See Christ’s Kingly Commitment to You!

Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King Sunday 11/20/22 Luke 23:35-43 See Christ’s Kingly Commitment to You! I. As he endures shameful treatment II. As he assures a repentant sinner More than one person has told me, “If a politician’s lips are moving, he or she is lying.” I’m absolutely sure that’s an exaggeration; politicians don’t lie all the time. But that exaggeration is surely borne out of our frustration with politics and politicians in general. It’s no secret that the thirst for power and prestige fuels the careers of far too many politicians, and not always telling the truth can be a means to that end. As much as they want us to believe that they are public servants with only our best interests in mind, we’re not convinced. We see and hear otherwise. And so, we long for someone to truly serve us, one who will have ours needs front and center in their minds, one who will do his or her best to make our lives as enjoyable, rewarding, and prosperous as possible under the law. Wouldn’t it be great to have a leader who always did what was best for you personally? If you feel that way, if you’ve been searching and longing for such a person, today your search is ended and your longing is fulfilled. On this Sunday we celebrate the eternal truth that Jesus Christ is King, ruling over all things for our good. He is the King of his kingdom, a kingdom to which we belong by faith in him, a kingdom that will never end. And in this kingdom our King makes sure we have everything we truly need for this life and the life to come. And we see him doing just that in what many people might consider the most unlikely place—at Calvary, where our King is suspended between heaven and earth, nailed to a cross. But that gruesome event is truly the pinnacle of what he did for us as our King. So, as familiar as this event is to you, examine it again. Here is what your King willingly did for you. It’s all about you! It’s all for you! See Christ’s kingly commitment to you! Part I. In the world of politics and elsewhere, a common means of attacking an opponent is to use their words against them. Verbatim quotes are shared without any context, and, in doing so, they say something the speaker didn’t intend; sometimes not even close. Politics wasn’t one of the main players at Calvary, but power and authority were. Simply stated, Jesus was being crucified for claiming to be a king. Had he really done so? Indeed, he had, but his words were used against him in a way he never intended. Just hours before he was nailed to the cross, Jesus stood on trial before Pontius Pilate, and part of Pilate’s investigation involved questioning Jesus. The Jews had brought two charges against Jesus: opposing the payment of taxes to the Roman government, which was a bald-faced lie, and claiming to be Christ, a king. Pilate decided to pursue that second charge, and so he came right out and asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” To which Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say.” (Lk 23:3). The other gospel writers inform us that Jesus clearly told Pilate his kingdom was not of this world. Pilate then declared Jesus to be innocent, but expediency ruled the day. He gave into the demands of an angry mob. But not without a final shot. Luke informs us that Pilate had a written notice prepared and fixed above Jesus on the cross which read, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Some think Pilate intended it to be another attempt to ridicule Jesus. More likely, it was meant to ridicule the Jewish leaders. Their charge against him was baseless. He appeared to have no power and no authority, and he certainly had no army to defend him. And the reactions to this pathetic man’s claim to be a king were predictable. “The rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if his is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’” It’s been said that believing in Jesus is not irrational; it’s not believing in him that is irrational. And these rulers display it. They can’t deny that Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead, but they will deny that he is the Messiah. The reaction of the Roman soldiers to Jesus is much the same. Luke tells us, “They also came up and mocked him. ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’” It’s likely that some of these same soldiers had been the ones to place a royal robe on Jesus and a crown of thorns on his head. The ways in which they mocked him and cruelly beat him are unimaginable to us. Even the criminals being crucified with him joined in the mockery. Other gospel writers tell us that, to begin with, both criminals hurled their insults at him. Luke records the words of one for us, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” In response, Jesus remains silent; silent in that his mouth does not spew words of vengeance and hatred over the injustice of it all. But we do hear this: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34). And those, my friends, are the words of our King. He had come to this earth as a humble servant. The path to eternal glory led through becoming obedient all the way to death on the cross. And that suffering included enduring the mockery, blasphemy, and insults. See Christ’s kingly commitment to you as he endures shameful treatment. Have you ever experienced even a small measure of what King Jesus faced here on the cross? Most of us have. Cruel misunderstanding. Attempts to sweep us out of the way. Vicious attacks on our character which are completely baseless. Accusing us of evil motives when the opposite is the truth. And our go-to response is to attack. Go on the offensive. Allow hatred to brew in our hearts and minds. And then to allow that hatred to spill out in words and actions that are completely contrary to the command from our God to love our neighbor, even our enemies. And we even defend the evil character we’ve become because that’s what makes us feel good and that’s what they deserve. Jesus never slid down that slippery slope to evil, even under the most intense pressure to do so. Instead, he prayed for his Father to forgive his enemies. Why? Because we don’t. You see, he endured such shameful treatment because he was committed to you. He always and only wanted what was best eternally for you and that meant enduring the shameful treatment from his enemies in a holy way, a way in which only he could do for you. He did it as part of his work to redeem you to his kingdom. See Christ’s kingly commitment to you. Part II. It’s not unusual to see and hear about beautiful words and actions under the most horrific conditions. If you’ve followed the updates from the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, you know what I mean. Our Ukrainian sisters and brothers in the faith are using the evils of war to display their amazing love for others. In a much larger way, we see Christ our King display that love on the cross. Amid the atrocities of the crucifixion, a most beautiful exchange unfolds. As I mentioned earlier, initially both criminals joined in mocking Jesus. But one of them had a change of mind and heart towards Christ the King. How did that happen? We don’t know the details of what led to his conversion. Perhaps his heart was touched by the way that Jesus forgave his enemies or cared for his mother. Perhaps he pondered what the sign above Jesus’ head declared. This man was almost certainly Jewish, and, as such, had been taught the truth that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David who would rule a kingdom forever. Perhaps his hours on the cross gave him a golden opportunity to review what he had heard about Jesus. We’re just not sure. But we are certain that God the Holy Spirit used the law to convince him of his need for a Savior. The fact that he was being executed for his crimes certainly convinced him of how guilty he was before the holy God. And then the Holy Spirit used the gospel—even if it was small doses of it—that he may have heard before that day and on that day. He used the gospel to lead this man to believe that Jesus was indeed a King who was about to establish his kingdom. And that faith prompted him to plead with his King, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And, without a moment’s hesitation, and with a heart full of love toward this sinner who was begging for his mercy, Jesus declared, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Oh, the beauty of that moment amid the atrocities of the cross! Jesus received him. He assured him. “With me. In paradise.” Imagine the calm that surged into this criminal’s heart. He was face-to-face with death and yet he was promised eternal life by the Son of God himself. By faith he claimed Jesus as his King. Jesus has done the same for you. See Christ’s kingly commitment to you as he assures a repentant sinner. Jesus didn’t hesitate for a moment to assure this man of his forgiveness and he doesn’t hesitate for a moment to assure me or you either. Do you realize how amazing that is? That’s not the kind of forgiveness we offer others. Too often we hesitate to forgive when a loved one repeats the same sin against us. We struggle to forgive them until they prove themselves worthy of it. We withhold forgiveness and feel vindicated in doing so. But not Christ, your King. His forgiveness is boundless. It flows from his divine grace and mercy. He lives to forgive us. He died to forgive us. He rose again to assure us that we are forgiven. See Christ’s kingly commitment to you! See it every day! And then live in the peace and joy it provides. Amen.