Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:13-20; Luke 23:32-43
Rev. Kenneth M. Locke, Interim Pastor,
Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, Carmel, IN
Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is the day we recognize Jesus as our Lord & Savior, the Head of the Church. Jesus is the divine shepherd who draws all people to God. Jesus is our king.
All of which raises an important question. What kind of king is Jesus? As loyal subjects of our king, we want to be like him. What kind of king is he? Is he loving, is he a tyrant? Is he mad, capricious, wishy-washy? Can we trust him? What kind of king is Jesus? As Christians we want to be like him as much as we possibly can.
When describing someone, there’s really only two ways to do it. One way is by sharing some facts about the person. What’s their job, what do they do for fun, are they mellow or do they have a temper?
Suppose I want to tell you about my Dad. I could share some facts about him. My dad was a psychologist, a devout Christian and he had a temper. He enjoyed gardening, swimming and reading Westerns. He was bald and had a beard most of his adult life.
Those are all interesting facts that tell us something about my dad. They give us a bit of a flavor for him. But they don’t really describe the man himself. To do that, we need a story. We need a story that tells us what he was like. Let me share one.
When I was 20, I had surgery on my jaw and my throat swelled up so much I could hardly breathe. My face and throat were so swollen I was afraid to go to sleep. I thought I might suffocate. My father slept in the bed with me for over a week until the swelling went down enough that I could go to sleep without being afraid. That story tells you something about my dad, and over the years it’s had a strong influence on me; most recently when Elizabeth was in the hospital.
My point is, when we’re describing someone, we need both facts and story. Facts alone or story alone are insufficient. We need both. Describing Jesus is no different.
Our Colossians lesson tells us some important facts about Jesus. (Slide)
Jesus is the Son of God, the image of God.
Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.
Jesus had a hand in creating everything in heaven and on earth.
Jesus is the head of the church.
Jesus is the firstborn of the dead, the first person to be raised up back to life.
Jesus is the one who reconciles us to God.
That’s who Jesus is. And that’s very helpful. Very clear. Tells us a LOT of important information about Jesus. But not everything. For that, we need story.
Our lesson from Luke is the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. Luke tells us Jesus was horribly abused by the soldiers ordered to kill him. When they finally brought him to the place for his murder, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
This tells us something important about Jesus. Jesus cares for those who oppose him. Jesus wants to be reconciled with those who are hurting him. Jesus wants God to forgive the people who are killing him.
And so should we. As Christians, as loyal subjects of our king, we too should care about those who oppose us. We too should want to reconcile with those who hurt us. We too should ask God to forgive those who are using us badly.
This is the kind of king Jesus is. We should strive to be like him.
Luke also tells us Jesus was crucified along with two criminals: one on either side. One of the criminals mocks Jesus. He makes fun of Jesus. “Save yourself, and us!”
The other criminal admits he did wrong. He prays to Jesus to remember him in heaven. Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
This tells us something else about Jesus. It tells us Jesus’ expansive, self-giving love is flowing outwards, even at his death. It tells us Jesus’ expansive, self-giving love is flowing outwards, even to a thief.
And so should ours. As Christians, as loyal subjects of our king, our love should be expansive and self-giving. Our love should be constantly flowing outwards, even at the end of our lives, even to the worst people. Luke’s story tells us it is never too late to reach out in Jesus’ name with expansive, self-giving love.
Who is Jesus, our king? The facts tell us he is the head of the church, the first to be raised from the dead, the one who reconciles us with God. This is good news. We need to know it. It matters.
Who is Jesus, our King? The story tells us he is the one who prays to God to forgive his tormentors. He is the one whose expansive, self-giving love flows outward, even at the end of his life.
This is Jesus, our king. May we do our best to be like him. Amen.
