So who here now thinks I’m totally off my rocker? Its Thanksgiving week, the scriptures are for Good Friday and my sermon title is referencing New Years. I must be completely lost!
But does anyone here know what today is? Its actually a fairly special day in the liturgical calendar. Its one of the newer celebrations arriving later in the 20th century called the Reign of Christ or Christ the King. In 1925 the Roman Catholic Church declared that today was a worldwide celebration of the kingship of Christ over every earthly power.
This Sunday also marks the end of the liturgical year for us. Next week when we start Advent its actually a whole new year in the 3 year cycle of lectionary readings. And somewhere between focusing on the gospel lesson and learning about its placement in our liturgical year made me think about New Years Resolutions.
Lets start with looking at the Gospel lesson for today. Such a sad and powerful story that can arise so many emotions in us. The story picks up after they have arrived at Skull Hill. Jesus is already on the cross between two sinners with the sign “King of the Jews” placed above his head. But let’s look beyond the story itself and instead focus on how Jesus response to the situation. Time and time again throughout this picture passage we will see the character of Jesus exemplified through his behavior.
Right from the start we see Jesus his grace and forgiveness in the prayer that he says to God. “Father forgive them, they do not know what they’re doing.” Right from the beginning we see Jesus in his continuing concern for others, even as he hangs on the cross. In this simple prayer. He reenacts the principal taught in the Sermon on the Mount
“Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time respond with the energies of prayer for that person.” Luke 6:28(MSG)
Is anything more powerful than the forgiving love of Christ? Hanging on the cross sentenced to die being mocked and completely humiliated yet here he hangs asking God to forgive them for the ignorance and their actions.
And while we’re on the subject of it let’s talk about the next part of the story. Throughout the next part of the story we see various players mocking Jesus and his role as King of the Jews. Their mockery mirrors the three challenges with which Satan tempted Jesus at the beginning of the story. (Luke 4: 3-12)
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[b]”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[c]”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[d]”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[e]”
Again, Jesus’s identity and integrity are called into question in the hope of provoking him to provide a stunning and utterly compelling demonstration of his character as God’s chosen profit after all, how could we ever receive the Messiah who does not act like a Messiah? How can you see salvation, if no one is being saved? Each time he is mocked the implication is that by responding he might prove himself and thereby verify the titles Messiah, King of the Jews. But Jesus remained silent and steadfast.
In the last part of our story we see an interesting exchange. Instead of the second criminal joining in on the mockery he instead rebukes the first criminal asking him:
“Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”
Such a strange and sudden request, given that there isn’t any background to this story. Who is this man? How did he know Jesus? In my study of the scripture I learned that there are many legions about the men on the crosses next to Jesus. One such story claims that the second man and Jesus had met during their lives. One story I read said he was a part of a gang of thieves like Robin Hood and that shortly after Jesus’s birth Mary and Joseph were stopped by this band of thieves, but they were so amazed at Jesus they let them go. Another story says that they met in prison and had gotten to know each other during the night. Whatever the story, however they met, doesn’t matter. Clearly the criminal understood something about Jesus that the rest did not. He did not ask to be saved but instead simply asked to be remembered.
Clearly Jesus must have seen something in this man too, maybe it was in the way that he rebuked the first criminal in a way that is familiar of what he told his disciples to do in 17:3
“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” (Luke 17:3) – Faith of a Mustard Seed
Whatever it was the response Jesus’s response was clear “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
While we know this must have been amazing for the criminal to hear and we want to know that we will have this chance ourselves, let me break down this phrase for you to help you understand exactly what the criminal heard. The phrase “to be with me in paradise” is a phrase that would commonly be used by royalty, specifically a King. The word paradise is a Persian word meaning a walled garden. If a king wanted to show a friend a great honor he made him a companion of the garden, which meant that he was chosen to walk in the garden with the King. Jesus is making the promise of a king that this criminal will be an honored guest and walk with him in heaven.
Such an amazing story but I ask you to consider are you more like Jesus or the thieves that hung next to him on the cross? Don’t we even still today challenge God to save us? How often do we want proof that god exists? Taunting God’s power and using his own scripture against him.
I asked you all at the start of today’s service to consider what your new year’s resolutions might be. Some of you might have thought about losing weight, getting healthier, spending more time with friends/family, getting a new job or buying that new house/car/gadget you’ve had your eye on.
Not that those are bad things to focus on, but what if we took a different approach? What if instead of focusing on the outward things we focus on the inward things? What if one of our new year’s resolutions was to try to better exemplify a characteristic of Christ?
I’ve done some research and come up with a list of 10 characteristics that Christ embodied. Compassionate, Servant, Loving, Forgiving, Committed, Prayerful, Gentleness, Patience, Self-Control and Humble.
If you were to take each one in turn couldn’t you see how Jesus showed all of these, even in the worst situation of his life. It is like this story is the final exam, the culmination of everything Jesus taught, exemplified in one situation.
Characteristics of Jesus
- Humility – Lord of all Lords is to die on a cross / Humble way he enters the city on Good Friday / never claims to be king of the jews
- Compassionate/Forgiveness/Prayerful – In the prayer said for those who condemned him
- Patient – waiting for God’s Will
- Self – Control – Over all things, at any time he could have asked to change the situation but he didn’t
For me two things really stood out, first the characteristic that stands out the most is Jesus’ forgiveness. How easily it seemed to be given and asked for, for those who probably didn’t even understand its importance. Forgiveness is something I find I can’t always give. I hold on to anger, which eventually turns to bitterness. I want to let it go, I want to give it to God and let him sort it all out, but I just can’t. So for me, one of my news year’s resolutions will be to forgive those who have trespassed against me (at least I believe that they did) and prayerfully give each situation to God knowing that he will find a way to guide me in repairing the relationship.
The other piece that I found so intriguing as well was the integrity of Jesus’s character. So often in life when things are going well we find we can exude any noble character trait that we want. But the minute we are put to the test, the second we are stressed out we respond the only way we know how to (and most often that isn’t the best way to respond). But here is Jesus, on the cross, starved, dehydrated, mocked….I can’t imagine a more stressful situation and not once did he act out of character. Not once did he lash out (thought we would have all understood if he had), not once did he break his own honor code and try to prove himself. He stayed the course and continued to show us what it means to live in a manner of those who will live in Gods kingdom.
If I’m picking a second new years resolution, this would be it, to live my life with integrity. To identify my inner light and drivers and to live a life that is completely inline with those things, so that outside pressures and mocking won’t shake me from my core.
Here at the end of the Christian year, I challenge each of you to exam your character and find one area that you believe could be more Christ like next year, let that characteristic overwhelm you. Hunt down the scriptures that will help you understand it better, what Jesus said about it. Pray to God to help you on this journey. Make it your mission to make that trait so strong its no longer a conscious thought but just a part of who are. Let that trait shine to the rest of the world, let them know what it really means to be like Christ.
So whether you want me to say Happy Thanksgiving, Blessed Good Friday, Celebrate the Reign of Christ or Happy New Year ..now is the time to start anew. Amen!
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