Behold Your King
Commentary
God reigns, now and always, but that is not always immediately apparent. Jeremiah warns the false shepherds, earthly rulers who plunder the flock, that God is watching, and someday the true Shepherd will be revealed! Paul reveals to the Colossians, who have no idea that the geological clock is ticking and an earthquake will devastate their city, that the man on the cross is the head of the body, the beginning and the end, and the first-born of the dead. And in Luke’s gospel we see that Jesus reigns, even from the cross, dispensing mercy and reward to a fellow sufferer.
Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Luke 1:68-79
We seem to be easy targets now, says Jeremiah, but woe! (and Jesus in Luke’s gospel says woe! a lot too). Woe to the false shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of God’s flock. It’s God’s sheep, God’s pasture. Who died and made them God? The new David will be revealed. He will reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness. Maybe not just yet. But soon.
This is paired with the Magnificat which serves this week as the Psalm. That little girl Mary, sitting with the women in synagogue worship, had been paying attention all those years to the scripture readings, so when it was time for her to speak out and witness to God’s good news as well as God’s plan to vindicate the poor and marginalized, she could not only paraphrase what Hannah prayed, but also draw in phrases from other scriptural passages as well in order to create her own unique testimony. This is the warning to all the bad shepherds who are scattering the sheep. God will draw us back together in one flock, and you who are on top now may not be there when the final score is tallied.
Colossians 1:11-20
You know, when it comes to scripture, I can’t help it. I’m always ready to take a deep dive down the rabbit hole! So, let’s fast forward about thirty years. The Apostle Paul is in prison, in Rome, in chains, uncertain of what is to come next. He’s writing to the believers in Colossae, a small town in Asia Minor that used to be a thriving metropolis. It’s one of those situations where the city got bypassed, but they remember better days.
The thing is, it’s not just on a fault line, it’s on the spot where fault lines meet. It’s the year 60 AD, Nero is emperor, when things start shaking. I was reading one of those articles where geologists know something bit happened — this was at least 6.0 and probably much greater, but there’s no newspapers for them to consult, so they look to legends to fill the gap because the stories are built around actual events. According to the story, tremors were accompanied by “sudden and horrible thunder-like sounds,” turning the waters turbulent. Colossae was known from of old as a city where the river Lycus plunged underground and passed under the town, emerging on the other side. But on this day in the midst of falling columns and collapsing walls the earth collapsed, exposing the river, sending it rushing forward. Gas ignited by the friction of collapsing stones caused a huge column of fire.
This makes his message urgent — God “has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (1:13-14) Receive God’s forgiveness. Receive redemption. Because the time is more urgent than we imagine. And embrace the creedal statement that follows. The emperor may demand worship as a god, but it is Jesus who “is the image of the invisible God, etc.” (1:15) These words are not just a formula you can sleep through, nodding your head in assent. When life falls apart, they’re all we can cling to!
Luke 23:33-43
Jeering at Jesus was both easy and grotesque. Human beings had been nailed to a wooden post and a crossbar, naked, only to be jeered at by passersby who got an odd enjoyment out of it. Of course this is what is happening on news channels, talk shows, social media, Easy targets. Low hanging fruit. Sharing in the cross of Christ has never been so easy.
The crucifixion was the action of political and religious leaders “for the good of the nation.” If only that were their true motivation. Their power and their treasure were threatened by a Messiah who called upon us to turn the world upside down spiritually and economically. That Messiah will reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness. Maybe not just yet. But soon.
And that king, even while he himself suffers, not only from the cross two thousand years ago, but gazing at the way we treat each other today, has mercy on us in our suffering. Just as the king promised the thief who defended him that they would be together in paradise that very day, so all of us who suffer (Remember Luke’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus) are saved and served with Christ. Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write a book in English, was lying on her deathbed when the cross which was lowered to her face by clergy came to life to her in a vision, and she beheld a suffering Jesus on the cross whose greatest concern was for her, and for all people. That’s the king we have. Not one who is distant and aloof. One who bleeds like us.
One of the thieves was saved. Hold on to that.
Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Luke 1:68-79
We seem to be easy targets now, says Jeremiah, but woe! (and Jesus in Luke’s gospel says woe! a lot too). Woe to the false shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of God’s flock. It’s God’s sheep, God’s pasture. Who died and made them God? The new David will be revealed. He will reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness. Maybe not just yet. But soon.
This is paired with the Magnificat which serves this week as the Psalm. That little girl Mary, sitting with the women in synagogue worship, had been paying attention all those years to the scripture readings, so when it was time for her to speak out and witness to God’s good news as well as God’s plan to vindicate the poor and marginalized, she could not only paraphrase what Hannah prayed, but also draw in phrases from other scriptural passages as well in order to create her own unique testimony. This is the warning to all the bad shepherds who are scattering the sheep. God will draw us back together in one flock, and you who are on top now may not be there when the final score is tallied.
Colossians 1:11-20
You know, when it comes to scripture, I can’t help it. I’m always ready to take a deep dive down the rabbit hole! So, let’s fast forward about thirty years. The Apostle Paul is in prison, in Rome, in chains, uncertain of what is to come next. He’s writing to the believers in Colossae, a small town in Asia Minor that used to be a thriving metropolis. It’s one of those situations where the city got bypassed, but they remember better days.
The thing is, it’s not just on a fault line, it’s on the spot where fault lines meet. It’s the year 60 AD, Nero is emperor, when things start shaking. I was reading one of those articles where geologists know something bit happened — this was at least 6.0 and probably much greater, but there’s no newspapers for them to consult, so they look to legends to fill the gap because the stories are built around actual events. According to the story, tremors were accompanied by “sudden and horrible thunder-like sounds,” turning the waters turbulent. Colossae was known from of old as a city where the river Lycus plunged underground and passed under the town, emerging on the other side. But on this day in the midst of falling columns and collapsing walls the earth collapsed, exposing the river, sending it rushing forward. Gas ignited by the friction of collapsing stones caused a huge column of fire.
This makes his message urgent — God “has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (1:13-14) Receive God’s forgiveness. Receive redemption. Because the time is more urgent than we imagine. And embrace the creedal statement that follows. The emperor may demand worship as a god, but it is Jesus who “is the image of the invisible God, etc.” (1:15) These words are not just a formula you can sleep through, nodding your head in assent. When life falls apart, they’re all we can cling to!
Luke 23:33-43
Jeering at Jesus was both easy and grotesque. Human beings had been nailed to a wooden post and a crossbar, naked, only to be jeered at by passersby who got an odd enjoyment out of it. Of course this is what is happening on news channels, talk shows, social media, Easy targets. Low hanging fruit. Sharing in the cross of Christ has never been so easy.
The crucifixion was the action of political and religious leaders “for the good of the nation.” If only that were their true motivation. Their power and their treasure were threatened by a Messiah who called upon us to turn the world upside down spiritually and economically. That Messiah will reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness. Maybe not just yet. But soon.
And that king, even while he himself suffers, not only from the cross two thousand years ago, but gazing at the way we treat each other today, has mercy on us in our suffering. Just as the king promised the thief who defended him that they would be together in paradise that very day, so all of us who suffer (Remember Luke’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus) are saved and served with Christ. Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write a book in English, was lying on her deathbed when the cross which was lowered to her face by clergy came to life to her in a vision, and she beheld a suffering Jesus on the cross whose greatest concern was for her, and for all people. That’s the king we have. Not one who is distant and aloof. One who bleeds like us.
One of the thieves was saved. Hold on to that.
