Bible Text: Luke 23:33-43
Thanks to the various television series on royalty, both true or imagined, there seems to be a real interest in royal history. What I mean is that since programs like Game of Thrones or The Last Kingdom or various exposes on past or current royal families there is a surge in interest. In many ways it makes sense, for most of us common folk, the idea that you would be born into money, property, and power is, well, rather fairy tale like. While on a couple trips through Europe as a child I absolutely had dreams of becoming a princess. But with power comes responsibility and if the various dramatic programs are any indication, with power also comes a lot of scandal. In most cases those royals who appear to be good are often the ones under the most pressure or threat of conquest. I recently came across an interesting, true story, about Maria Fedorovna, who while born into the Danish royalty as Princess Dagmar, married into the Russian royalty when she married Tsar Alexander III. She was well loved by many and was known for her caring heart. For example, she once saved a condemned man from exile in Siberia by changing a single comma. The warrant was supposed to read, “Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia.” But Maria changed the document to read, “Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia” and the man went free. As an interesting side note famous storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen, used to come to Maria’s home in Denmark when she was growing up and tell her and her siblings stories. So, fairy tales were kind of her thing. But we have certain expectations of royalty- despite the fact that for us, they often function as nothing more than a figure head. The image of Jesus, hanging on a cross, is not exactly what most would imagine as a great demonstration of kingship- and yet, today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday and it is this lesson from the Gospel that the revised common lectionary has deemed relevant for this particular celebration.
In part this is the great paradox of our faith that we celebrate a crucified king. Next week we begin the season of Advent in which most of the passage will describe words of preparedness, getting ready for this great king to arrive. We are reminded of all the words of hope found in prophetic passages from Isaiah or Micah or even in Simeon and Mary’s songs about this great saviour who will come to bring hope to a hurting world. And yet, today, we are confronted with the results of this saviour’s actions.
Now, of course, we hear words that confirm Jesus as King, but for anyone in Luke’s original audience, they know that these words are not meant to uphold this view but mock it. In our brief, 10 verse passage, Jesus is mocked three times by three different groups. What is interesting that the taunts come from people who become increasingly closer to him. First, it is from the Leaders, the religious elite, who are close enough only for Jesus and the crowd to hear them scoffing, “let him save himself if he is the Messiah.” They are standing at the bottom of the hill as their insulting words waft up. Then the soldiers, who have already come close enough to take his clothing, stand at the foot of the cross and mock him further by saying, “if you really are a King, save yourself!” Finally, the man right beside Jesus, close enough to just whisper his derisive words says, “Are your not the chosen one! Save yourself and us!” In our version the NRSV says that this criminal kept deriding him, but the original Greek uses the term blasphemeo , which you might be able to interpret on your own, but it literally means he “kept blaspheming.” Each provocation, gets closer and closer, but also has the same challenge- save yourself. In many ways it is reflective of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, each test getting more and more serious, tempting Jesus to give up his kingship in heaven for the dark side of the devil. The irony of course being that those who make these insults- even as they get closer and closer to Jesus- are unable to see the true kingdom. Instead Jesus is surrounded by royal titles and signs, the Scriptures are being fulfilled, but it appears only as a confirmation of Jesus’ humiliation not his royal line.
In amongst this teasing and taunting comes the one sincere voice. The criminal on the opposite side addresses Jesus by name, using the same name that Gabriel tells Mary to use. Like the cross, Jesus’ kingship does not come with impressive titles or superior authority rather it comes in the humility of his name, Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua, God saves. And in this one instant a criminal is saved. The important message in that act, of course, is that we must expand our notions of who deserves mercy. Essentially that through the cross that mercy is extended even to those whom we think do not deserve it. The passage never says why the criminals were condemned to crucifixion- but again the original Greek tells us that they were coined as “evildoers”. And even the criminal who asks for mercy admits that he is there for a reason- that the punishment fits the crime. Nevertheless, in that one request to be remembered by Christ, Jesus gives the criminal more than he asked for.
Jesus says, “today you will be with me in Paradise.” The true power of Jesus’ kingship is revealed. As David Jacobsen points out, “What really makes a king? You can strip away all the pomp and circumstance, all the shows, all the public demonstrations of power, all the wealth, perhaps even the last shred of human dignity. On the cross, what makes the king has nothing to with fur, gold or courtly entourages. On the cross, the only way to recognize the crucified king is in his power to pardon…Follow Jesus to the cross and watch every external sign of his kingship stripped away- save one: his power to pardon the ungodly.”
We don’t know what caused the second criminal to be able to see past all the teasing and taunts. We don’t know what desires were deep within his heart when he asked Jesus to remember him. We don’t know what he did to deserve to be on the cross beside Jesus. All we know is that he asked Jesus for mercy and Jesus gave it abundantly. The prophecy that Jesus would come to free the captives, release the prisoners, to be the wonderful counselor, and prince of peace, is fulfilled by the simple statement, “today you will be with me in paradise”.
The picture of Jesus hanging on the cross is perhaps not the image you had in mind when you think of Jesus as king, as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday and it certainly is not the typical image that we have as we begin the Advent season. However, nothing about Jesus’ kingship is really all that typical- except the one important piece that no matter what, Jesus has the power to pardon. No matter who we are. No matter what we have or have not done. We must focus our eyes away from the criticisms and with a sincere voice ask for mercy and Jesus will welcome us into his court. Amen