2022 11 20 Sermon

A Different Kind of King

Christ the King Sunday C

Rev. Karl-John N. Stone

Luke 23:33-43

In the aftermath of Word War II, King Farouk of Egypt said this: “The whole world is in revolt. Soon there will be only five kings left—the king of England, the king of spades, the king of clubs, the king of hearts, and the king of diamonds.” This quote reflects the endurance of the British monarchy amid the games of global politics; its ability to adapt to changing times, the influence it has wielded, and even the power it has given up from time to time, in order to stay in business.

There are plenty of people in Britain today who admire the monarchy; and plenty of others who have no use for the monarchy, who see it as propping up a rigid class system, and as an anti-democratic relic of the past. In any case, with its pageantry, wealth, stability, symbolism—and scandal—the British monarchy ain’t going nowhere. Just think of the outpouring of grief in America and around the world, almost as much as in Britain it seemed, when Queen Elizabeth II died a couple months ago, and the que that stretched for miles as people waited days for a chance to pay their respects by walking past her casket for just a few seconds.

There are other models for monarchs. The college I went to held many historical and cultural ties to Norway. When I was a student there, one year we had a visit from the King and Queen of Norway. While they each wore a nicely tailored suit and dress, and looked like people of prestige, they didn’t have quite so much fuss surrounding them, and seemed to be relatively down to earth as far as royalty goes.

And then there is Jesus. Instead of doing whatever is necessary to hold on to power or prestige, Jesus willingly gave it all away and associated himself with the outsiders, the poor, the lame, the sinners. As they crucified him at the place called The Skull, along with two criminals one on each side, the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus. They humiliated him. That was the point. “If you are the Messiah—save yourself! If you are the King of the Jews—save yourself!” they kept saying these things as they watched him die. They were telling him, along with anyone else who had come to watch the spectacle, that “Jesus is nothing, a nobody. Caesar is Lord, and we are your masters. Defy us, and this is what will happen to you.”

We observe today, the last Sunday of the church year, as Christ the King Sunday in order to highlight that the kingship of Jesus is completely different than any kind of human king or queen or ruler. That is because the kingdom of God is unlike anything we humans are able to create.

Jesus first taught about life in the kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are those who mourn; blessed are the meek; blessed are the merciful…” and so on.

We could look at each Beatitude and see how Jesus actually embodied each one when he went to the cross. We might hope that earthly rulers would aspire to make the Beatitudes their guide, but how many rulers would consent to let themselves be nailed to a tree? Kings send other people to do the dying for them. If we say Christ is King, what kind of crazy king is that? One who does the dying himself, on our behalf, trusting that his Heavenly Father will bring about a resurrection to new life. On the cross Jesus breaks the cycle of revenge so prevalent throughout human history, by taking the sins of the world upon himself, and exchanging them for forgiveness and grace to anyone who opens their heart and mind in faith. Including you, me, the criminal on the cross next to him, and even that person you can’t stand.

Jesus could do this because he knew himself completely, and he knew God completely. He looked to God for his deepest identity, and didn’t let other people define him. He did not get defensive about himself, or the way he carried out his mission, but calmly carried on, confident in the promises of God.

These characteristics of Christ reflect what he taught in the Beatitudes, especially this one, I think: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meek is one of those words whose meaning has changed over the centuries. We usually think of it as someone who is a “pushover”, who lets people walk all over them. This is not the original meaning, and not the meaning as intended in the Bible. Meekness in the Bible refers to someone who is self-controlled, gentle, kind, calm, humble. It’s much more like the fruits of the Spirit that St. Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23—“the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” That’s the true meaning of meekness.

Saint Ignatius, who was an early Christian bishop around the year 110, wrote about meekness while heading his martyrdom in Rome:

In response to their anger, be gentle [or meek: praeis]

In response to their boasts, be humble

In response to their slander, offer prayers

In response to their errors, be steadfast in the faith

In response to their cruelty, be civilized

Do not be eager to imitate them

Let us show by our forbearance that we are their brothers and sisters

And let us be eager to be imitators of the Lord.

https://margmowczko.com/meek-warhorses-praus/

Ignatius learned it from Jesus, who taught it and lived it as he went to the cross. There Jesus displayed God’s definition of kingship, where the meek inherit the earth by helping it look more like the way things will be in heaven. Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgiven them for they know not what they do.” And as the one criminal asked in all humility, “Jesus, remember me as you come into your kingdom”, Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

From the cross, speaking to people who had done nothing to deserve it, Jesus embodied what God’s kingdom is all about. It’s about love. It’s not “God will love you if you change”. It’s “God already loves you, no matter what, therefore you can be changed.” Every time you open yourself to this divine kind of love, God can change you bit by bit, so that you reflect Christ and his kingdom into the world. Amen.