Sermon: Christ the Crucified King

Date Preached: Sunday November 25th 2007

Bible Reference: Luke Chapter 23, Verses 33-43

Today we celebrate Christ the King. And there’s a question lurking behind these gospel accounts of the crucifixion that continues to fascinate and trouble people. If Jesus is a king, then what kind king is he?

A rebel king for the Jews who wants to get their own back on the Romans and regain power

A king intent on conquering the world and lording it over people?

Or is Jesus different from any kind of king the world has ever known?

We’ve been seeing that the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven was obviously a central feature of Jesus’ teaching. We also know that by the time Jesus came onto the scene the Jewish people had suffered centuries of heavy-handed oppression by foreigners; and there was widespread hunger for God’s deliverance – for God’s King and God’s kingdom to come. But most of the people were only able to see this in physical and nationalistic terms – in terms of a political figure who would reclaim the land that had been lost to the Roman invaders. Which explains why all their talk about this ‘Messiah-deliverer’ excited them and alarmed the occupying Romans.

But there is a big difference between the way of the kings of this world and the way of this King of Kings. Jesus knows he is dying the death of the brigand, the holy revolutionary. And as Bishop Tom Wright says - that is part of the point. Jesus is bearing in himself the fate he’d predicted so often for the warlike nation of Israel; the woes he’d been pronouncing on Jerusalem and its inhabitants: that unless they repent they will perish – were coming true in him. We can see that in the events that were part of his death.

The One was bearing the sins of the many

But if the many refuse even now to turn and follow him, to repent of their violence, then the fate in store for them will make his crucifixion mild by comparison.

The judgement that Rome will mete out on them will be so severe that people will beg the earth to swallow them up, as the prophets like Micah and Hosea had warned “Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars. ”They will beg the mountains, ‘Bury us!’
and plead with the hills, ‘Fall on us!’

Much earlier in the gospel Jesus had invoked God’s blessing on the poor, the meek, the hungry, those who mourn. Now he makes a clear statement of intent: he will suffer Israel’s fate on her behalf – with the clear warning for those who do not follow him.

At the heart of Luke’s picture of the cross is the mocking of Jesus as the king of the Jews. Because Jesus has stood on its head the very meaning of kingship – indeed the meaning of the kingdom itself. (Think about it)

• he has celebrated with all the wrong people,

• offered peace and hope to the wrong people,

• warned the wrong people of God’s coming judgement.

What kind of King is this?

So he is hailed King at last, but in such mockery.

They mock his apparent lack of power: "He saved others but he can't save himself."

They strip him of his clothes and throw dice for them.

And here comes his royal cupbearer, only it’s a Roman soldier offering the sour wine that only poor people drank.

Here’s his royal inscription, announcing his kingship to the world – but in fact it’s actually the criminal charge which explains his cruel death.

He’s treated him as a common criminal and crucified him with common thieves. One taunts him; the other expresses how Luke’s views the whole scene. Jesus, once again, is dying the death appropriate for the rebel, the criminal; he is bearing the sins of the many, though he himself is innocent. The thieves were both under penalty of death; they both were nailed to crosses. But they both had a choice. Would they serve the king of this world or the King of Kings with their last breath? The one who did put his trust in this King stood up to the other and said, "Don't you get it? We deserve to die for our crimes, but he is innocent. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus replied, "You will be with me today in Paradise."(and ‘Paradise in Jewish thought wasn’t necessarily the final resting place – but a place of rest and refreshment before the gift of new life in the resurrection.) As Bishop Tom Wright explains, this statement shows that the promise is not to be taken as meaning that the only hope is in a life after death, vital though that of course is. Forgiveness brings the life of heaven to earth, God’s future into the present.

It’s an account of such incredible contrasts isn’t it?

While his executioners are merciless Jesus is merciful.

Despite their taunts and jeers, Jesus forgives; he shows mercy.

He could have hurled insults and curses back at them; he could have called down the hosts of heaven to slay them. But instead what does he say? "Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing."

That’s the difference between the two kingdoms. One - is a kingdom of pain and violence, the other a kingdom of forgiveness and peace. One is a kingdom of insults and taunts; the other is a kingdom of mercy and kindness.

You see, it's all about which king you will serve. One chose the king of this world. He bowed to bitterness and hatred. He joined in the taunts and insults of the crowd. But the other decided to serve the King of Kings..

And Paul in his letter to the Colossians points out that Christ is a loving servant King.

Jesus Christ Our King.  The only begotten Son of God, God from God, light from light, True God from true God: the author of our salvation who was there at the beginning, the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of the world – the Lamb who at the end is the One who sits upon the throne.

Our King: what does that mean for us; for you, for me. The one we answer to, the one who protects us, the one who is our sole authority; the One who frees us and empowers us.

It's all about which King you serve. The kings of this age or the King of Kings? Our decision determines how we live our lives; what we aspire to be; how we treat others; what we regard as important. It determines whose rules we follow. We will either serve God or Mammon – the things of this world. Jesus said we can't serve both. ‘Can’t hold them both together – this Lordship of Christ is exactly that – nothing held back>

Is Christ your King? If not, you can make him your King today! If he is your King, then be strong. Be strong in the kind of strength that lets you face the troubles of life with a calm assurance. Be strong because your King and protector is the image of the invisible God. Be strong in the face of this world's demands and pressures to conform; that try and press you into its mould - because as a Christian you answer to a higher authority. Be strong in the face of darkness because you are a child and subject of the power of eternal light. Be strong in the face of death because you have an eternal home in the heavens. Be strong because Christ is your King.

Let’s pray:

(& perhaps you might want to echo this prayer in your heart)

Lord if I’ve held back with all this, help me by your Spirit to let go – to entrust my life, my ways, my future - to you. And keep me strong and confident in your love for me; you promise to be with me whatever the circumstances – and come Holy Spirit and fill me with your love and power and the assurance of your presence in my life. Amen