Not of This World
READ
Pilate's question to Jesus in today’s passage was straightforward: "Are you the king of the Jews?" It's a yes-or-no question. But Jesus' answer reveals something far more complex and beautiful: "My kingdom is not of this world."
Let’s take a moment to read John 18:33-37:
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
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.”
“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.”
REFLECT
Jesus doesn't deny being a king. Instead, He redefines what kingship means. His Kingdom doesn't originate from worldly systems. It doesn't operate by worldly methods—if it did, His servants would fight. His Kingdom runs on different fuel, follows different logic, and leads to different outcomes.
But here's the crucial part: while His Kingdom is not of this world, it is very much for this world. It's not an escape plan; it's an invasion of light into darkness.
Paul puts it beautifully in Colossians: God "has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." You've been transferred. Your citizenship has changed. You now live under different authority, operate by different values, and answer to a different King.
This means you're living as an outpost of another Kingdom right where you are. Your workplace, your neighborhood, your family—these become places where Kingdom economics break through. The economics of grace instead of merit. Generosity instead of hoarding. Self-giving love instead of self-protection. Forgiveness instead of revenge. Truth instead of spin.
Living this way creates tension. It should. You're operating by a different operating system in a world running on an incompatible platform. When you forgive someone who doesn't deserve it, that's weird. When you share generously even when money's tight, that doesn't compute. When you serve someone who can never repay you, people notice.
These moments of tension are actually opportunities—chances for people to catch a glimpse of another way of being human. Your life becomes a preview of the world God is making.
The challenge is maintaining your allegiance to the King when the pressure to conform is intense. It's easy to let worldly values slowly colonize your heart. To let fear rather than faith drive your finances. To let ambition rather than love guide your career. To let tribal loyalty rather than Kingdom values shape your relationships.
But you are an outpost—a beachhead of the Kingdom of God right where you live. You have the privilege and responsibility of showing your neighbors what life under the rule of the good King actually looks like.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
In what specific areas of your life do you feel the tension between Kingdom values and cultural expectations most strongly?
What would change in your daily routines if you truly lived as an outpost of God's Kingdom rather than just a "good person" trying to fit in?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
King Jesus, thank You for transferring me into Your Kingdom. Help me to remember that I am an outpost of Your reign, even when it's difficult or costly. Give me wisdom to discern when I'm being shaped by worldly values instead of Kingdom truth. Strengthen my resolve to live under Your authority in every area of my life—my money, my relationships, my time, my ambitions. May people see Your Kingdom breaking through in how I live. Amen.