Reading, Sermon and Prayers for Christ the King

READING: Matthew 27:27-31

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.

They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

SERMON: Christ the King

When we think of Kings and Queens who do we think of….. what names can we come up with?

But of course there is only one King. Jesus Christ the Son of God the King of Kings! He was the king of justice and love then. He is still the king of justice and love now.

Nobody wants to follow a looser. Just look at the attendance at football games! If the team is doing well then fuller stadiums can be expected, do badly then attendances fall.

It’s not surprising then that at the time our text from Matthew took place, there were not too many followers of Jesus that were willing to confess him publicly. Many disciples had already deserted him. Judas had turned his back on Jesus and betrayed him. His disciples had deserted him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The fact of the matter is this: Jesus didn’t look like the King of kings. He looked like a looser.

Kings are surrounded by their advisors and their subjects. Jesus was surrounded, but not by loyal soldiers and loving advisors, but by vicious enemies. Our text tells us, (Matthew 27:27) Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.

Kings wear expensive, designer clothes and royal robes. But not Jesus. What he had was taken from him. “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him” (Matthew 27:28) They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, .

Kings wear a jewel encrusted royal crown. But not Jesus. Yes he had a crown as well but his crown was a crown of thorns.

Kings have a staff or sceptre, a rod that symbolizes their royal power. Jesus was given one. They put a staff in his right hand.., and (they) took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

It’s customary to kneel before a king. They knelt before Jesus but not in honour and in reverence. They knelt in front of him and mocked him. (Matthew 27:29) “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said and then spat on him.)

It’s customary to say “Long live the king!” But they didn’t say that of Jesus. In fact they did just the opposite. They led him away to crucify him.

His enemies wanted Jesus dead. And at this point Jesus did not look like a king. But looks can be deceiving.

So on this “Christ the King” Sunday, let us remind ourselves, if we should need reminding, and be assured of this fact….. that even though Jesus looked like a looser, he was not.

Jesus is the King of kings. 1. He was the king of justice and love then. 2. He is still the king of justice and love now.

We expect earthly justice to be carried out when people do wrong. If someone was to break into our church, smashes the pulpit, spray paints slogans and signs on the altar, steals our communion ware; and if they were arrested, we would expect a judge to hand them a sentence. Justice demands punishment for wrong doing. And if the judge didn’t give them some form of punishment, we would get very upset because justice was not carried out.

God is a God of justice. He set the rules. He said, “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2).

You’re not holy. I’m not holy. We confess our unholiness in our services and prayers. We confess our sins. But were we perfect last week? Were we always patient? Did we grumble or complain about anything? Did we love God above everything else? Have we shown it in our prayers, our study of his Word, in our gifts we brought today?

Have we shown that we love our neighbours like we love ourselves? Have we helped them, talked to them, loved them or ignored them?

Failure to follow every one of God’s commands is sin.

But Jesus took that sin and that condemnation upon himself. Jesus suffered for you and me, was led away to be crucified for you and me. (Matthew 27:46)
Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

God doesn’t overlook sin but as the King of justice, Jesus took God’s just punishment for our sins and the sins of the world.

And by taking our sins onto himself and dying for you and for me, that makes him the king of love. Nobody forced Jesus to go through the disgrace described in our gospel. Jesus willingly took this pain and punishment for us. He willingly allowed himself to be forsaken by God the Father.

He lovingly took God’s justice and suffered hell for us. In love he declares us forgiven, not guilty, justified. In love he invites us to trust him, believe him, and inherit eternal life with him for all eternity, an eternal life we haven’t earned or deserved, but which he freely gives us in a place where there will be no pain or suffering ever again. Indeed, Jesus was the king of justice and love. But remember this: He is still the king of justice and love now.

Our Lord doesn’t look like much of a king now, either, does he? We can’t see him. We don’t know how he looks. And sometimes as we look at how wicked this world is, and how the wicked in this world seem to get away with so much evil, we might wonder if he is the King of kings. Where is his justice?

But let us remember this: Jesus will return in power and glory as the King of justice to punish all the unbelievers. The Bible tells us, “As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God’.

Jesus is still the King of love.

Look at how he guards and protects us in this life. Look at the blessings and love he showers upon us in this life and for which we can thank him again and again.

But no where will that love be more in evident than when he returns in power and glory as the King of love to take us, the believers, with him to heaven. He will say to us sinners, sinners cleansed by his blood and righteousness. “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”.

What wonderful words as this king of love lovingly invites us to join him in heaven for all eternity.

Yes, he was the king of love as he suffered and died for us. And he’s still the king of love as he invites us sinners to spend an eternity of joy with him in heaven.

Dear friends, things often aren’t what they appear. A good musician makes playing the piano, the guitar, the trumpet look so easy. But there was a lot of hard work and practice that went into developing those skills.

We can look around us and see this wonderful church. But how easy to forget how much work and effort went into planning it, building it, and keeping it up during all these years so that we can use and enjoy what we see and have today.

In the same way, Jesus didn’t appear to be the King of kings in our text when he suffered and died for us. But don’t be fooled by what you see on Good Friday. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the King of justice and love.

On the last day he’ll be surrounded not by wicked soldiers, but by “many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand… In a loud voice they will sing: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11-12)

He’ll wear a robe “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16)

He’ll have a glorious crown. We will see Jesus “crowned with glory and honour” (Hebrews 2:9)

He’ll have a sceptre for the Bible says, “He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them (that is the wicked, the unbelieving) to pieces like pottery” (Revelation 2:27)

People will kneel before him, not to mock him but to confess him. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11)

The wicked will confess he is the King of kings to their own shame and foolishness. The righteous, you and I will confess he is the King of kings to his glory. The Bible makes it clear; Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Let us continue to praise him, believe him, and follow the King of kings today, and every day, here and for ever after. Amen.

PRAYERS

Let us pray to the Lord, King of all things on earth and in heaven.
Grant that the Church always rejoice in you, her heavenly King.
Make all your people true priests to serve for your greater glory, to inherit a Kingdom that is not of this world.