Today marks the last Sunday in the liturgical year and is always known as “Christ the King” Sunday. Next Sunday we kick off a new liturgical year with the start of Advent. “Christ the King” Sunday celebrates Jesus’ messianic kingship and sovereign rule over all creation. Judging from our scripture reading Jesus had one heck of a coronation. It doesn’t come close to the big shebang we recently witnessed with the coronation of King Charles in England. What happened to Jesus is a far cry from what one would consider to be a “celebration”.
What happened to Jesus was crucifixion. He was nailed to a cross. The cruelest of ways to die . . . slowly and painfully. The message is loud and clear. Rome is doing what Rome can do . . . crushing humanity out of anyone and everyone who does not follow their rule. The bodies hanging on the cross serve as a message to anyone who see them. There is no denying the message.
Though they probably did not mean to do it . . . the Romans blew it. It has been said that the worse thing anyone can do is to make another person a martyr . . . especially of a person who has a great following. People rally around martyrs and their causes, giving birth to movements. Martyrs die unjustly. Their executors are clumsy and brutish in carrying out the orders of those in power. Chaos surrounds them. At Jesus’ crucifixion we witness it all . . . the division of his clothing through gambling . . . the unruly crowd shouting and sneering , , , the soldiers taunting and making fun of him. Even those crucified with him hurled insults at him. And the crowd of onlookers standing off to the side watching it all. All of it was to convey a message . . . don’t mess with us!
There was a message, and it did come through loud and clear . . . it just wasn’t the message the Romans intended.
The one criminal got it. He proclaims it as he rebukes his fellow criminal for taunting Jesus. “Don’t you fear God since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he acknowledges what he knows . . . Jesus’ kingship . . . “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He knows.
So do those who are executing Jesus . . . they know exactly what they are looking at even though they act as if it is some sort of game. Even in their mocking they know . . . they know who Jesus is. They just choose to look the other way and deny the truth.
And also, the bystanders . . . those who have come to witness. The faithful.
One bible scholar states that the writer of this passage in Luke’s gospel uses the Greek word “theoreon” which means “watching” for the activity of the host . . . or those who are watching. The word implies that they know exactly what they are looking at. They all look and understand: Rome is doing what Rome does, and Jews are doing what Jews do in response: they gather, they bear witness, now and in every century.
They all know. The question becomes . . . how does one respond to what they know?
A couple of weeks ago, on the church’s Facebook page, a quote was shared. It was a quote by William Wilberforce that said: “You may chose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” Therein lies the dilemma . . . what does one do with that knowledge? How does one respond to what they know?
William Wilberforce was a British politician, philanthropist, and leader to abolish the slave trade who lived from 1759 to 1833. In 1785, he became a Christian, which resulted in major changes to his lifestyle and pushed him to a lifelong concern for reform. One of those reforms involved ridding Britain of slavery and the slave trade. He became the leading English abolitionist campaigning for over twenty years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. The act abolished the prohibited slave trade within the British Empire though it did not abolish the practice of slavery. Wilberforce believed in his Christian faith and was convinced of the importance of religion, morality, and education. He attempted to live his life according to the teachings of Jesus and to treat others as Jesus would. Though he resigned from Parliament in 1826 due to failing health, he supported the campaign that led to the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. He died three days after the passage of the act.
Because of his conversion . . . of accepting the knowledge of who Jesus is and what Jesus stands for . . . he determined that the only response was to embrace that information and live it. He could not look away in good conscience and live his life knowing what he knew.
So, it was for those gathered there at Golgotha. There was no denying the message. Those gathered were witnesses to what they were seeing . . . of knowing. What would they do now that they knew?
Remember . . . it is not always a good idea to make a martyr of someone. Especially in the case of Jesus. The crucifixion was meant to be a strong message to the people that it was over. Enough was enough. In the end though it births a movement as they embraced Jesus and his message going across the world sharing the “good news” and inviting others to the live life as Jesus. Inviting others to help build the Kingdom of God. The “way”—Jesus’ way—was born.
And here we are today. Descendants of those first witnesses. Called to be bearers of what was affirmed and confirmed on that fateful day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Called to live the words and follow the example of Jesus and his life. We are among the faithful who have gathered . . . who have showed up . . . and we are being called to bear witness for God’s grace and love through our Lord and Savior Jesus. And we know it. We know it for we have seen it . . . we have received it. We know.
But like those first witnesses . . . how will we respond? Will we choose to look the other way, or will we embrace the truth and live that truth out? The choice is ours and we have already completed the most difficult step of all . . . we showed up and we are here. It is up to us from here. What will we do?
Think about this. Jesus, while in the garden praying, prayed a simple prayer to God as he struggled with following through with the events that were about to take place. He prayed: “Thy will be done.”
And, this . . . the prayer Jesus taught his disciples and us:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.
Because we know we cannot look the other way . . . but the choice is ours. May we make the right choice. Amen.
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