Kingdom and Empire

Download: Audio

Scripture:  John 18:33-37

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Read more…

Looking to Sunday

by Elaine Poproski

I’m so excited that we get to welcome the Rev. Gene Tempelmeyer to Walmer on Sunday. He’s a recently retired Baptist pastor from Toronto who I’ve known for a number of years and who has a soft spot for our church. This fall, Gene’s first book was published. My copy is filled with hi-lighted phrases and paragraphs as well as notes in the margins.

In this book, Kingdom and Empire, Gene explores the dissonance between earthly empires and the Kingdom of God. He points to people like Moses and Daniel to illustrate how Kingdom of God people can respond to the various challenges and opportunities that come with living and participating in earthly empires. In Gene’s own words:

“Most of the Bible was written by people who were under the thumb of the empire; they were Hebrews in Egypt or Christians in Rome, whereas we live in that part of the world where people want to build walls to protect our wealth. We need to learn how to respond as Kingdom people, to the world we live in and as those who live inside the empire.”[1]

When I was reading this book, I kept thinking about the Beatitudes. These are the “blessed are…” statements Jesus made that are recorded in the book of Matthew at the beginning of what we call the Sermon on the Mount. In these beatitudes, we hear that those who are blessed are those who are poor, in mourning, meek, etc. Those who are blessed are those oppressed by the empire and those seeking to live as God’s Kingdom people in the midst of the empire. I wonder how our interpretation of these words differs depending on whether we live under the thumb of the empire or as participants in the empire.

In the opening chapter of the book, Gene draws a comparison between the first emperor of the Bible, a man named Nimrod, and Abraham. Nimrod conquered the world around him. Abraham built an alternate kind of kingdom – one that was all about blessing the world around him. As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time considering what it looks like to be part of that kind of alternate kingdom, while also living in the midst of and under the influence of a Nimrod kind of empire. This, I think, is a crucial question we, who are Jesus’ disciples in the 21st century, must ask and answer.

[1] Parasource Marketing & Distribution. Interview with Gene Tempelmeyer. Oct. 25, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Qr2kr24w4.