Last week I shared with you the importance of having your faith anchored to the capstone.  Jesus is the rejected stone of Psalm 118 who has become the capstone of God’s House.  If our faith, like a rope, is fastened to Jesus then that allows us to step out to the edge of our faith.  If we can know for sure Jesus is the capstone and I am connected to him, then I can go all the way to the edge and look over, because I know he will not let me fall.  Even when the storms of life are raging there on the edge of our faith, the capstone will not fail.  Our connection to the capstone is the essence of what it means to live as a Christian. 

Last week I also shared with you how I believe the interconnections of scripture prove Jesus is the capstone. When a song that was written 1,000 years before Jesus, connects to a prophecy written 500 years before Jesus, and then Jesus steps into both the song and the prophecy, I am amazed.  I rejoice with the psalmist…

Psalm 118:22-23  The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;  the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

I wish we could sing, “He Has Done Marvelous Things.”  But I am not sure we can sing it without Mollie.  But it is true.  He has done marvelous things!  Psalm 118 announced his humble kingship, his rejection by the builders and then his rising to become the capstone of my faith.  And I hope he is the capstone of your faith as well. 

But that was all last week.  This morning I want to continue with basically the same thought; this concept of evidence of Jesus as the new and different king.  But at the end of the sermon we are going to end up in a different place than we did last week.  Where we are going to end up is a challenging place.  It is where the reality of our existence meets the reality of who God is. But that is the end of the sermon and we are still at the beginning. 

First, we are going to look at three difficult questions and three marvelous answers which demonstrate Jesus’ kingness.  I understand that kingness is not found in any dictionary, because I just invented it. But it is a good word because it describes the character of Jesus.  Kingness is the demonstrated qualities of what a king ought to be. 

Question One:
Luke 20:1-2  One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.  "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"

This is really a great question.  Jesus has done Zach 9:9 and rode the donkey into Jerusalem proclaiming he is the new king.  Jesus has stepped into Psalm 118 and the pilgrims sang, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Jesus has entered into the Temple area and ran out those who were selling stuff in his House of Prayer.  And, I think most importantly, he has taken over the Temple and made it his classroom.  It has, once again, become the place where people connect to God.  It is serving the purpose it was intending to serve. It is the realm of connection between this world and the other world.  Jesus is teaching in the Temple.    So, these chief priests and associates ask, “What gives you the right to do all these things?” 

In essence they are asking, “Show us your credentials?”  It is like me going up to the lab and walking right into a secure area behind the fence and beginning to preach.  The guards would come ask me, nice I’m sure, where my Q clearance was and what in the world was I doing?  By whose authority do you do these things?

I’m not exactly sure what answer these chief priests expected.  Perhaps, they thought Jesus would say, “God told me to come to the Temple and preach his word.”  In which case they would have said, “We are the chief priests.  We are the ones who really have a connection with God and you don’t. So stop it now.”  And Jesus would have said, “Yes I do.  God wants me to be here.” And they would have said, “No, you don’t.  Now leave.”  “Yes I do.”   “No, you don’t.”  “Yes, I do.”   “No, you don’t.” They would have bickered over his authority and the chief priest would have ended his interference in their Temple.   But Jesus has more kingness than to bicker with them. 

Luke 20:3-8  Jesus replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John's baptism-- was it from heaven, or from men?"  They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."  Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

Here is the kingness part; this is marvelous. Jesus did answer their question.  John the Baptist pointed to him.  John the Baptist announced Jesus was the one he was not worthy to untie his sandals.  Jesus had the same authority as John the Baptist; God’s!  He avoided the bickering and shut them up with his answer, “I have the same authority as John the Baptist. I have God’s authority.”  That is pretty marvelous kingness.  

Question Two:
Luke 20:20-22   Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.  So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.  Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

This is another tough question.  This one required some real kingness to answer.  Here is the dilemma.  If Jesus answered, “Yes, you should pay taxes to Rome,” then the people would quit following him, because everyone hated the Romans and paying taxes to them.  Jesus would have been perceived the same as the tax collectors and Roman-lovers.  How could he be the new king if he said they should pay taxes to the old king? And besides on the Roman money was a picture of the Emperor and the words, “Son of God!”  That was blasphemous to any devout Jew.

But if Jesus said, “No, don’t pay your taxes.” Then the chief priests would have went straight to Pilate and reported him as a dissident revolutionary and had him arrested on the spot.  It was a win-win for the chief priests and a lose-lose for Jesus.  Except Jesus has too much kingness to fall into their trap.  Watch this.

Luke 20:23-26  He saw through their duplicity and said to them,   "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"   "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."  They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

These very ones who were trying to trap him had the blasphemous Roman money in their pockets.  This showed they were in cahoots with the Romans.  Jesus then tells them to give those nasty coins back to the Romans and make dead level sure they gave what belonged to God back to God.  Give God your allegiance. Submit to his authority. Wow!  He got out of the rock and a hard place jam and demonstrated his kingness, so much so they became silent.  But there was another group who thought they would give Jesus a go.  They ask Jesus a bit of a weird question. 

Question Three:
Luke 20:27-33  Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.  "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless.  The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children.  Finally, the woman died too.  Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"

I told you it was a weird question.  These Sadducees did not believe that there was life after death.  When you were dead, that was it, end of story.  So, they thought they could trap Jesus with this weird question about a woman being married to seven different guys.  Who gets her in the next life?  They expected Jesus to say, “Well, the first one.” Or the last one or the one she was married to the longest, or something.  Then they could argue that it didn’t make any sense, therefore there was no resurrection. Then they would add, “You can’t claim to be the new king because you are all wrong in your theology.” But the answer to this one was a no-brainer for Jesus because he had made it. 

Luke 20:34-36  Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.

What?  How do you know that Jesus?  Because he not only created this world, but the next one too.  He knows the answer because that’s the way he designed it.  Whatever these Sadducees were expecting it was not, I’ve been there and this is how it is.  This is a bold a statement, not only of Jesus’ kingness but his Godness as well.  And to prove it, Jesus goes on.

Luke 20:37-40   But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."  Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!"  And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

God IS the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob because they are still alive after they had died.  Wow!  Hush them up and blow them away!  They don’t have any more tough questions for Jesus.  But Jesus has one for them and it gets to the end of this sermon.

Question Four:
Luke 20:41-44  Then Jesus said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David?  David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"

Jesus is back in the Psalms.  He quotes from Psalm 110.  He quotes David.  Remember David was the glorious king of Israel, the most popular king of Israel.  To a Jew of Jesus’ day, the greatest king of Israel.  So how could David call this new king, who would come after him, Lord? How was David’s descendant also his Lord?  No one had an answer, because they did not know that Jesus, David’s descendant, the Messiah, is also God.  Are you kidding me?  Did Jesus just say he was King David’s King?  This last question shows beyond a doubt Jesus not only regarded himself the new King of Jerusalem but the King of Kings!  

And that brings me to the point.   In the three questions the chief priests and Sadducees asked Jesus he demonstrated his kingness beyond any doubt for me.  Nobody is that slick unless they are the king.  My faith is in the kingness of Jesus!  Not only is my rope of faith attached to the capstone, it is also attached the kingness of Jesus.  These are two of my anchor points.  Jesus is the capstone and Jesus is the King of Kings! Amen?   But be careful here before you too quickly say amen.  What does saying amen to the kingness of Jesus mean?  Let’s review. 

Question one demonstrates Jesus has the authority of God to be the new king.  Just like John was sent by God, Jesus is ordained King by God. 
Question two demonstrates Jesus has the right to demand that you give it all up to God, “Give to God what is rightly God’s.”  If you say amen you must give it all up to the king. 
Question three demonstrates Jesus was there and made it all. He is God.  Saying amen acknowledges your submission to his dominion. 
Question four, the one Jesus asked, demonstrates Jesus is not only the new king of Jerusalem, he is the king of all kings. 

Here is my point.  It is the flip side of last week. This is where we end up.  Because of my faith, which is connected to the capstone and kingness of Jesus, I can go to edge and pray for God to heal my granddaughter of epilepsy.  I can live on the edge of faith because I am connected to the capstone and the kingness.  But I must remember Jesus is the king.  Jesus is the one with all authority. I surrender my will to his kingness.  He is God and the King of kings.  I am his servant.  As I am living on the edge of faith, I know God is God.  I cannot manipulate him. I cannot coerce him. I cannot trick him.  I cannot force God to do my will.  Jesus is king.  His will be done.  He does not fit into my box.  I fit into his box.

I live on the edge of faith with the confidence that He is in control.  Whatever, whatever he does in my life is done for his glory.  I live on the edge in his glory! And that is a marvelous place, a marvelous place to live!