Christ
the King Sunday
November
24, 2013
Luke
23
The
Sign of the King's Cross
In
the name of Jesus.
I.
That
sign above Jesus is often artistically abbreviated to INRI, which means Jesus of Nazareth,
King of the Jews. Pilate has this sign made and nailed to the cross
for reasons unknown.
Perhaps
he wanted to send a message to the Jews. If he wanted a reaction, he
got one. They angrily said that the sign should say that this Jesus
only claimed to be the king. Pilate's reply to their
demand for the sign's removal is cryptic: “What I have written, I
have written” (John 19:22). What did he mean by that?
Maybe
his encounter with the living Word of God had begun to churn in his
heart. Or at least this unique person deserved to have some
recognition. But whatever the reason behind that sign of the cross,
it is good, right, and salutary, as we used to say, that it was
there, because every single letter on that sign is true.
II.
Jesus,
the Joshua from Nazareth, is the Savior of Nazareth and every town,
city, and village of this world. And He is the King. He is the
perfect David and the second Adam, for Whom both Adam and David were
waiting. And He is a child of Abraham—a Jew from the house of
David. He is the King that God's chosen people, the Jews, had been
waiting for for 2,000 years.
III.
As
Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, hung on the cross, we see those
around Him confessing Who He is, without themselves seeming to
realize the truth of their statements. Words they meant as insult and
injury, were really truthful confessions of the suffering Christ.
Pilate
puts up the truthful sign. His Roman soldiers offer Him sour wine to
quench His thirst, as though they could offer the living Water of
Life a good drink or the Host of Holy Communion good wine.
The
Jewish big-wigs admitted that He saved others with His
supernatural power, yet go on to make the baffling statement that He
wasn't the divine Messiah and their royal King.
The
wicked criminal taunted Jesus, “Aren't You the Messiah? Save
Yourself and us!” But that is exactly what Jesus is
doing. Our Messiah is saving us by refusing to save
Himself.
The
sign of the cross tells the world the truth—our King willingly
sacrifices Himself for His subjects. As His subjects we live in the
New Testament, which is Christ Himself, and now we are all Jews. By
trusting in His promises we are His chosen subjects, His chosen people, now and forever.
In
the name of the Father
and
of the † Son
and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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