Christ the King Sunday |
|
|
|
Scripture |
Luke 23: 33-43 33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [ 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise .” |
Devotional |
Luke ends the liturgical year with a stunning portrayal of Jesus. He is surrounded in death as in life, by the excluded and despised. Luke is the only gospel writer who gives the prisoners executed with Jesus a voice. Jesus the broken man, rejected by God and others, forsaken, and reviled by a criminal next to him is the king we honor today. What kind of king ends up on a cross at the place called the Skull? How does a king with no army who dies on a cross fit into our story? This is the king who saves us. This is the king who shows us how to love and forgive our enemies. Jesus changes the meaning of kingship. N.T. Wright describes the king we honor today. He has celebrated with the wrong people, offered peace and hope to the wrong people, and warned the wrong people of God’s judgment. Now he is hailed as king at last, but in mockery. Here comes his royal cupbearer, only it’s a Roman soldier offering him sour wine that poor people drank. Here is his royal placard, announcing his kinship to the world, but it is in fact the criminal charge which explains his cruel death. 1 The Time magazine for November 26, 2007 , tells of the king of the televangelists “who are part of an evangelical subculture known loosely as the “Prosperity gospel.” Their lavish lifestyle of private jets, 20 million dollar headquarters,$23,000 commode,$500,000 gift to another televangelist and gifts of Bentley cars, is much different from the one they claim to represent. 2 The king we honor today had to borrow a donkey. Jesus promises a place of honor and bliss to the one who requested it. Paradise in Jewish thought wasn’t necessarily the final resting place, but the place of rest and refreshment before the gift of new life in the resurrection. 3 This is Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross. A paradise or place of rest and refreshment before the gift of new life is Jesus’ promise. What is your image of the king we honor today?
1 N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone. Louisville : Westminster John Knox Press, 2004. p. 284 |