of Kings and Kingdoms

 

Christ the King       Luke 23:33-43

 Jesus the King was a threat to Rome, Herod and the corrupt religious leaders of that time.  King, Messiah or Prophet, Jesus was a threat to them all.  There would be no tolerance for anyone claiming such authority under Caesar.  Herod was too paranoid to allow anyone to claim any such title.  The Temple Cult leaders had twisted the Word and the practice, and Jesus confronted them and exposed their ways regularly.  Something had to give, and it was not going to be them.

 Claiming Messiahship or deity was blasphemy to the religious leaders.   Jesus addressed their corruptions openly as an authority, and claiming to be the spokesperson for God meant that they were necessarily exposed.  If people continued to follow Jesus, they would lose all credibility and ability to control the people for their own gain.

 There is no king but Caesar was understood.  Caesar was given deity status as well.  Jesus offering Kingdom values in the face of those of empire meant that people had to choose not only their leader, but their way of life.  Under the nose of Pilate Jesus poked fun at Rome in His triumphal entry into the city.  He had raised an army in a day in front of them.  He preached and taught a different kind of power, a different value than greed and a different social order than false superiority over others.  If Jesus continued, the people might rise up, and the Romans could not have that.

 Jesus stood before the powers and stayed His course.  The powers reacted.

 His first words from the cross were in asking for forgiveness for the very people executing/lynching Him.  They were unaware of what they were doing to their souls.  They were unaware of what their actions would mean in history. 

 The powers mocked Jesus.  The criminal mocked Jesus.  The other criminal who recognized what was going on acknowledged Jesus and His Kingdom. 

 Kings and power, wealth and status.  Jesus claimed to be a King and taught something very different.  Real power needs to be shared.  Real wealth is when all have enough and equality of value is more sustainable than false superiority or status above others.

 This King gave it all up for the sake of others.  This King did not send His followers to die for Him, but died for them.  This King served His subjects and taught them by example how to live the perfect love of God. 

 We will submit ourselves to authorities in our lives.  Those to whom we give authority in our lives may well misuse our submission.  We will choose to give authority to ideals, principles and philosophies of life.  We will have standards and codes by which we live.  The question is, “are they worthy of our submission?” 

 Will we submit our wills and our ways to the ways of Empire in Greed, lust for power over others and desire for status above others, or will we submit our wills to the Way of Jesus in Agape Love?  Who will we recognize as our authority?  Some have tried to submit to both or give devotion to both, but as Jesus taught us, we cannot serve both. 

 Our Kin-dom is with those who Jesus called “the least of these.”  Our Kin-dom is the Kingdom of God.  We live in this part of it, here and now.  We will either live in it in submission to God, or we will live in it as subjects of empire and its way.  If we choose the former, we lose our Kinship with God and Neighbor.  If we chose the latter, we gain real treasure in both.