Luke 23:33, 38-43

“Is This Your King?”

Today we live in the tension between two celebrations: Thanksgiving and Christ the King Sunday. If you feel like there are mixed messages in today’s service, it’s because our lives of faith are complex. We give thanks and we mourn. We protest and we proclaim peace. Earlier, we heard Titus proclaim the word from Romans 12: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Today’s scripture reading is the ultimate example of this.

On a hillside in Jerusalem, three men were hanged on crosses for all to see. A reminder that the state had power, and a warning to stay in line. Around the crosses were women weeping and soldiers making light of the suffering in their midst. The soldiers were numb to the violence. Perhaps it gave them a sense of justice and security to enforce the laws of the Roman Empire. Perhaps if they allowed themselves to sense the cruelty of the scene they would have collapsed under the unbearable weight of grief.

The account in Luke’s gospel is filled with mockery. The people, the leaders, and the soldiers seem to take delight in ridiculing the man hanged in the middle. The governor had written an inscription which read “This is the King of the Jews”. Before the soldiers drove the nails through his hands and feet, they tortured him. They covered his head with sharp thorns and dressed him in royal purple. “Is this your king?” What kind of a king would have so little power?

Of course, the people around Jesus could only see the man, battered and bruised. Their eyes were closed to the presence of God among them. According to the tradition, the Messiah who was to come would be a great warrior, a king to lead the people to victory and save the people of Israel from oppression. But this man was no warrior. How could He save anyone at all if He couldn’t even save Himself?

Throughout the gospel of Luke, Jesus encounters many people who recognize His power and authority. Jesus is called lord, master, son of God, prophet, messiah and the holy One of God. But the voices of opposition at the cross challenge Jesus’ very identity. “If  you are the Messiah”. “If you are the king of the Jews”. “Aren’t you the Messiah?”

I couldn’t help but notice that the mocking sounded familiar. There’s another account in Luke’s gospel, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when He was tempted in the desert. For forty days, Jesus engaged in a spiritual struggle with the devil, the personification of all evil. The devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” she said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” And Jesus answered, “It is said: Do not put the Lord your God to the test”.

The hecklers gathered around the cross spoke with the voice of the Devil. “Is this your king? Prove it.” It’s the final persuasion, the last temptation.

Jesus could have come down off the cross. He had the power to drive out demons, calm the storm, and heal the sick. He saved others, so why didn’t He save Himself?

There’s a trend in American Christianity often called the “prosperity gospel” which says that wealth, success, health, and privilege are signs of God’s blessings, God’s special favor shown to certain people. The blasphemy of the prosperity gospel is of course that it denies God’s love for the poor, the weak, and the suffering. The message is timely as we approach Thanksgiving. Earlier in our service, we each had an opportunity to offer our thanks on the tree. Now I could be wrong, but I doubt anyone wrote “suffering” on their leaf.

Suffering is awful. Truth be told, when I saw this week’s gospel selection, I wanted to jump from the cross to the empty tomb. I wanted to preach about the resurrection, about Christ opening the gates to heaven and inviting us to be part of the kingdom of God. But, friends, I do believe God could have done all that without the cross. So why submit to suffering? What does this tell us about the God we worship and serve?

The key is in the criminal hanging beside Jesus. I have been captivated by this story since I was a young girl. These verses were my confirmation verses. Jesus, remember me. Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. Two men, both at the edge of life and death. A deathbed confession from the cross. When everyone else was hurling insults, this man saw that Jesus was innocent and was overtaken by the mystery of faith. The kingdom is coming. Lord, let me not be forgotten.

(Tsuru for Solidarity anecdote)

Jesus was not crucified alone. He joined in the rows and rows of bodies hanged along the roadside of Jerusalem. He joins with the bodies shackled in prisons and incarceration  camps. He joins with the bodies gunned down in war zones. The cuts on His back are the cuts on the wrists of children. The holes in His hands are the outstretched hands of the hungry poor. This is the King of Love.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise.

The God who has been with us in the valley of the shadow of death invites us into the strange mystery of the upside down kingdom, where the law is love and the gospel is peace. May God continue to be greater than our expectations and make us open to love beyond our wildest dreams. Amen.