Christ the King Sunday 11/2507 Text: Luke 23:27-43 Title: An Unlikely King
Christ the King Sunday
11/25/2007
Text: Luke 23:27-43
Title: An Unlikely King
I heard a story last Monday that I would like to share with you this morning. This woman was walking across the parking lot to the grocery store when she noticed a man sitting in a car. While this is not unusual, he was slumped over with his head resting against the top of the steering wheel. She almost went over to see if he was alright but figured he might just be resting while his wife was in the grocery store.
She went on in and did her shopping coming out about an hour later. As she walked toward her car she noticed that the man was still there. In fact, it did not appear that he had moved at all. She was concerned so she went over to him.
As she approached the car she became more and more concerned, for he was very still. The window was open and so she touched him on the shoulder to see if he was alright. She thought she heard him say something, but he still had not moved, so she bent over closer to see what was the matter.
When she asked him once more what was the matter with him, he weakly replied, “I have been shot.” This of course scared her half to death, but since she could not see any wounds or blood she asked him where he had been shot.
He replied without moving, “In the neck.” The woman knew this would be a serious wound, so she tried to find the wound so that she could help the man. As she ran her hand all around his neck she could not feel any blood, that is until she put her hand right under his right ear. There was something there; it was warm and sticky.
She pulled her hand back in alarm and there stuck to her hand was a biscuit. It looked just like the biscuit from the frozen food section. She showed it to the man who was still slumped over the wheel, proclaiming that he had been shot in the neck.
“Here” she said, “it is a biscuit. You have been shot in the neck with a biscuit.” The man was, of course, greatly relieved as he put his hand up to his neck and could only find the residue of the biscuit.
You see what had happened is that he and his wife had stopped at another grocery store earlier where she had bought some frozen biscuits that were on sale. She had put them in the back seat where the sun heated up the package.
It was just a matter of time, before “pop” they blew open and one of them hit the man in the back of the neck. He of course heard the “pop”, felt the biscuit hit him, and then feeling the gooey biscuit on the back of his neck assumed he had been shot in the back of the neck.
This is the power of perspective. We think something is true. We believe in it passionately. We stake our life on it. We make decisions based on our perception. We organize our priorities and even our values around our perspective. Then we find out we were mistaken. It wasn’t what we thought at all. It was only a biscuit.
The early followers of Jesus went through this kind of experience. They struggled to assimilate their growing awareness that the Messiah, the king, did not fit into their expectations for him. They held strong and clear perspectives about what the Messiah would do, and how he would do it. But when Jesus appeared and revealed fully what his kingship would look like, it wasn’t anything like his followers perception of him.
There are three of these perspectives at work during the crucifixion. The first is, "If you are the King of the Jews save yourself!" First century Palestine was rife with popular views concerning the form the Messiah would take when he finally appeared. Some believed he would be a new Moses. Others thought he would be another Elijah. Still others were sure he would be a new David. All these views had one thing in common: The Messiah could not be defeated!
In other words, if Jesus failed to conform to their perspective of messianic conduct, he was disqualified. Kings don’t die in weakness. Kings reign with power.
The second perspective is "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" The truth finally comes out. The reason they wanted a king with power was to save their own skins. Of course, it’s hard not to long for salvation from cruel oppressors. It is hard not to dream of freedom and peace. It is hard not to want to live without fear. Not only is the Messiah incapable of being defeated, but victory belongs to all who belong to him!
"Save yourself, and us!" the crowd cries. This is what Messiahs do. They exercise power for themselves and for those who believe in them. They cast off their enemies like swatting flies. They punish, and judge, and liberate with brute force. The popular perspective in Jesus’ day had no place for a suffering, servant Messiah.
And the third view is "Remember me Jesus, when you come into your kingdom." Only a few saw this view, and understood. A few were able to free themselves from their violent and brutish perception of the Messiah, and catch a glimpse of a new perspective. A few were able to see in a society where you throw away despised persons a king whose reign was humble and gentle. This king cared more about forgiveness than he did about revenge.
One heard the words Jesus spoke with new ears and fresh perspective, a new understanding of who this man is. In the closing moments of his life the Holy Spirit enabled him to push past the prevailing perspective held by most, and see in Jesus a different kind of king. His request is not for deliverance, but only to be remembered.
In the plea of the dying criminal, we see the birth of a new perspective. The old perspective could only see their king on a mighty throne, forcing submission on all his enemies. The new perspective saw the king reigning from a cross and offering hope to all who suffer and are lost.
The new perspective was of a king who reigns from a cross, who values humility, service, and compassion. From the cross comes an invitation to find life in the midst of death, and hope in the midst of hopelessness. This king is a king who reigns from a cross. He has a kingdom not fortified and safe from all enemies, but a kingdom of plenty where all might find life.
It’s hard for us Americans to understand the longing for a king. We have lived so long with our democracy, that the idea of a king who reigns over us has no real frame of reference. As a result, we have created our own perspectives about what Messiah means.
One is "Save our way of life, and give us more of it." We have become kings in our own eyes. Our individualism has created mini-kingdoms in our minds and hearts. We are kingdoms of one. As such, we exist with the perception that life should turn out for us they way we want it to. For many, that takes the form of material wealth and pain-free health.
Our consumer driven economy has infected us with its value system. It is hard not measure our success and personal worth in other than material terms. Our emotions rise and fall with how many possessions we have or do not have, and whether or not they are new enough.
Bodily health has become an obsession for us. We look to doctors and to medicines to keep us free of pain. The goal of good health has come to mean the defeat of death.
Our tendency and temptation is to take these, our highest hopes and dreams, and heap them on Jesus as his will for us as well. We cast Jesus and his message in our own image. Our longings and expectations, the very substance of our prayers, echo those cries heard around the cross. "If you are the King, then save us", but on our terms.
From a certain perspective, albeit a defective one, our wanting Jesus to be king, as we want him to be, looks true, and valuable. There are certainly plenty of people around us who are willing to affirm our perspective, to affirm our view of reality.
When we take a close look at those things though, what we think is real we find out that they are only biscuits. They are not the valuable treasures we think they are. Instead of life enhancing and life giving, our modern pursuits and preoccupations can be deadly distractions. They can take us away from the values and pursuits that would make us truly human.
If we make the purpose of our lives to live without pain, to flee from all suffering, we make prisons for ourselves out of our own bodies. We end up constantly taking our temperature, counting our heartbeats, measuring our cholesterol and watching our weight. And yes, even checking the strength of our faith.
What would happen if we truly adopted the perspective of the thief? What would happen if we suddenly began to live as if our king reigned from a cross? What would our lives look like?
I would dare say our possessions would not rule us anymore. I don’t think we would be so preoccupied with our looks and health. And I don’t think we would continue to view suffering as the one thing above all things to avoid at all costs?
We would understand that a king whose throne is a cross sheds light on the possibility of suffering being a real part of our lives. Jesus tells us that time and time again. You will suffer for me.
Let us pray with the thief whose whole life changed and ended in one day. "Remember me, King Jesus, when you come into your kingdom. You know my weakness and my sin; my fears and my faults. You know that I am so often subject to terrible misperceptions about you. You know those things Jesus, yet we know because of your death and resurrection, that when our time comes, we will hear you say to us, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Amen
11/25/2007
Text: Luke 23:27-43
Title: An Unlikely King
I heard a story last Monday that I would like to share with you this morning. This woman was walking across the parking lot to the grocery store when she noticed a man sitting in a car. While this is not unusual, he was slumped over with his head resting against the top of the steering wheel. She almost went over to see if he was alright but figured he might just be resting while his wife was in the grocery store.
She went on in and did her shopping coming out about an hour later. As she walked toward her car she noticed that the man was still there. In fact, it did not appear that he had moved at all. She was concerned so she went over to him.
As she approached the car she became more and more concerned, for he was very still. The window was open and so she touched him on the shoulder to see if he was alright. She thought she heard him say something, but he still had not moved, so she bent over closer to see what was the matter.
When she asked him once more what was the matter with him, he weakly replied, “I have been shot.” This of course scared her half to death, but since she could not see any wounds or blood she asked him where he had been shot.
He replied without moving, “In the neck.” The woman knew this would be a serious wound, so she tried to find the wound so that she could help the man. As she ran her hand all around his neck she could not feel any blood, that is until she put her hand right under his right ear. There was something there; it was warm and sticky.
She pulled her hand back in alarm and there stuck to her hand was a biscuit. It looked just like the biscuit from the frozen food section. She showed it to the man who was still slumped over the wheel, proclaiming that he had been shot in the neck.
“Here” she said, “it is a biscuit. You have been shot in the neck with a biscuit.” The man was, of course, greatly relieved as he put his hand up to his neck and could only find the residue of the biscuit.
You see what had happened is that he and his wife had stopped at another grocery store earlier where she had bought some frozen biscuits that were on sale. She had put them in the back seat where the sun heated up the package.
It was just a matter of time, before “pop” they blew open and one of them hit the man in the back of the neck. He of course heard the “pop”, felt the biscuit hit him, and then feeling the gooey biscuit on the back of his neck assumed he had been shot in the back of the neck.
This is the power of perspective. We think something is true. We believe in it passionately. We stake our life on it. We make decisions based on our perception. We organize our priorities and even our values around our perspective. Then we find out we were mistaken. It wasn’t what we thought at all. It was only a biscuit.
The early followers of Jesus went through this kind of experience. They struggled to assimilate their growing awareness that the Messiah, the king, did not fit into their expectations for him. They held strong and clear perspectives about what the Messiah would do, and how he would do it. But when Jesus appeared and revealed fully what his kingship would look like, it wasn’t anything like his followers perception of him.
There are three of these perspectives at work during the crucifixion. The first is, "If you are the King of the Jews save yourself!" First century Palestine was rife with popular views concerning the form the Messiah would take when he finally appeared. Some believed he would be a new Moses. Others thought he would be another Elijah. Still others were sure he would be a new David. All these views had one thing in common: The Messiah could not be defeated!
In other words, if Jesus failed to conform to their perspective of messianic conduct, he was disqualified. Kings don’t die in weakness. Kings reign with power.
The second perspective is "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" The truth finally comes out. The reason they wanted a king with power was to save their own skins. Of course, it’s hard not to long for salvation from cruel oppressors. It is hard not to dream of freedom and peace. It is hard not to want to live without fear. Not only is the Messiah incapable of being defeated, but victory belongs to all who belong to him!
"Save yourself, and us!" the crowd cries. This is what Messiahs do. They exercise power for themselves and for those who believe in them. They cast off their enemies like swatting flies. They punish, and judge, and liberate with brute force. The popular perspective in Jesus’ day had no place for a suffering, servant Messiah.
And the third view is "Remember me Jesus, when you come into your kingdom." Only a few saw this view, and understood. A few were able to free themselves from their violent and brutish perception of the Messiah, and catch a glimpse of a new perspective. A few were able to see in a society where you throw away despised persons a king whose reign was humble and gentle. This king cared more about forgiveness than he did about revenge.
One heard the words Jesus spoke with new ears and fresh perspective, a new understanding of who this man is. In the closing moments of his life the Holy Spirit enabled him to push past the prevailing perspective held by most, and see in Jesus a different kind of king. His request is not for deliverance, but only to be remembered.
In the plea of the dying criminal, we see the birth of a new perspective. The old perspective could only see their king on a mighty throne, forcing submission on all his enemies. The new perspective saw the king reigning from a cross and offering hope to all who suffer and are lost.
The new perspective was of a king who reigns from a cross, who values humility, service, and compassion. From the cross comes an invitation to find life in the midst of death, and hope in the midst of hopelessness. This king is a king who reigns from a cross. He has a kingdom not fortified and safe from all enemies, but a kingdom of plenty where all might find life.
It’s hard for us Americans to understand the longing for a king. We have lived so long with our democracy, that the idea of a king who reigns over us has no real frame of reference. As a result, we have created our own perspectives about what Messiah means.
One is "Save our way of life, and give us more of it." We have become kings in our own eyes. Our individualism has created mini-kingdoms in our minds and hearts. We are kingdoms of one. As such, we exist with the perception that life should turn out for us they way we want it to. For many, that takes the form of material wealth and pain-free health.
Our consumer driven economy has infected us with its value system. It is hard not measure our success and personal worth in other than material terms. Our emotions rise and fall with how many possessions we have or do not have, and whether or not they are new enough.
Bodily health has become an obsession for us. We look to doctors and to medicines to keep us free of pain. The goal of good health has come to mean the defeat of death.
Our tendency and temptation is to take these, our highest hopes and dreams, and heap them on Jesus as his will for us as well. We cast Jesus and his message in our own image. Our longings and expectations, the very substance of our prayers, echo those cries heard around the cross. "If you are the King, then save us", but on our terms.
From a certain perspective, albeit a defective one, our wanting Jesus to be king, as we want him to be, looks true, and valuable. There are certainly plenty of people around us who are willing to affirm our perspective, to affirm our view of reality.
When we take a close look at those things though, what we think is real we find out that they are only biscuits. They are not the valuable treasures we think they are. Instead of life enhancing and life giving, our modern pursuits and preoccupations can be deadly distractions. They can take us away from the values and pursuits that would make us truly human.
If we make the purpose of our lives to live without pain, to flee from all suffering, we make prisons for ourselves out of our own bodies. We end up constantly taking our temperature, counting our heartbeats, measuring our cholesterol and watching our weight. And yes, even checking the strength of our faith.
What would happen if we truly adopted the perspective of the thief? What would happen if we suddenly began to live as if our king reigned from a cross? What would our lives look like?
I would dare say our possessions would not rule us anymore. I don’t think we would be so preoccupied with our looks and health. And I don’t think we would continue to view suffering as the one thing above all things to avoid at all costs?
We would understand that a king whose throne is a cross sheds light on the possibility of suffering being a real part of our lives. Jesus tells us that time and time again. You will suffer for me.
Let us pray with the thief whose whole life changed and ended in one day. "Remember me, King Jesus, when you come into your kingdom. You know my weakness and my sin; my fears and my faults. You know that I am so often subject to terrible misperceptions about you. You know those things Jesus, yet we know because of your death and resurrection, that when our time comes, we will hear you say to us, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:47 PM
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