Sermon 24th November 2019 –
Christ the King
Text: Luke 23:33-43 – Fully human,
fully divine, fully saved.
The church’s teaching about Jesus is
that he is fully human and fully God.
He is not half human and half God.
So, mathematically it doesn’t add up
as he is 100% human and 100% God – at the same time.
Throughout his life in the bible we
see examples of both his humanity and his divinity at work at the same time.
He is born as all humans are – by an
earthly mother.
He is born however without a human
father, as we confess, “he was conceived by the Holy Spirit”.
He undergoes Baptism as all humans
are asked to do even though he is God and at the same time the voice from
Heaven declares – this is my Son.
He undergoes circumcision as part of
the law of Abraham.
He shows human emotions – he weeps
when he sees his dear friend Lazarus dead in the grave even though he declares
to be the resurrection and the life.
He performs miracles that only God
could do – healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water yet he also
shows human needs of eating and drinking and sleeping.
Before his death in the Garden of
Gethsemane he shows both human and divine qualities about his coming suffering
and death.
He fears for what is coming and asks
God to remove it from him.
But then his divine nature comes
through when he says – “not my will but your will be done”.
In our Bible reading this morning we
again see the working together of Jesus’ human nature and his divine nature.
Jesus is experiencing everything
humans experience – in particular, suffering and death.
But where is the divine nature of God
as we see him about to die?
Can God in fact die?
Jesus is mocked for not saving
himself.
He is ridiculed for not coming down
from the cross.
Where is his divine nature?
Now would have been the perfect time
to do that miracle and have everyone believe!
It is in the final words he speaks to
his Heavenly Father as he agonises in pain – he calls out “Forgive them Father.
Would they have been your words?
Accidently cut in front of someone
while driving and you’ll see (and hear) the typical human response.
Forgive them Father.
Not, “avenge my death” – or “you are
making a huge mistake”.
Forgive them Father – words that only
one who truly loves God with his whole heart and who loves his neighbour would
speak in such circumstances.
As Christians this is the example
that Jesus has left for us.
On the night he was betrayed Jesus
left his disciples with a new commandment – love one another as I have loved
you.
And here is where we see the example
of Jesus love – to forgive even the unforgiveable.
And Jesus’ suffering and death show
us the type of opposition that we face as we journey through life confessing
our faith in Jesus:
First there are his executioners –
the ones who intended harm and inflicted it upon him.
We have them too in our lives who want
to see a world without religion – particularly Christianity.
They reject the church and want to
cause it harm.
They are the ones who oppose us at
every turn.
They ridicule the church – they speak
out against the church – they challenge the church by objecting to what we do:
They mock God.
The church shouldn’t be teaching
religion in our State Schools.
The church schools shouldn’t be
receiving funding from the Government.
The church should be paying its fair
share of taxes.
It’s easy to retaliate – eye for an
eye, tooth for a tooth.
But Jesus says – forgive them Father.
Then there were the soldiers who cast
lots for his clothing while he is hanging there in pain.
There were the ones who scoffed at
him – the leaders who made fun of him.
He saved others – let him save
himself.
If you are the King of the Jews save
yourself.
And then there was the thief on the
cross who was deriding him even while he was taking his last breath.
Even in his dying moments he could
not find it in himself to believe in Jesus.
That is how strong our opposition is.
That a person would rather roll the
dice and face the judgment of hell (if hell exists) rather than hedge their
bets and find out if what Jesus says is true.
But then there is the glimmer of hope
that our reading gives us – that not all is lost.
That not all abandon and reject
Jesus.
There are 2 thieves that have been
crucified alongside Jesus.
While one spurns rejection at Jesus
the other doesn’t.
And not only does he uphold Jesus he
also rejects the other thief and his attacks on Jesus.
So I believe that God is wanting to
encourage us that while the guards, the people, the leaders and others heaps
scorn and abuse on him.
And in the midst of that abuse and
the suffering and pain Jesus not only asks God to forgive them but he assures
the thief on the cross of the Good News – today you will be with me in
paradise.
So this is our mandate too.
That in the midst of the rejection,
the abuse, the suffering that the church is going through we are to put aside
our earthly response and seek God’s strength to forgive and to pray for God’s
salvation to all.
And we are not to give up.
Who would have thought that a thief
in his dying moments would repent and seek out Jesus.
And notice that there is no penance.
He’s not told to go and make amends
for what he has done.
He doesn’t even confess his sins or
repent but simply asks Jesus to remember him and have mercy.
What a gracious act by Jesus while in
the midst of suffering and rejection and abuse that he can still muster the
strength to extend God’s love to one who was until a few seconds ago one who
had rejected him.
And we also get this message from God
through this that Jesus power and authority comes from the cross in the midst
of his suffering, rejection and ultimate death.
And this too is where the church and
Christians are given the power and authority to proclaim to the world God’s
love and mercy.
We are called to put aside our human
response to what is happening around us and to extend God’s love and mercy to
the world.
It is so easy to respond with human
emotions which Jesus did not do even though while undergoing his suffering and
rejection as truly human, 100%
We too are called to love as Christ
loves.
To have the same mindset as St Paul
says in Philippians Chapter 2.
Who emptied himself and became
obedient even unto death on the cross.
It is easy to respond in human ways –
to fight fire with fire – but Jesus shows us a different way.
To forgive – to pray for forgiveness
– and to extend God’s love and mercy unconditionally and without any Quid Pro
Quo as he did to the thief on the cross.
Jesus said last week – the world will
hate you because of me.
But he says – love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you.
He says forgive them – even if they
sin against you 7 times in the same day.
This is how we will show that we are
different.
This is how we will show God’s love.
A love that while we were still
sinners against God that he sent his Son to us.
It is tempting to use worldly ways to
fight against those who fight against us.
To defend ourselves.
But Jesus has already won the fight.
He has fought the good fight and won
the victory for us.
Here, on this table, we will receive
all that we need for the battle that rages around us.
The body and blood of Christ.
The same body and blood of Christ
that cried out from the cross “forgive them Father”.
The forgiveness that we receive and
are asked to extend to the world.
A forgiveness that also assures us
that today, or whenever Christ calls us home, we will be with him in Paradise.
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