Killing A King
Sermon
Cross Purposes
Sermons for Lent and Holy Week
"I was treated like a king!" is a common saying when one received the best possible treatment. This is to say that a king deserves and gets the very best. A red carpet is laid out for the king to walk on, lest he dirty his feet. Only the best food is served. His clothes are made of the finest material with top class and style. A king wears genuine jewels, no artificial diamonds or costume jewelry, for a king deserves only the best. A king is given honor, respect, loyalty, obedience, and love. All of this goes with being a king. Wouldn't you like to be a king even for just one day?
On this Palm-Passion Sunday, we are dealing with a king. It is a popular title for Jesus. In the New Testament the word, "Savior" is used twenty-three times, but the word kyrios, meaning lord or king, is used 665 times. A king is lord. He is sovereign and as such is in charge of things and people. But what a strange king we have to behold today! At the beginning of Holy Week, the king is greeted with palms and praises, but by the end of the week there is a killing of a king.
Born a King
If this day and coming week are going to be meaningful for us, we need to realize that Jesus is a king. He came into the world as a king. When the Wise Men came looking for Jesus in Jerusalem, they asked, "Where is he that is born king of the Jews?" This aroused the fear of King Herod resulting in the massacre of the innocent babies. King Herod wanted no competitor! Jesus was born a king because he had royal blood in him. He was a son of David, Israel's greatest king. It was promised that the Messiah would be the son David, and that his kingdom would last forever. When the people of France put Louis XVI to death, there was left a little boy who would have become King Louis XVII. They put the lad in prison. When he grew older, evil companions suggested to him some evil suggestion or vulgar word. Then, he would stand at his height and say, "No, I will not think that. I cannot say that. I was born to be a king!" Because Jesus was born to be king, his life and work were related to who he was.
After several years of public ministry, Jesus comes to the capital city, Jerusalem, to offer himself to his people as their king. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy, "Behold, your king is coming to you." The Palm Sunday parade took place. People flocked to the city streets to see the pageant. Enthusiastic followers put down their clothes and cut off palm branches to pave the way as we put down a red carpet. This was the king coming! No ordinary man deserves such honor and treatment. They began to sing, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" The palms and praises were the desserts of a king.
Things take a turn for the worse. Jesus' enemies, through Judas, get hold of him and he is brought for trial. He is tried as a king, not a servant, not an average citizen. When Jesus appeared before the Roman governor, he asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus admitted that he was, but he said that his kingdom was not of this world. Convinced of Jesus' innocence, Pilate was about to let Jesus go free, but his mind was changed when the Jews said, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar". This scared Pilate; maybe Jesus was a king who threatened the Roman Empire. Bringing Jesus out to the crowd, Pilate says, "Here is your king!" They cry, "Crucify him!" Pilate asks, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priest answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Jesus was sentenced to die because he was a king. How ironic!
Jesus suffered as a king. Before turning Jesus over to be crucified, Pilate gave Jesus to the soldiers for a little fun. The soldiers seized this idea that he was a king and they made the most of it. Is he a king? Then, why not make him look like a king? A king needs a crown. So, they made him a crown of thorns. A king needs regal robes, so they found old rags of the proper color and put them on Jesus. A king needs a scepter to symbolize his power, and they put in his bound hands a reed. The soldiers began to salute him as they mocked him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Because he was king, Jesus was scourged and mocked.
Died a King
Jesus was killed as a king. The reason they killed him was put on the placard of accusation nailed above his head, "This is the King of the Jews." The Jews did not like that inscription. They went to Pilate to protest and said, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but 'This man said, I am the King of the Jews.' " And so that everybody in the world would know why he was being put to death, the accusation was put into three world languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. So that's why the world killed him - because he was a king!
Jesus was not only born to be a king, but he acted like a king. As we see him throughout his ministry, trial, suffering, and death, we see that he is every inch a king. Notice the restraint that he uses. Only a king could. While under terrific pressure, he maintained his self-control. This restraint was shown during the trial as he kept silence. He did not answer the high priest, nor Herod, nor Pilate. So much so that they marveled at him. He did not try to defend himself. He did not answer the charges against him. He knew it was no use. This was not a time for defense but a time of sacrifice for the sins of the world. We see Jesus at his trial as one with the utmost composure, serenity, and poise. lie stood before his judges as a king.
Though he was a king, he did not use force. It was his right and prerogative to, use force to defend himself against his enemies. Any king has that right. As a king. Jesus showed himself to be a greater king by refusing the use of force. At his arrest, he told the Disciples not to resist because he said he could call down twelve legions of angels to defend him. He could have wiped out the despicable minority of people if he wanted to, but he did not. He was too much of a king for that!
He acted like a king when he refused to run away from his enemies. When he was a child, his parents fled with him to Egypt and now he could have escaped to another country. But, he stayed and stood his ground. It was not easy. He went with the problem to God in the Garden of Gethsemane. In a bloody sweat, he prayed it out and he yielded to God's will to go to the cross: "Not my will, but thine be done."
Jesus not only had the restraint of a king but also the power of a king. Throughout his ministry, his power was manifest. He raised the dead, he healed the sick, he walked on the water, he changed water into wine. Here in his final hours, his power as a king was shown. Peter wildly threw his sword around and accidentally cut off Maichus' ear. Jesus might have been too busy at this time when he was just arrested and on the way for a trial. See Jesus pick up the ear from the ground and tenderly put it back on Maichus' head. He replaced the ear as though it had not been cut off. What marvelous power - no ordinary king had power like that. His finger was his sceptre!
You got to see that Jesus was a king by virtue of his authority. A king has authority to command obedience. He has authority to send men to death. He has authority to make laws and issue decrees. But just look at the authority of King Jesus! He had such authority over demons that they fled at his presence. He had the authority to say to a paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." While on the cross, Jesus shows his kingly authority when he saves a criminal hanging on a cross beside him, "Today you shall be with me in paradise."
It is not only a fact that Jesus is a king, but he is more than a king. In words of praise we sing and shout, "King of kings and Lord of lords!" That is the kind of king we honor today as we remember his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That is the kind of king we follow this Holy Week as we plod toward the cross.
How to Treat a King
But, is this the way to treat a king? Usually kings get the best treatment. There are exceptions, as in recent years. This is not the generation that appreciates kings. After ruling for fifty-eight years, King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was deposed and made a prisoner. Nikita Krushchev was for a time "king" of Russia, but when he died in 1971 he died as a "non-person." They denied him the honor of a burial at the Kremlin wall and placed his body in a second-rate burial place. When "king" Richard Nixon fell from the presidency, friends cancelled plans to raise money to build a place for his papers intended as a monument to him.
Do we treat Jesus as a king? Before a king of England came to the throne, several citizens came to ask favors. As the request was granted, the future king made a note of it. Then came one who asked for a very high position. As the king was about to write it down, the citizen protested, "The word of the king is enough!" The king was mighty pleased. He said to those near him, "This gentleman does me a real honor - he treats me like a king."
There are various ways to treat a king. You can reject him and despise and desert him. Jesus was rejected by his nation. One day they shouted, "Hallelujah!" and later the same week they cried, "Crucify!" At the close of Palm Sunday, we find Jesus looking over the city and weeping. "Oh, how I would have gathered you ... but you would not." And Jesus wept. Later the people rejected him when they demanded that Barabbas be released and Jesus be sent to the cross. They wanted a criminal rather than a Christ! Can you imagine how that hurt Jesus' feelings? Then there were the disciples who forsook him and fled when he was arrested and put on trial. One betrayed him. Another denied ever knowing him. What sorry disciples! How do you and I stack up against them? Are we any better? Do we treat the king like that? In Shakespeare's King Lear, the king has given up his throne and is soon to be driven out of doors. His loyal friend, Kent, joins the king and shares his disgrace. Lear asks him, "Dost thou know me, fellow?" Kent replies, "No, sir; but you have that in your countenance which I would fain call Master." When we, too, look into the tear-stained, torn, and bloody face of Jesus, we see a king in him and we gladly call him our Master and King.
While others fail Jesus the King, you can be loyal to him, even to death. In A.D. 155, Caesar ordered terrible persecutions against the Christians. There was an eighty-six year old bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, who was arrested. They ordered him to recant and curse Christ. His reply continues to inspire men to be loyal to their King: "For eighty and six years I have served him, and he hath done me no wrong; how can I blaspheme my king who saved me?" Yes, how can one? Rather than curse his King Jesus, Polycarp died in the fire they built around him.
Accept the King!
The only way to treat a king is to accept him as a king and let him rule your life in every area. Is Jesus really the king of your life? One day long ago you may have accepted Christ as Lord and King, but all the way? In the old tale of Bluebeard, the man had a secret room in his house which no one must enter on pain of death. Some say to Jesus, "You may come into the house of my life, except for one room. That is the room where I keep my pet prejudices, my fervid hatreds, and my secret sins." There are areas of life where Jesus may not yet be sovereign. A warrior of Saxony came to be baptized and unite with the church. At that time it was the custom to baptize by immersion. When the warrior was immersed, he held up his right hand so it would not go under the water. When he was told that his whole body must go under the water, he protested that he would keep that hand for himself to do battle with his enemies. This happens to many of us today. We hold out a hand we do not want Christ to have. There are certain areas of life where we want to be in charge.
To what extent is Jesus the King of your life? Is he King of one-fourth, or one-third, or one-half of your life? You may be a Christian in the area of citizenship because you are a law-abiding citizen. Are you a Christian when it comes to stewardship? Are you a tither? Is Jesus King of your money? If not, then today is the day to let Christ become King of your finances. You may be a Christian in the area of parenthood. You love your wife/husband and children. You support them and train them and love them. That is good, but are you a Christian in the realm of race? Christ may be King of your life in home relations but not in race relations. A pastor was not allowed to dedicate a piano given by a couple of his members. They did not want it dedicated because they said that the first time a black person came into the church to worship, the piano would go out the next day. Obviously, Christ was not yet King in their racial feelings.
Indeed, you may have accepted Jesus and you are a member of the church. Maybe you have not yet allowed Christ to hold full sway over your life. He is King only of a part of you. If that is so, then today is the day to allow Jesus to take over at least one more segment of your life. One day maybe you sang, "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee." Now, you want to sing, "Take my whole life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee."
If you will do this, you will be the happiest person in the world. Someone has explained Christian joy as the "flag flown from the castle of your heart when the King is in residence." With Jesus as your king, you can join the Palm Sunday crowds in singing "alleluia" and shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord." Even in Jesus' passion, you will rejoice that he is your king and sing:
O sacred head, what glory,
What bliss till now was Thine.
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.
On this Palm-Passion Sunday, we are dealing with a king. It is a popular title for Jesus. In the New Testament the word, "Savior" is used twenty-three times, but the word kyrios, meaning lord or king, is used 665 times. A king is lord. He is sovereign and as such is in charge of things and people. But what a strange king we have to behold today! At the beginning of Holy Week, the king is greeted with palms and praises, but by the end of the week there is a killing of a king.
Born a King
If this day and coming week are going to be meaningful for us, we need to realize that Jesus is a king. He came into the world as a king. When the Wise Men came looking for Jesus in Jerusalem, they asked, "Where is he that is born king of the Jews?" This aroused the fear of King Herod resulting in the massacre of the innocent babies. King Herod wanted no competitor! Jesus was born a king because he had royal blood in him. He was a son of David, Israel's greatest king. It was promised that the Messiah would be the son David, and that his kingdom would last forever. When the people of France put Louis XVI to death, there was left a little boy who would have become King Louis XVII. They put the lad in prison. When he grew older, evil companions suggested to him some evil suggestion or vulgar word. Then, he would stand at his height and say, "No, I will not think that. I cannot say that. I was born to be a king!" Because Jesus was born to be king, his life and work were related to who he was.
After several years of public ministry, Jesus comes to the capital city, Jerusalem, to offer himself to his people as their king. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy, "Behold, your king is coming to you." The Palm Sunday parade took place. People flocked to the city streets to see the pageant. Enthusiastic followers put down their clothes and cut off palm branches to pave the way as we put down a red carpet. This was the king coming! No ordinary man deserves such honor and treatment. They began to sing, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" The palms and praises were the desserts of a king.
Things take a turn for the worse. Jesus' enemies, through Judas, get hold of him and he is brought for trial. He is tried as a king, not a servant, not an average citizen. When Jesus appeared before the Roman governor, he asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus admitted that he was, but he said that his kingdom was not of this world. Convinced of Jesus' innocence, Pilate was about to let Jesus go free, but his mind was changed when the Jews said, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar". This scared Pilate; maybe Jesus was a king who threatened the Roman Empire. Bringing Jesus out to the crowd, Pilate says, "Here is your king!" They cry, "Crucify him!" Pilate asks, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priest answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Jesus was sentenced to die because he was a king. How ironic!
Jesus suffered as a king. Before turning Jesus over to be crucified, Pilate gave Jesus to the soldiers for a little fun. The soldiers seized this idea that he was a king and they made the most of it. Is he a king? Then, why not make him look like a king? A king needs a crown. So, they made him a crown of thorns. A king needs regal robes, so they found old rags of the proper color and put them on Jesus. A king needs a scepter to symbolize his power, and they put in his bound hands a reed. The soldiers began to salute him as they mocked him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Because he was king, Jesus was scourged and mocked.
Died a King
Jesus was killed as a king. The reason they killed him was put on the placard of accusation nailed above his head, "This is the King of the Jews." The Jews did not like that inscription. They went to Pilate to protest and said, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but 'This man said, I am the King of the Jews.' " And so that everybody in the world would know why he was being put to death, the accusation was put into three world languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. So that's why the world killed him - because he was a king!
Jesus was not only born to be a king, but he acted like a king. As we see him throughout his ministry, trial, suffering, and death, we see that he is every inch a king. Notice the restraint that he uses. Only a king could. While under terrific pressure, he maintained his self-control. This restraint was shown during the trial as he kept silence. He did not answer the high priest, nor Herod, nor Pilate. So much so that they marveled at him. He did not try to defend himself. He did not answer the charges against him. He knew it was no use. This was not a time for defense but a time of sacrifice for the sins of the world. We see Jesus at his trial as one with the utmost composure, serenity, and poise. lie stood before his judges as a king.
Though he was a king, he did not use force. It was his right and prerogative to, use force to defend himself against his enemies. Any king has that right. As a king. Jesus showed himself to be a greater king by refusing the use of force. At his arrest, he told the Disciples not to resist because he said he could call down twelve legions of angels to defend him. He could have wiped out the despicable minority of people if he wanted to, but he did not. He was too much of a king for that!
He acted like a king when he refused to run away from his enemies. When he was a child, his parents fled with him to Egypt and now he could have escaped to another country. But, he stayed and stood his ground. It was not easy. He went with the problem to God in the Garden of Gethsemane. In a bloody sweat, he prayed it out and he yielded to God's will to go to the cross: "Not my will, but thine be done."
Jesus not only had the restraint of a king but also the power of a king. Throughout his ministry, his power was manifest. He raised the dead, he healed the sick, he walked on the water, he changed water into wine. Here in his final hours, his power as a king was shown. Peter wildly threw his sword around and accidentally cut off Maichus' ear. Jesus might have been too busy at this time when he was just arrested and on the way for a trial. See Jesus pick up the ear from the ground and tenderly put it back on Maichus' head. He replaced the ear as though it had not been cut off. What marvelous power - no ordinary king had power like that. His finger was his sceptre!
You got to see that Jesus was a king by virtue of his authority. A king has authority to command obedience. He has authority to send men to death. He has authority to make laws and issue decrees. But just look at the authority of King Jesus! He had such authority over demons that they fled at his presence. He had the authority to say to a paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven." While on the cross, Jesus shows his kingly authority when he saves a criminal hanging on a cross beside him, "Today you shall be with me in paradise."
It is not only a fact that Jesus is a king, but he is more than a king. In words of praise we sing and shout, "King of kings and Lord of lords!" That is the kind of king we honor today as we remember his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That is the kind of king we follow this Holy Week as we plod toward the cross.
How to Treat a King
But, is this the way to treat a king? Usually kings get the best treatment. There are exceptions, as in recent years. This is not the generation that appreciates kings. After ruling for fifty-eight years, King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was deposed and made a prisoner. Nikita Krushchev was for a time "king" of Russia, but when he died in 1971 he died as a "non-person." They denied him the honor of a burial at the Kremlin wall and placed his body in a second-rate burial place. When "king" Richard Nixon fell from the presidency, friends cancelled plans to raise money to build a place for his papers intended as a monument to him.
Do we treat Jesus as a king? Before a king of England came to the throne, several citizens came to ask favors. As the request was granted, the future king made a note of it. Then came one who asked for a very high position. As the king was about to write it down, the citizen protested, "The word of the king is enough!" The king was mighty pleased. He said to those near him, "This gentleman does me a real honor - he treats me like a king."
There are various ways to treat a king. You can reject him and despise and desert him. Jesus was rejected by his nation. One day they shouted, "Hallelujah!" and later the same week they cried, "Crucify!" At the close of Palm Sunday, we find Jesus looking over the city and weeping. "Oh, how I would have gathered you ... but you would not." And Jesus wept. Later the people rejected him when they demanded that Barabbas be released and Jesus be sent to the cross. They wanted a criminal rather than a Christ! Can you imagine how that hurt Jesus' feelings? Then there were the disciples who forsook him and fled when he was arrested and put on trial. One betrayed him. Another denied ever knowing him. What sorry disciples! How do you and I stack up against them? Are we any better? Do we treat the king like that? In Shakespeare's King Lear, the king has given up his throne and is soon to be driven out of doors. His loyal friend, Kent, joins the king and shares his disgrace. Lear asks him, "Dost thou know me, fellow?" Kent replies, "No, sir; but you have that in your countenance which I would fain call Master." When we, too, look into the tear-stained, torn, and bloody face of Jesus, we see a king in him and we gladly call him our Master and King.
While others fail Jesus the King, you can be loyal to him, even to death. In A.D. 155, Caesar ordered terrible persecutions against the Christians. There was an eighty-six year old bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, who was arrested. They ordered him to recant and curse Christ. His reply continues to inspire men to be loyal to their King: "For eighty and six years I have served him, and he hath done me no wrong; how can I blaspheme my king who saved me?" Yes, how can one? Rather than curse his King Jesus, Polycarp died in the fire they built around him.
Accept the King!
The only way to treat a king is to accept him as a king and let him rule your life in every area. Is Jesus really the king of your life? One day long ago you may have accepted Christ as Lord and King, but all the way? In the old tale of Bluebeard, the man had a secret room in his house which no one must enter on pain of death. Some say to Jesus, "You may come into the house of my life, except for one room. That is the room where I keep my pet prejudices, my fervid hatreds, and my secret sins." There are areas of life where Jesus may not yet be sovereign. A warrior of Saxony came to be baptized and unite with the church. At that time it was the custom to baptize by immersion. When the warrior was immersed, he held up his right hand so it would not go under the water. When he was told that his whole body must go under the water, he protested that he would keep that hand for himself to do battle with his enemies. This happens to many of us today. We hold out a hand we do not want Christ to have. There are certain areas of life where we want to be in charge.
To what extent is Jesus the King of your life? Is he King of one-fourth, or one-third, or one-half of your life? You may be a Christian in the area of citizenship because you are a law-abiding citizen. Are you a Christian when it comes to stewardship? Are you a tither? Is Jesus King of your money? If not, then today is the day to let Christ become King of your finances. You may be a Christian in the area of parenthood. You love your wife/husband and children. You support them and train them and love them. That is good, but are you a Christian in the realm of race? Christ may be King of your life in home relations but not in race relations. A pastor was not allowed to dedicate a piano given by a couple of his members. They did not want it dedicated because they said that the first time a black person came into the church to worship, the piano would go out the next day. Obviously, Christ was not yet King in their racial feelings.
Indeed, you may have accepted Jesus and you are a member of the church. Maybe you have not yet allowed Christ to hold full sway over your life. He is King only of a part of you. If that is so, then today is the day to allow Jesus to take over at least one more segment of your life. One day maybe you sang, "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee." Now, you want to sing, "Take my whole life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee."
If you will do this, you will be the happiest person in the world. Someone has explained Christian joy as the "flag flown from the castle of your heart when the King is in residence." With Jesus as your king, you can join the Palm Sunday crowds in singing "alleluia" and shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord." Even in Jesus' passion, you will rejoice that he is your king and sing:
O sacred head, what glory,
What bliss till now was Thine.
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.
