Loving God, in a world that pursues wealth and power, your Son Jesus chose the way of service and suffering.  Grant us the eyes to see his victory over sin and death, and the faith to believe that Christ is Sovereign, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Christ the King Sunday – or, the Sovereign Christ, if you prefer – stands at the end of the church year as a reminder that things are not always as they seem.  As Jesus stood before Pilate at his trial, mockingly clothed in a purple robe and a crown of thorns, very few people would ever mistake him for a king.  By all appearances, he was quite powerless, subject to the whims of both Pilate and the religious leaders.  Yet, when we pay attention to how John tells the story, we get the impression that it is, in fact, Jesus “who exerts authority over life and death” (workingpreacher.org).

         Throughout John, chapter 18, Jesus is betrayed – or handed over – multiple times.  He is betrayed by Judas Iscariot and handed over to some soldiers, who hand him over to the religious leaders.  Then, as we heard in today’s gospel, the religious leaders hand him over to Pilate.  At the same time, Jesus asserts that if he were an earthly king, his followers would have fought in order to keep him from being handed over (Jn. 18:35-36).  Then, in the next chapter, Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified (Jn. 19:16).  

         The final handoff, however, takes place on the cross.  Jesus says, “It is finished,” and hands over (or gives up) his spirit to God (Jn. 19:30).  As we hear earlier in the gospel of John, nobody takes Jesus’ life from him.  Rather, he lays it down of his own accord (Jn. 10:18) -- at the same time as his kingship is declared publicly.  Remember the inscription that Pilate had put on the cross?  It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Jn. 19:19).

         Of course, to Jesus’ followers, it certainly didn’t feel like any sort of coronation had taken place.  Instead, it felt like everything had gone horribly wrong.  None of them wanted to see their Lord and Teacher crucified.  This was even harder to fathom than when he had knelt down in front of each one of them in order to wash their feet.  They simply could not understand, and it seemed as though evil had triumphed and all hope had been lost – at least, until the resurrection.

         Those first disciples got to see and touch the risen Jesus, and to eat with him, and to see him ascend into heaven.  Otherwise, they would never have believed it.  However, all those who have put their faith in Jesus since that time have had to rely on the eyewitness testimony of others.  This is the essence of faith.  As Hebrews puts it, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1).

         As we look at the world around us, it certainly doesn’t look as though Christ is “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1:5).  Hate seems stronger than love.  Evil seems more prevalent than good.  Violence seems more common than peace, and it seems as though many hearts have grown cold.  In spite of this, we pray, “the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.”  Do we believe that this is true?

         In some respects, we shouldn’t be surprised that the world doesn’t look as though Christ is Sovereign.  After all, his kingdom is not from this world, and is often described as small or hidden.  The kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field, or like that little bit of yeast that makes the whole batch of dough rise (Mt. 13:33, 44).  In fact, it may be that the kingdom of God is within you – or perhaps, among you (Lk. 17:21).  It is already, but not yet.  The fullest expression of the kingdom of God will be seen in its heavenly form, and yet, Jesus is Saviour, and Lord, and Sovereign, here and now.

         The challenge for us as followers of Jesus is to live as those who imitate their servant king.  “Love one another as I have loved you” is the new commandment given by the one who doesn’t hesitate to wash feet, or to give his life for others.  Martin Luther spoke about being little Christs to our neighbour – serving others as Christ would serve them, while also seeing Christ at work in others and allowing them to be little Christs to us.  In a sense, we are called to be agents of the kingdom of God – representatives of Christ who make the love of God known in the church and in the world.

         However, none of us are able to do this all on our own.  None of us can represent Jesus or share the love of God without the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us.  It is also the Holy Spirit who enables us to recognize Christ in others and in the world around us.  And so, don’t be fooled by human assumptions about who is truly powerful, or who reigns.  For, things are not always as they seem.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.  So it is to be. Amen (Rev. 1:7).

Christ the King (B)                           John 18:33-37

November 24, 2024                        Revelation 1:4b-8

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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