Christ the King
(Free Version)- Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43
You can find the lectionary readings for this Sunday here. Check out our “Deep Dive” for more.
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. On this day we publicly declare and remember the kingship of Christ. This naturally leads us to recognize the false “kings” in our world, the stories which seek to define us, to proclaim themselves as the final answer to the world’s questions.
Our Old Testament reading (Jeremiah 23:1-6) declares a “woe” on these false shepherds who scatter the flock and drive them away. There is the promise that God will bring back the scattered sheep. The declaration that they will be “fruitful and multiply” is the idea that God will empower his people to be who they have been called to be from the beginning. The Lord says that there will be a “righteous branch” who will put things right once and for all.
In our New Testament reading (Colossians 1:11-20), Paul prays for the church to be strengthened by the power of God, so that they may endure suffering. It is only Jesus who is the true king. This was proven true by his death and resurrection, which is our rescue and brings about His new kingdom. This means that every other thing which offers itself as the true image is false. No empire, myth, or ideology has the final word. Jesus is not only the true image; he is the true head of the body. The fullness of God dwells in him and he has reconciled all things.
This radical nature of this new kingdom is illustrated in our gospel reading (Luke 22:33-43). In his last words before his death, Jesus does not curse his oppressors, but forgives them. As they sarcastically mock him, calling him “the King of the Jews,” and writing it above his head, they are unaware that they are actually speaking the straight-forward truth.
The two thieves on the cross show us the ways that the world responds to forgiveness and love. One believes the empire’s lies and continues to mock Jesus. The other sees a glimpse of who Jesus is, that he is good.
A few questions for us today. What are the false stories of our world? Today we’ve described them as “false shepherds” and “empires.” What are the messages we tend to believe that just aren’t true? What false things are we chasing? (Materialism, political stuff, shameful narratives?)
Second, how is Jesus different? Is he different? Is worshipping Jesus just like trading one oppressive story for another? After all, a lot of bad stuff has been done in the name of Jesus.
The fundamental difference between the story of Jesus and the stories of our world is that God’s Story has, at it’s heart, forgiveness and self-giving love. Watch how every other way of defining the world is about grasping for power, about tribal preference, about self-preservation. God’s kingship is different.
Finally, if we really buy into all this…in what ways are we called to surrender to his kingship? Who has he forgiven and therefore who are we to forgive? To love?
My prayer for us today is that, laying aside all of our allegiances, we might continue to grow in trust of the true King. May we recognize the false stories, listen for the better story, and live out the forgiveness and love of the Kingdom of Christ our Lord.