Let us pray: Father in heaven, be with us today as we gather under the sign of the cross. It is the mark of Your kingdom and the symbol of your steadfast love and forgiveness. By the power of Your Spirit, strengthen us through that cross to be children of Your kingdom, where mercy and grace rule eternally. In the name of Jesus, your holy Son, our King, we pray: Amen.
Robert Farrar Capon is an Episcopal theologian with a remarkable ability to sense and describe the peculiarly American problems with the Jesus presented in the Bible. Here’s what he had to say about the Messiah we would likely prefer:
The human race is, was and probably always will be deeply unwilling to accept a human messiah. We don't want to be saved in our humanity; we want to be fished out of it. We crucified Jesus, not because he was God, but because he blasphemed: He claimed to be God and then failed to come up to our standards for assessing the claim. It's not that we weren't looking for the Messiah; it's just that he wasn't what we were looking for. Our kind of Messiah would come down from a cross. … He wouldn't do a stupid thing like rising from the dead. He would do a smart thing like never dying."[1]
What blasphemy reveals the true nature of God? What king allows scoffing, mockery and derision in his presence? What death reverses itself upon its perpetrator? Have we grown so accustomed to the story of the crucifixion that we have forgotten its scandal? Its offense? Its demand upon our souls for a reaction? We gather today to confess that the Messiah who comes is not the Messiah we expect – nor do we welcome Him as we ought. There is blasphemy here – but it is not found in the One put to death for blasphemy. There is a king here – but His deeds of power bear no resemblance to the deeds of those around us who bear similar power. There is crucifixion here – but the death brought about by that crucifixion is ultimately not the death of the one crucified, but the ones who crucify Him – and would do it again if they had the opportunity. Here it is, then: the blasphemy of the crucified King.
First, the blasphemy. The definition of the word is: “irreverence toward something sacred or inviolable, or the act of claiming the attributes of a god.” To blaspheme is to speak something of God which is not true, in our Christian definition of the word. There is indeed blasphemy here in our reading this morning, but it comes from the lips of the ones watching the crucifixion unfold, not the crucified One:
“He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah of God, His chosen One!”
“If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
“Are You not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
This is the blasphemy, though the blasphemers didn’t know it at the time. It wasn’t that they had mis-identified the Messiah; they didn’t know what to do with a Messiah who suffers. They didn’t know how to handle a Christ who chooses the agony of the cross over the power of a legion of angels. They didn’t know that it was possible for God’s Son to feel pain, to become vulnerable, to die at their own hands. So they blasphemed. They insisted that Jesus couldn’t be God’s Son, because the Messiah wouldn’t choose such a path. They believed it was blasphemy for such a thing to happen.
Second, the king. In Jesus’ time, and in most of recorded time until our own, the only king who would allow scoffing, mockery and derision in his presence was a king who’d lost control. No king would allow himself to be betrayed, beaten, marched through the streets and executed – only a king who had lost all power over his people would be subjected to such a thing. So Jesus became the King of the Jews – placed on the throne by enemies who did so only to cast Him down from it. The triumphant entry into
Third, the crucifixion. Deuteronomy 21.23 says that “anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” The crucifixion becomes the final insult against any hope that Jesus actually might be the Messiah, the Christ, God’s anointed Son and Savior of the world. No savior would allow Himself to become cursed, would He? Could there be any redemption for any child of God if the Messiah died? What hope is there for the strength and power of God if the Son of God dies upon a cross and God the Father does nothing to stop it? There is no power in a crucified God, is there?
The blasphemy of the crucified King. Throughout Luke’s gospel, John and Mary and Zechariah and Simeon and many, many others testify to the reversal that God would bring about through the coming of the Messiah. What we didn’t know is how Jesus would bring about that reversal. Instead of striking down the proud and powerful in vengeance, Jesus made their pride and power worthless through his humility and weakness. Instead of raising the weak and downtrodden to the power and pride of their former oppressors, Jesus healed their wounds through His compassion and care. To all who came to Him, rich and poor, strong and weak, blind and deaf, seeing and hearing, Jesus reversed the expectations of this world from the inside, the soul, where the image of God lives in us all in every circumstance. We rich are God’s children, even though our wealth prevents us from seeing our frailty and weakness. We poor are God’s children, even though our poverty may prevent us from witnessing how God provides daily bread in many ways.
Was it blasphemy to ask Jesus to save Himself? Yes, without a doubt – because Jesus did not come to save himself, but to save the world before saving Himself. Is it blasphemy for the Messiah to give His life for the sake of the world? Is it blasphemy for the Christ to go willingly to the cross rather than exert power to protect Himself? Is it blasphemy for the Son of God to be vulnerable, able to be hurt, deeply wounded, even killed? If it is blasphemy, let it be blasphemy – because it is blasphemy God has chosen as the means of salvation. Better blasphemy that saves than pious speech and action that condemns us to damnation. The true nature of God is love, inspired, reckless, determined love that will not be denied, even by death – and if that love blasphemes our expectations of what God ought to be, then it is good blasphemy, for it saves us in our sin.
Was it kingly for Jesus to go willingly into scoffing, mockery, derision and death? Not by our expectations – but perhaps it is our expectations which need to be reversed. We’ve seen those who rule struggle and fight and cheat and conspire to retain their power in recent days. Presidents declare martial law to protect their rule. Elected leaders compromise their beliefs and the charge to govern wisely to protect their seats. Candidates for office plant questions in press conferences and refuse to allow dissident voices in their cabinets. And who is it that suffers? It is the people who live under the power of those who rule only to maintain their grip on power. But God chooses the path of forbearance and steadfast love. Is it kingly for God’s Son to be beaten, crucified, killed? If it is, then we have a King who truly cares for His people. The test of dignity and grace does not come when the crowds are cheering and calling your name in praise: the test of dignity and grace comes when the rabble are screaming for your blood and hurling insults like stones against you. Only a King who deeply loves His people would bear such pain and suffering for their sake – do we not, then, have a king worthy of worship?
Finally, the crucifixion. What was it that died upon the cross that Friday? At the time, we would have said it was a human being who died – and indeed, Jesus was fully human. He really died that day in
“This is clear: He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering. Therefore he prefers works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil. These are the people whom the apostles calls "enemies of the cross of Christ", for they hate the cross and suffering and love works and the glory of works. Thus they call the good of the cross evil and the evil of a deed good. God can be found only in suffering and the cross, as has already been said. Therefore the friends of the cross say that the cross is good and works are evil, for through the cross works are destroyed and the old Adam, who is especially edified by works, is crucified. It is impossible for a person not to be puffed up by his good works unless he has first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil until he knows that he is worthless and that his works are not his [own] but God's.[2]
We want to find God in power and majesty and absolute right, rewarding the pious and punishing the sinful. We want a King who fulfills all our expectations and, of course, rewards us by rescuing us out of this humanity that traps us. What we receive instead is a King who reverses all our expectations, who lives in the same humanity because it is God’s good creation, who blesses us, not with salvation from being human, but with salvation as human beings. Christ the King comes to reign in peace and love, not through power and might, and the blasphemy of the crucified King is the means by which His reign begins. Let us, then, praise this crucified King and swear to Him our allegiance and faith and love, for He has accomplished all this for us and for the world He loves beyond all our understanding. Praise be to God: long live the King. Amen.
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