight fight. We fight and rage because we cannot let go. We want to keep the ideals of the kingdoms of men alive and well. We fight a civil war, a war of independence, we have the red revolution, or Euromaidan protests. We rage because we have misplaced hope, because we are trapped, prisoners in our own dimension. Yet Jesus says for this purpose I have came into the world. He came so we do not have to rage and fight. He came so that we can become people, a nation, a kingdom Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit and living the love of Christ with others.
We can rage against the dying of our empires or we can embrace something more. We can shutter at the thought of a challenging king rising, or we can embrace the reality that there is already one unique son of God who is the king of kings and lord of lords, who has already conquered the world, sin and death. This week we enter into the holiday season, a season of thanksgiving, of hope, of joy, and generosity. A season where we recognize the cold darkness around us, yet we know that light has come into the world and we will sing not of the dying of the light but of its rising.
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 10, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 3:13–22 (ESV) 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for…
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 03, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 2:2–10 (ESV) 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have…
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 26, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Query 4 (Faith and Practice of EFC-MAYM pg 61) Do you provide for the suitable Christian education and recreation of your children and those under your care, and…
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By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
November 17, 2024
Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship
Mark 13:1–8 (ESV)
1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Over the past few weeks, Jesus has been speaking to his disciples about power. This course of discussion began in the far northern reaches of what was known as Israel, around Caesarea Philippi and he then slowly worked his way to the south. This was his final journey through Judea, and today is his final visit to the temple.
As he goes on this journey, he speaks a great deal about power. Often we miss the nuances of these discussion because we often break the scripture into smaller bits and do not often look at the continual narrative. But this discussion began in a city dedicated to the Roman Emperor and the Tetrarch Herod Philip, the son of Herod the Great that was the self proclaimed king of the Jews.
Outside this city is a mountain which from which the spring or the source of the Jordan River originates. This mountain had religious significance because of this. In many ancient religions the source of water was sacred. But in the second temple era of Israel’s history there was more to this particular mountain. They taught that Mount Hermon was the place heaven and earth connected, and that it was on this mountain that the rebellious spirits that manipulated our first parents and their offspring interacted with humankind.
We cannot prove if this actually occurred, but we can prove that there was religious significance to this particular place, as there are ancient shrines along the face of this mountain, and a cave known as Pan’s Grotto, or the Gates of Hell.
Jesus knew the teachings surrounding that place. He knew the significance his disciples may have placed on it, and it was there that he asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
Who is Jesus?
This question is the most important question we can ask ourselves. The answer to this question should direct every aspect of your life. Who is Jesus?
Once the disciples answered that question, Jesus then changed the focus of his teaching. Immediately after Simon answered that question, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” He answered Jesus’ question and Jesus said to him, “God revealed this to you, and you will be called Peter and on this rock I will build my church.”
History has argued about what the meaning of this statement is, but the reality of the context was that things changed from that moment on. The focus of the ministry changed. To that point Jesus had taught, healed, and encouraged people. He gathered a following and everyone was asking if this could be the one they hoped for. Jesus let them talk. He allowed them to wonder. He used that awe to tell stories and promote an interpretation of Torah that seemed new. But there is a flip side to this, people had their own ideas about what the Messiah was supposed to be.
Was he a conquering king, that would throw off the bonds of injustice that Israel had experienced under the rule of various pagan overlords? Was the priest that would bring all nations to God? The Prophet sent to reveal the teaching of God? Each question and answer holds meaning. And each is connected to each other. The answer is yes, and also no.
You see those answers all have baggage connected to them. They contain our own interpretation of king, priest, and prophet. But as Jesus revealed over this last journey what we expect is not exactly true.
Who is Jesus? Peter told us an answer, an answer upon which Jesus would establish the assembly of his people. But right after Peter said these words, Jesus told them that he was going to face death at the hands of the religious leaders and the gentiles. That he would be buried and that he would rise again on the third day. Peter piped up once again saying, “This will never happen.” And Jesus who called this man the rock, then said, “get behind me Satan.” Our expectations can at times lead us the wrong way.
They then walk south. They pass through the Galilee, and share a meal where a child illustrates the focus of the kingdom of God. Words are shared about what greatness is and is not. And they continue south toward Jerusalem. They pass through Jericho, that city known as the beginning of the conquest which is now the center of taxation. And they meet a blind man that was willing to throw everything he owned away to be able to see once again. And then then enter Jerusalem and they watch and listen as Jesus tells them that the widow that donated what little she had gave more than the abundance of the rich. Each step he took as he went south challenged the teachings of their contemporary culture. Each step, challenged their understanding and confused their expectations. Then they leave the temple.
“Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” one of the disciples, say as Jesus and the twelve exit. Just look at this. It is difficult for us to imagine the magnificence of Temple. The temple complex is said to have had a circumference of nearly one mile and covered thirty-five acres of ground. This is equivalent to twelve football fields. It is hard to wrap our minds around it, but to put this into perspective, Arrowhead Stadium is approximately a quarter of a million square feet, which is just over five and a half acres. The temple covered 35 acres, which would be equivalent to around six Arrowhead stadiums put together.
“Look…what wonderful stones.” The disciple says. We are not told which of the disciples said this, but I want us to consider what he means by the words. He is in awe of the temple. He is basking in the glory of the magnificence of his people. The Parthenon in Greece, that glorious building tourist flock to every year is only 25,000 square feet a tenth of the size of Arrowhead. The Great Colosseum of Rome is about the same size as Arrowhead. These we consider to be marvels of ancient architecture. The temple to Artemis in Ephesus was a bit smaller than the Parthenon and it was considered to be a wonder of the ancient world. These all pale to the greatness of the Temple. Even the great pyramid of Egypt, which is twice the size of Arrowhead Stadium is smaller than the Temple complex of Jerusalem, if we are to believe the writings of the historians. This was arguably the greatest complex devoted to religious worship ever constructed in history. And the disciple said, “Just look at that!”
Like so often over the past few weeks, as we followed Jesus from Mount Hermon to Jerusalem, the disciples just do not quite get what Jesus is saying. They think that he is their king, their messiah, and He is. But their expectations are not based on truth. Their minds are revolving around the things of mankind.
James and John seek places of honor and power, and Jesus tells them that the rulers of the gentiles lord power over others, and use force to bring people to submission. “It shall not be so among you,” Jesus tells them. The kingdom of God will not use force to convince people to believe or the offices of governments to legislate righteousness. Instead, Jesus says that the law of God will be written in their hearts. It will be bound to the forehead, and wrapped around their wrist. It is through our thoughts and our actions, being driven by the core of who we are that we will convince people of righteousness.
But today they gaze up at that wonderful building devoted to God. The building Jesus called a den of robbers. And the disciples are not thinking of God’s kingdom, they are looking at the things they built, the things their ancestor constructed. They say to themselves, surly we are great. And Jesus tells them, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Without another word he walks away.
Imagine the shock that would have visited the disciples at that moment. As Americans we still mourn the loss of the twin towers. When I was a child I never believed those iconic buildings could come crashing down. Imagine Egypt without the pyramids, Rome without the Vatican, London without Big Ben, Russia without the Kremlin, or China without their Wall. These are more than just amazing buildings they are icons to the greatness of an empire, or the strength of a god. And Jesus said not a stone will remain.
We look at Jerusalem today, and as beautiful as the Dome of the Rock is, I cannot picture in my mind something as glorious as the Temple. I cannot picture it because very little remains.
Jesus dropped a truth bomb on them and walked away. He walks to the Mount of Olives across from the temple, and they sit together looking toward it. And the disciples ask him privately when this will happen.
I want us to try to consider what might have been going through their minds. The words that Jesus spoke were devastating. He was not only speaking of the loss of a great building. This was the collapse of an entire culture. What went through your mind when the twin towers fell? It was not just the destruction of a building but it was a wound to the American identity. We felt exposed, vulnerable, and weak. And we responded.
That is just a small percentage of the dread that engulfed the disciples at that moment. Jesus was telling them that everything they built their life on was about to crumble. The foundation of their culture was going to fail and come crashing down, and scattered to a degree that it would be unrecognizable.
We often look at this passage and we see it as Jesus’s Apocalypse. We see this as Jesus speaking of the End of time. My entire life I have listened to sermons about the end. I have been encouraged to say the sinner’s prayer so that I will not be left behind. I once spent an evening in a tree in tears, wondering if I had been left behind because my parents were not home and the sunset was very red.
I want us to take a step back. Jesus has been telling them for the past few days that their concepts of power will not be what the kingdom of God is like. He has told them that if you want to be first, you need to be last. If you want to be great, you should be a slave to all. Then he says that the temple will come crashing down. The disciples are rightfully scared, but I want us to consider the context. Consider power, honor, and glory in the kingdom of God.
“See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
What is Jesus speaking about?
Power, honor, and glory.
Jesus, as he and his disciples look across the horizon toward the temple, is encouraging his disciples to consider what they think is important in this world. What do we see as success? Yes, there are apocalyptic elements to the discussion because Judea was unwittingly walking straight into their own destruction. When we think of the glory of the Roman empire what is it that we see? We often think of the Colosseum and games within. They did not break ground for that building until after the fall of Jerusalem. Some would make a case that the Colosseum was built using the treasure looted from Jerusalem’s temple.
What is important to us in this world?
“And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” What is a nation? There are various ways to answer that question. But in this context it is a people group. Today we might consider it an ethnic group, maybe a race. It is some group of people that are joined together under one unifying idea or trait. Jesus is telling us that people are going to rise up against other people. They are going to struggle and battle for dominance.
“Kingdom against kingdom.” In the American mind we often equate nation and kingdom as being one in the same, but there is a difference. A nation focuses on the people, where the kingdom usually refers to the scope of influence. There can be several nations within a kingdom.
Nations and kingdoms will go to war. We will hear of it, and we will hear people talk about the possibility of it. People will use force to exert power over others. We see this every day of our lives, because that is the kingdoms of men. It is easy to see it when we look at the news and hear commentary about the front lines in Ukraine, but that is only one traumatic aspect of war. There are other form of power manipulation present in the kingdoms of men, we have just finished a battle of power that happens every four years in the United States. Sure it is peaceful for the most part, but it is a struggle for power.
But what about other nations, nations we do not think about? The nation of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Burger King and McDonald’s, or between Facebook and Twitter (I mean X). We do not necessarily see these as nations, but they have people who passionately follow and identify as loyal to the brand. We will get into arguments over the Chiefs and Raiders, or KU versus Mizzou. These are nations and we go to war. You probably think I am being overly dramatic. But not too long ago our nation was in a recession where the failure of banks threatened our civilization.
This is what Jesus is speaking about. What are we focused on? From where do we gain our identity? What will we do to maintain and promote what we find important? And what will we do if that all comes crashing down?
Nations will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. We will hear of wars and rumors of wars. We will read about corporate take overs, and bankruptcies. Bitcoin and NFT’s. Schemes and projects. “Look at the wonderful stones and buildings!”
We have become too focused on the end times when we read this passage. We want it to be far in the future so we do not really have to worry about it. Or we want it to come soon so we do not have to worry about the consequences of our actions today. But we often miss the point of what Jesus is saying. My YouTube feed is filled with videos explaining why churches are in decline, videos trying to tell us why there is such a struggle to find pastors to lead the church. We are worried about the culture war and fight against woke and other groups we see as promoting sinful lifestyles. I understand, but I want us to see it for what it really is. It is wars and rumors of wars, its nations rising against nations and kingdom against kingdom. It is man’s quest for power, influence, wealth and honor. And we have let those things grip our attention and distract us from the teachings of Jesus.
That is not how it will be in the kingdom of God, Jesus tells us. The things our world sees are great will be brought low. The things we see as powerful will be proven to be weak. The things we see as worthy of honor could be revealed as dishonorable if our attention is turned and we are lead astray. If we are to look at the Revelation of Jesus at the end of our bibles, what does John tell us the streets are made of? Gold.
We strive for wealth and power, and in the kingdom of God the things that measure wealth in the kingdoms of men is pavement, not even pavement, but packed earth or dirt. The things we strive for in the kingdoms of men are not what we should focus on.
That leaves us with a huge question. If we should not strive for wealth and power. If what everything our world says is important is not, what should we do?
Look at the things not mentioned by the world.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, the meek, the persecuted, those that hunger and thirst.” He said, “Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, and comfort the widow.” Jesus taught us to look toward the least of these, and in their faces you will see God. The world says, “Look, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” and Jesus says, “the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Society will crumble. But people will remain. Will you be there to encourage them to walk? Or will we be the ones that they see as the source of their frustration? Let us not seek the things of this world but become people loving God, embracing the Holy Spirit and living the love of Christ with others. Let us reflect the light of God, so that those dwelling in darkness can see the image of God living in our lives. “Do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.” We still have work to do.
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 19, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 1:17–23 (ESV) 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time…
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 12, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born…
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 05, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili John 20:1–18 (ESV) 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the…
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By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
November 11, 2024
Click Here to Join Our Meeting For Worship
Mark 12:38–44 (ESV)
38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Much has happened in the time I was last with you. Much has happened in our community, our nation, and within the scripture we missed due to my illness. The first thing I want to say this week is a thank you to you all, and to Tony and Stacy. The fact that I can be sick and not have to worry that things will continue as planned sets me at ease. That is the way things should be. A healthy community of faith should be able to step up and help at a moment’s notice. I sent one text message. And things were covered. And I know that if Tony was not available someone within this meeting would have stepped up.
That is what community really is. Each person within it has a place, and each member is willing to step up to assist when needed. We saw that last week, and we see it in the repairs around our meetinghouse. I do not spend a great deal of time on the church property directing activities. I do not need to, because someone has already taken ownership of the task before I can even mention to the various committees. John had the walls patched and ready to paint a week before our stewards meeting. The lights were rehung and the paint was ready. Then yesterday, enough of us showed up to paint that we did twice as much as I expected we would accomplish and I thank Eric, Taylor and Kristy for your help.
But that is just what we see. Charles has spend his entire adult life taking care of the little things, I would often pull into the parking lot and see him pulling weeds from the cracks or trimming the hedge rows. And as Charles has slowed down, Bob has stepped up into that roll, trimming the fence row and making sure our grounds are maintained. Kay has reorganized the library. And David. David has studied up on the various technologies so we can stream our services while also maintaining our normal worship experience, he has plumbing knowledge and was able to quickly fix a pipe before it became a problem where we would need to cut into our new ceiling. And he built the railing on our ramp.
Pastor Bilengana and his sons have helped tear out the ceiling and pull nails. They have hauled probably a ton of debris out of the meetinghouse, and helped clean. Nick helped wash down the walls to remove all the dust from the ceiling repair, and Kathleen’s family had most of the ceiling down before I even made it to help.
Without each of us do our part we would not have a meeting.
That is what community is about. We find a place and we help. We step up and fill the gaps when others are unable to. I do not often speak about membership to our church, but today I just want to make a brief mention. We do not require membership for you to attend, and worship. We do not require member for you to help in the various ministries. But membership is important. Membership is like a marriage. You hang out together, you enjoy each other’s company, and eventually you decide this is the person I would like to spend my life with, so you get married. That is what church membership is like. You worship, and enjoy communion and praise together, but eventually you should decide if this is the place you would like to minister with. You decide that if I am in this area I will serve God here.
When you get to that point, or if you are already there the process is easy enough. You simply ask for membership, and we will talk with you and then as a meeting we will welcome you into our ministry.
I do not know why I decided to go down that route today. Maybe it is because I am humbled by how we work together. But I think today’s passage speaks about this to some degree.
If we take a quick look back, the last time I spoke Jesus was making his way back to Jerusalem for what we now call holy week. A couple of weeks ago Jesus was in Jericho where a blind man cried out to Jesus for mercy and Jesus asked that man the same question he asked his disciples when they made a request. “What do you want me to do for you.” There was a different tone in the question, even though the words were the same. The disciples were wanting something for their own selfish gain, they wanted power and authority. They wanted the first and second position in Jesus’s royal court. The blind man also wanted something for himself. He wanted to see. He wanted to be able to participate in the community once again, he wanted to be restored so that he could contribute.
And Jesus used those questions to teach us something. The kingdoms of the Gentiles or the kingdoms of men lord power over people, the use their positions to exploit gain for themselves while leaving those that gave them that power helpless and hopeless. “That is not so among you,” Jesus told his disciples. The ways of God are not in what I can gain from others, instead it is service or ministry. Our focus is to be on how I can position my life so I can be a blessing to those around me.
This brings us to today’s passage, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Beware.
This one menacing word is the only commanding verb in today’s passage. This word means to look or see. The sense is to not take things at face value but to instead look deeper, examine and investigate what might lay beneath and find the root cause or source of what is being displayed on the surface. Beware!
I have thought a great deal about this over the past few weeks. Being sick with the flu left me some time to reflect on a great deal, especially around election day. The command to beware is a call or invitation to a deeper conversation. Like the ten commandments are more than rules, they are teachings that should direct us in areas of life far beyond the mere words within the command. If we were to examine the commands, not to covet or bear false witness against our neighbor. There are more to those words than envy and telling the truth. It is a call to treat our neighbor and all that they have as an extension of our own self and our family. We should be quick to preserve the honor and dignity of those around us. When we hear words being spoken ill of them, we should come to their defense and challenge those speaking without knowledge.
Beware. This command is telling us that we should strive for greater knowledge, and we should be skeptical. That might make us a bit uneasy. We should not be skeptical is often what we are taught. We should not doubt, we should not ask questions, especially of those that are in positions of authority. We are not supposed to judge, even Jesus gave us that commandment, so why is he telling us to examine things?
As most of you know I did not intend to become a pastor when I became an adult. I did not begin my education learning about scripture, instead I was pursuing a degree in crop science, and my goal was to eventually apply for a job in the field of genetic engineering where I would assist in making crops grow in harsher conditions and hopefully provide greater nutrition. And I know there are some among us that would see that work as something evil, but there is much good coming from the research as well. There is genetically engineered yellow rice that has nutrients that are not naturally occurring in that plant. Rice is the primary source of nourishment for much of the world’s population, and many of those people are malnourished because their food does not have all the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for health. I wanted to help make plants more nutritious.
My background encourages examination. We are to look at things rationally, test theories trying to prove them right or wrong, and then publish the results. I was trained to not take things at face value. But I did not continue in that field of study. I went to Ukraine one summer, and suddenly my life was turned upside down. God redirected everything within my life. I have forgotten almost all the knowledge I once had about crop science. Now God has encouraged me to use that training I received to presenting the Gospel.
Beware, Jesus commands us. Look deeper, dig below the surface to see what is at the roots. Many of my colleagues say things like the plain reading of scripture says… and I often ask them if that is true. They get annoyed with me and rightfully so. Each time I open scripture I learn more, I see things just a bit differently. And God is constantly teaching and encouraging me to change my understanding and my actions. Look deeper. And then look deeper again.
Jesus tells his disciples, “Beware of the Scribes.” Beware of the preachers. I want you to take this to heart. You might think highly of me as a pastor, or some other pastor, but we need to be watched and examined. I mentioned a conversation I had with my grandmother a couple of weeks ago. This is the root of her questions. When she asked me why I wanted to be a pastor, this is why she was asking those questions. But like most things it goes beyond the surface. Not only should we examine our pastors, but any leader. Are they being honest. If a CEO says they respect their employees, are they? What are the business practices they are implementing and do they benefit their employees first or themselves? We should do this for candidates for office, for pretty much every public servant, and for ourselves. Do our actions reflect the words that we speak?
“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes,” This statement is a bit of a mystery. There are basically a couple of schools of thought surrounding this. The first is that the person is wealthy and used to a life of ease and luxury so they have a long robe because they are not moving through a great deal of dirt in their daily life. In a world where pavement was not common a long robe dragging on the ground would be nasty by the end of the day, so only those who did not work would have long robes. Everyone else would have robes that were shorter, so they would not tack mud everywhere they went. The second though surrounding the long robes is that Jesus is speaking of the tassels that the books of the law required men to have on their clothing. These men may have had distinctive tassels to indicate their righteousness to those around them. Either argument makes sense but I think the most important thing is that these people that Jesus urges us to beware of are more interested in their appearance than their actions in daily life. They want to be seen, respected, held in high regard. They want to walk into a room and have everyone present swarm to them.
This continues when Jesus says, “and have the best seats in the synagogues.” In William Barclay’s New Daily Study Bible Commentary, he says that they liked the front seats of the synagogues, near the ark that held the sacred scriptures were kept. They sat in these areas because everyone’s attention was directed to those scrolls, and by sitting in those seats everyone would see them. Jesus continues, “and places of honor at feasts.” The place of honor is at the right and left of the host. The ones that were closest to the host were the most honored of the guests. So these scribes were in their long robes were wanting to sit at the front of the sanctuary where everyone could see them and they wanted to sit a the head table where everyone would look at them. These men were seeking attention. Demanding respect and honor.
And Jesus concludes, “who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers.”
Barclay again says in his commentary, “these legal experts had managed to convey to people that there was no higher duty and privilege than to support a Rabbi in comfort; that, in fact, such support would undoubtedly entitle him or her who gave it to a high place in the heavenly academy. It is a sad fact that religious charlatans have always preyed upon vulnerable people, and it would seem that these scribes and Pharisees imposed on people who could ill afford to support them.”
Beware.
Are the people we are giving respect and honor to, worthy of that respect? Have they exhibited the qualities Jesus teaches or are they exhibiting virtues honored only within the kingdoms of men?
As a pastor that receives a salary, and as a Friend’s pastor, a religious society who has a long history of unpaid ministry this causes me to pause. Why am I here? Am I living a lie? Is Jesus telling us that we should have unpaid clergy?
The answer, like the command itself, urges us to look deeper. We should be mindful of our focus, and our actions. Are the leaders working to make the community better or themselves? Scripture teaches that laborers deserve wages, so paying clergy is acceptable, but are those that serve focused only on their wage or are they making sure the ministry continues first.
No one person is more important than the community of faith. It is more important that we continue as a meeting than any one person. It is important to the Kingdom of God that the Friends Church continues to share the message and hope of the Friends Testimony in this community. It is important because we have a different voice than other traditions, we see things from a different perspective, we focus on different aspects of life. Without our voice something is missing, in the wider Christian community.
“Beware,” Jesus says, look below the surface, examine and weigh things in the balance. Are we doing things for recognition or are we doing things because we believe they are right. Are we compromising with the hopes of gain, or are we adapting to continue speaking truth in our changing community? Why are we doing what we are doing, and are we enabling and releasing people to continue the ministry we as a community find valuable?
Beware.
I have been here at Willow Creek for nearly fifteen years. I have seen us grow and dwindle. We have had people come and try to change things with the hopes of growth, and to be honest I have resisted many things. Why would I resist? The same question, are we changing to gain greater recognition or are we adapting to better teach the truth? Just this week a friend of mine said to me that he wished I would have a larger platform to share because he has found that I have been a great help to him over the years. And I told him, I am content with whatever God provides. We should not change to gain more attendance instead we need to remain true to ourselves and our community. I have also had conversations with others that have said they will never go to church because they are full of hypocrites. And I told them yes I agree. Churches are filled with hypocrites and so is every other organization. There are countless groups that say one thing and do the opposite. And we should be opposed to that. That is one of the greatest reasons for the decline in church attendance, it is not that people are uninterested in the Gospel. People love Jesus, they want to know more about his teachings and will sit for hours in conversation with you if you speak honestly. They desire authentic faith, they want a faith that feels real to them.
For nearly fifteen years we have been living on the verge. And some have wanted to make changes with the hopes that it would be more attractive to others. And I resist, maybe it is pride, but I do not feel it is. I resist because I want to be true, and authentic. I want us to live our faith in our actions and not just our words. I want us to be honest with ourselves and our community. I am willing to say I doubt and do not have the answers because I do not have all the answers, and I invite you to join in finding them together. Beware, Jesus says, examine and look deeper. Do we want attention? Do we want to devour and exploit those around us for gain, or do we want to encourage deeper faith in God?
After Jesus gave these teachings to his disciples, they sat together observing the people within the temple. They watched as people gave offerings to the treasury, some gave great sums while others only a little. And the word, beware, still hung in their ears. “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had.”
We might say that this is a teaching on how we should give to the ministry of the church. And it is that but it is more. What is important to you? What has the most value? What is worth preserving and what can we live without? This is a teaching on faith, on participation and on ministry. It is a teaching on living what you believe. It is Jesus showing us what it means to be a member of a religious society and community. Are we giving our time, our energy, our lives so that the message of this community remains? Are we willing to sacrifice so that others can understand what it means to not only be a servant of Christ, but a Friend? Are we willing to Love God, embrace the Holy Spirit and live the love of Christ with others?
It is not about having a meetinghouse full of people. It is not about having money in the bank. Its about life. Will we live our faith? Or are we just looking for attention?
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church March 29, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Query 3: Do you attend regularly the services of your church and participate in them actively? Do you prayerfully endeavor to minister, under the guidance of the Holy…
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church March 15, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Ephesians 5:8–14 (ESV) 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit…
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church February 22, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Romans 5:12–19 (ESV) 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all…
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