Do we need monarchs today?

CHRIST THE KING - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Lk. 23:35-43

When Jesus was crucified, an inscription was fastened to the cross above His head.  It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."  We are here today in celebration of that inscription.  Those words were a declaration of a criminal offence.  The message was that Jesus had tried to establish a Jewish Kingdom, in defiance of Roman authority.  That was the crime of which Jesus was accused, and for which He was crucified.

Nothing could have been farther from the truth.  The last thing that Jesus wanted was to become just one more earthly king.  Attempts had been made to force that role upon Him. (Jn. 6:15)  His disciples apparently expected it of Him.  Several times they inquired when He would set up His kingdom.  They had argued among themselves who would hold the highest position of authority, but Jesus had persistently resisted every effort to make Him that kind of King.

The charge was a complete fabrication, invented by the Jewish authorities and even they knew it was not true.  It was the only accusation that would serve their purpose of having Jesus put to death.  They could have rightfully accused Him of violating their Sabbath laws, of ignoring their rules of ritual cleansing, or of teaching ideas that were contrary to their own.  But Pilate, the Roman governor, would have cared for none of those things.  He alone had the authority to pass the death sentence.  So they invented this charge of sedition.  Pilate did not believe it, but could ill afford to ignore it.  Finally, he yielded to their pressure, and sent Jesus to His death, with that strange inscription above His head, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

To most of the people who were present that day it was a ridiculous joke.  What kind of King was this, hanging helplessly on a cross?  A crowd had gathered to witness the spectacle, and found the whole thing quite laughable.  The contrast between the sign and the scene struck them as funny.  A King whose throne was a cross - no one had ever seen or heard of such a thing.  Surely, it was someone's idea of a sick joke, a bit of comic relief in the midst of a brutal episode?  Why not join in the spirit of humour?  Some of them jeered at Him saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah of God."  That sentence was probably punctuated with a roar of laughter.  It is hard to imagine laughter at a crucifixion, but when people live with brutality, day after day, they become hardened to it.  The same thing could happen to you and me and our society.

The suggestion that Jesus was a king was especially amusing to the soldiers.  They had already been having fun with it.  Back in Pilate's hall, they had dressed Him in a regal robe and put a reed in His hand, pretending that it was a sceptre.  Then one of them pointed out that every king needs a crown.  So, they took a thorny branch, bent it into the shape of a garland, and forced it down on His head.  Then they mockingly knelt in His presence, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews."  At the cross, their fun continued with the same kind of ridicule.  Those men understood the concept of royalty.  They belonged to the army of the world's most powerful king.  To them, nothing was more absurd than the idea of a king on a cross.  Kings did not get themselves crucified.  They did the crucifying.

Judging by modern standards, "Christ the King" is still something of a joke.  Some of His followers would not openly make fun of Jesus.  He has become much too respected for that kind of treatment, but is it not true that like the world they still mock the things for which He stood?  Like the soldiers in Pilate's court, they pay lip service to His kingdom but do not take it seriously.  They applaud His instructions, but are slow to obey them.  They would much prefer a leader who can conquer His enemies and ours, as well. 

To His disciples, it was a vague and empty dream.  They had hoped that Jesus might show Himself to be a King, but the cross had crushed that hope.  There was no room in their thinking for a King who could not even save Himself.  Their minds were still locked in that same ancient mould.  They wanted a King who issued orders and had the authority to get them obeyed.  They wanted a King like David, who killed giants and overwhelmed opposing armies.  His disciples were waiting with baited breath for Christ to become that kind of King.  But look at what happened.  Their expectant King died on a cross, praying for the forgiveness of those who nailed Him there.

It seems strange to me that, even today, some of the followers of Christ still harbour that same hope.  They believe that someday Christ will return to earth and engage His enemies in military conflict.  In what they call "the battle of Armageddon", He will lead the armies of righteousness against the armies of evil, and slay them all.  They draw this idea primarily from the book of Revelation, that speaks of battles, and swords, and of blood running to "the height of a horse's bridle".  I cannot believe that the Christ who said, "Love your enemies", will at last conquer His enemies with the sword. 

"Christ the King" - what does it mean?   That day on Calvary, only one man grasped the truth and that was the repentant thief, who was dying beside Him.  Through the eyes of his own suffering, he was able to see that Christ really was a King.   He said to Him, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom."  Like the repentant thief we must believe that Jesus is the King, now and forever.  We must realise that His throne is a cross.  His crown is a garland of thorns.  His only weapon is love, love that keeps on loving, no matter what.  And His army is composed of those who take up the cross and follow in His steps.

When we think of Christ the King, the old, familiar images must be swept aside.  None of them applies to Him.  Suppose we are playing a game of word association.  I say the word, "king", and you say the first word that comes to your mind.  Someone may say, "castle".  A king lives in a castle.  Christ was a homeless King.  He had no place to lay His head.  Another may say, "servants".  A king has many servants.  Christ was a King who served.  He washed His disciples' feet.  Another may say, "wealth".  A king has everything that money can buy.  Christ was a poor King.  He fed the five-thousand with a borrowed lunch.  He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey.  He was buried in a borrowed tomb.

We are dealing with a truth that calls for a complete revolution in the mind.  The world has seen many kings, but never another like this.  He has forever changed the meaning of that word.  There comes to mind a quotation from Napoleon Bonaparte.  In exile, after his efforts to conquer the world had failed, he said this, "Alexander, Charlemagne, and I built our kingdoms upon force, and they are all gone.  Christ built His Kingdom upon love, and today millions would die for His cause." 

Lord Jesus, You are our King who built your kingdom on love, justice and truth.  May we be Your true subjects.

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