Next Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent.  Advent includes the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  But squeezed in between Thanksgiving and Advent is Christ the King Sunday.

          It’s a little difficult for those of us who have grown up in a democracy to fully understand the concept of a kingdom.  We tend to think of the British monarchy, which seems almost superfluous to the working of the British government.  Or we think of fairy tales, where the emphasis is often on the plight of a beautiful princess who is saved by a knight in shining armor, right after he slays the dragon.

          I think that’s one reason we have a little trouble understanding the concept of the Kingdom of God.  The other reason is that the Kingdom of God is partially here on earth and partially in heaven, where none of us have ever been.

          In The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  Theologians like to speak of the Kingdom of God as “already and not yet.”  That is, we who are followers of Jesus Christ are a part of his kingdom here on earth, but that kingdom is not yet what it will be when we see him in heaven.  Yet, because time for God is different than time is for mortal humans, his kingdom has already come in heaven.

          Now, if you are feeling just a little bit confused, that means you probably are beginning to grapple with the concept of the Kingdom of God, and that’s good.

          The passage we are reading today is one we often don’t read except right before Easter, because it takes place when Jesus is being crucified.  Jesus was crucified on a cross, and there were two criminals who were also hung on crosses at the same time, one on each side of him.  They had a conversation as they hung there, just before they died.

          In this passage, one of the men crucified with Jesus scorns him, and the other believes and is saved.  The passage also highlights the irony as those who are crucifying Jesus scorn him, and even in their mocking, they place a sign over Jesus’ head that reads, “This is the King of the Jews.”  Yet what they intend as mockery ends up speaking the truth about who Jesus really is.  Of course, what they do not even begin to understand is that Jesus is the king, not just of the Jews, but of all humankind throughout all time.

          I am reading Luke 23:33-43.

 ³³When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

 ³⁵The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

 ³⁶The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

 ³⁸There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 ³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

 ⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

 ⁴²Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

 ⁴³Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

          In verse 33, Luke sets the scene, so we understand that Jesus is being crucified in the same way as common criminals, and his cross is between two of them.  Just before he dies, Jesus prays, asking God to forgive those who are crucifying him, because they do not know what they are doing. 

          Always the model for us, Jesus is the supreme model when it comes to forgiveness.  He has endured an unfair mockery of a trial, and has been sentenced to die the painful, cruel death of a common criminal.  Yet he prays that God will forgive those who persecute him.  He refuses to hold their cruelty against them.

          Then, as he hangs there, suffering on the cross, the rulers of the people stand there sneering at him, and they mock him because they think they have finally won.  They see him hanging there helpless, and it makes them feel they are the ones in power.

          What they do not understand is that they have no power over Jesus.  Jesus went willingly to the cross, because his purpose was greater than anything they could even imagine.  So these self-important people say, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."  What they don’t understand is that Jesus has willingly abdicated his human power in exchange for his true power, which is the power he will demonstrate over sin and death, through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave.

          Even the soldiers mock him, and they say "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

          Then, there is this amazing little exchange between Jesus and the two men who are hanging on crosses along with him.  It’s particularly interesting because it seems to be symbolic of the two ways that people have continued to respond to Jesus down through the centuries.

          Keep in mind that both of these men have done something that earned them this ugly manner of death—being hung from a cross.  Keep in mind, too, that both of them know that they will be dead within a few hours at the most.

          The first man hung there hurling insults at Jesus and said, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"  He has nothing but hatred and venom towards Jesus, and he mocks his supposed power.

          Jesus said nothing, but the other criminal said to the first criminal, "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

          Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

          These two criminals are both guilty.  One is steadfast in his vile temper and insults the Son of God.  The other recognizes his own sin and trusts in Jesus. 

          They stand as a symbol of the two ways people continue to respond to the claims of Jesus Christ.  One mocks Jesus and the claims he makes.  The other believes and is saved.

          Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." That is what God’s grace is like.  Jesus asks nothing of this man, but simply accepts his request to be part of the Kingdom of God.

          In the same way, when we turn our hearts towards Jesus and believe in him, he welcomes us into his kingdom.  Most of us will have many more days to live our lives on earth, but all the same, Jesus gives us the promise that we, too, will be with him in paradise, or heaven.

          As we move into the Christmas season, we think about Jesus’ coming to earth as an infant.  But unless we know the rest of the story—how he lived and what he taught; how he died and was raised from the dead—his birth does not mean very much.  In order to truly understand him, we need to have the whole picture.  So it’s fitting that on this Sunday before the beginning of Advent, when we focus on his coming, that we would talk about his last days on earth.

          Jesus was so much more than just a good man or a great teacher.  Certainly he was both of those things.  Jesus was truly a human person. 

          But he was also God.  Jesus existed before the creation of the world.  Colossians 1:15-17 says “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth… He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

            God is eternal—he has always existed and he always will exist.  So too, Jesus existed before the world was created, and he will live forever. 

          His kingdom is without end, and when we put our trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will live forever with him in heaven.  That is a promise you can stake your life on. 

          Like the two criminals who were facing death that day when Jesus was crucified, each of us needs to answer the question, “What will you do with Jesus Christ?”  It’s not a head question; it’s a heart question.  It’s not enough to simply believe in your mind that yes, Jesus had some good things to say and he was a good teacher.  It’s a matter of your heart.  In order to truly come to Jesus Christ, you need to give him your heart as well as your mind.  You must depend on him, and him alone, for your salvation.

          It is as simple as the very simple statement of faith that the criminal on the cross made.  He didn’t have all the words right, but he knew the Jesus was truly the king, and he wanted Jesus to be king of his life.  He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 

          And Jesus, who hung there, seemingly powerless on the cross, had the power to save this man, just as he has the power to save each one of us today.  He didn’t save the man from death on the cross, but he saved him from death for all eternity.  That same salvation is available for every one of us today. 

          To the rulers who sneered at him, to the soldiers who mocked him, and to the first criminal who insulted him, Jesus seemed to be a powerless failure.  But to the second criminal who believed and was saved, and to all those who have followed him in the Christian faith, Jesus was exhibiting the saving power of the cross.

          When Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself all the sins of humanity.  And when he arose from the grave, he arose triumphant over the curse of sin and death, once and for all.

          We don’t need to fully understand it—we simply need to trust Jesus with our hearts.  Without Jesus, we are sinners condemned to die.  But when we come to Jesus and accept his love and his forgiveness, we are forever saved from sin.  Jesus is our Lord and our Savior both in this life and for all eternity.

          Notice that the man to whom Jesus promised heaven was some sort of criminal condemned to die for his wrongdoing.  We don’t even know what the man had done.  What we do know is that Jesus completely forgave him and invited him to be a part of his kingdom, for all eternity.

          It doesn’t matter, in God’s eyes, whether we are good people or bad people, because God knows that all of us are sinners.  The worst sinner needs God’s forgiveness, but the best behaved person in the world still needs God’s forgiveness as well.  Sometimes that’s a little hard for us to understand.  We would rather be judged by our own merit.  We want to earn our salvation by living good lives.  But the truth is that all of us need God’s forgiveness.  All of us need to be saved, and our salvation is only by God’s grace, not by our own goodness.

          Of course that does not mean God intends for us to simply live our lives any way we please.  We do want to live our lives so they are pleasing to God.  But the reason we do it is out of gratitude to God for his forgiveness and his work in our lives, not to earn our salvation.

          We who have put our trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are God’s children.  That means we are the daughters and sons of the King!

          Of course, in God’s kingdom, things are different than in an earthly kingdom.  Earthly kings and their royal heirs are often vastly wealthy and people bow down to them and serve them.  But in God’s kingdom, we seek to be like Jesus.  And Jesus was a servant.  Jesus was the shepherd who lay down his life for his sheep.  Jesus was the one who washed the feet of his disciples.  That is the model we are called to follow.

          Jesus Christ demands that we make a choice.  It’s just not possible to be neutral about Jesus.  Either we will mock him, whether vocally or in our hearts, like the first criminal on the cross did.  Or, like the second criminal, we will put our faith and our trust in him, depending on him for forgiveness and for eternal life in heaven.

          When we come to Christ in faith, he accepts us and invites us to be part of his kingdom, both here on earth and for all eternity in heaven.  What an amazing gift his salvation is!  As I John 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!”

          Jesus offers us the gift of salvation—all we have to do is accept his gift. 

Prayer:

Jesus, once again we are amazed by you. You are a king who confounds all of our earthly ideas of kingship.  You are a God who loves us with an unending love.  You offer us forgiveness for all our sinfulness.  You are the king whose kingdom knows no end.

Lord, if there are those here who are standing today before the cross, still wavering between faith and unbelief, I pray that the Holy Spirit would draw them to you.  May the Spirit reassure them in their hearts that you are indeed the way and the truth and the life. 

Jesus, as we approach the Christmas season, may we once again crown you king of kings and lord of lords in our hearts.  Help each one of us to invite you, the king of kings and lord of lords, to be our savior and our king.

                                                          Amen