Jeremiah 23:1-6; Canticle 16; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43
The Rev. Drew Brislin
Why is it that we get this particular reading in our lectionary this morning? Why on this Christ the King Sunday, a day in which we celebrate the kingly nature of our Lord’s life, do we get the account of his crucifixion and death? Throughout his thirty-three years here on earth and his ministry, Jesus is consistently flipping things. He is flipping tables and more importantly, he is flipping our perceptions of power. Through his life and ministry, Jesus seeks to draw us into a renewed relationship with God that will forever change the world and our relationship to it and to him.
With it being Christ the King Sunday, for me it was difficult not to think of and reflect on one of my favorite movies, the 1981 British film Excalibur. I still find it to be one of, if not the definitive movie on Arthurian legend, possibly only rivaled by Disney’s Sword in the Stone. It is one of the earlier projects of some now famous British actors like Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson. What has helped this relatively obscure film last the test of time is that it seeks to tell the whole of the Arthur Legend as it is based loosely on the 15th Century literary work ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’ or ‘Death of Arthur’ written by Sir Thomas Malory. This is one of the earliest works to detail this myth that begins to take shape around 500 c.e. as the Celts begin to attach myths to new stories arising about a war hero named Arthur. While there is no proof that this story is based on or grew out of the story of Jesus, there have been many comparisons made between the two stories over the years. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, while Arthur was conceived as a result of Merlin’s magic, Arthur is said to have had humble beginnings as did Jesus, and while Arthur’s true identity was revealed in his pulling of Excalibur from the stone, Jesus’ identity is revealed in the event of his baptism. Furthermore, Arthur is often referenced as a Christ-like figure in that he stood for justice and righteousness and defended those who could not defend themselves. Also, Arthur’s demise is similar to that of Jesus in that he is betrayed by someone close to him. While we know there was an historical Jesus the actual identity or evidence that there was a King Arthur remains in doubt and there have been many attempts over the years to identify an historical figure who could be identified as this Arthur of legend. Attempts by former monarchs such as King Henry VII and Henry VIII as well as Queen Elizabeth I, have sought to tie their genealogy and their reigns back to this popular figure of legend in efforts to add credibility to their ascension of the English throne. As Christianity began to take hold in Europe and the British Isles, Celtic monks made efforts to draw correlations between this myth of Arthur and the story of Jesus.
Our Gospel reading this morning at first seems like a rather peculiar selection to reflect on this royal and kingly nature of Jesus. We have these preconceived notions of what we think of as strong and physically dominating characters when we envision kings and rulers, yet this morning we look to the account of Jesus’ death to reflect on the nature of his authority. As we continue reading this story, we want to judge all those who are complicit in his death. We want to be critical of the thief that challenged Jesus to save himself and praise the second criminal who rebukes the first and then pleads with Jesus to join him in paradise. We find contempt for the soldiers who cast lots for Jesus’ clothing. Is the sour wine offered up by the soldiers meant to quench Jesus’ thirst or prolong his death? We know that the result of crucifixion is a horrible and slow death, and that Jesus was an innocent man who was tortured and punished. How could this happen to someone venerated as a king one might ask? How could this happen to a man that was at the same time fully human and fully divine? Yet Jesus submitted himself to these horrible atrocities and as a result he repaired and renewed man’s relationship to God in a way that would allow for a love and grace to permeate the world that until now, until Jesus had been incomprehensible. Jesus became the greatest servant of all and in doing so flipped the concept of king and ruler on its head.
While there are references in scripture to Jesus as King such as Pilate asking him if he is King of the Jews, the sign hung on the cross above his head or in the Book of Revelation when he is referred to as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, it is not until 1925 that this The Feast of Christ the King Sunday is first celebrated. This feast day was instituted by Pope Pius XI in response to the rise of secularism in Europe in the wake of World War I and the denial of Christ as King. The church’s influence seemed to be waning as authoritarian and fascist leaders such Mussolini and Hitler, who were beginning to come to power in Europe at that time. The pope felt that Jesus’ authority and the Church’s authority were being challenged by these secular movements. Subsequently there was a refocusing by the church on the duties of a king and more importantly of Christ’s work to protect the poor and those who could not protect themselves. This Christ the King celebration would be a feast conceived in the desire to recognize and celebrate Jesus as the Light of Life, while at the same time recognizing that so many are lost in a world of darkness. It is fitting that our Lord’s last words are words of forgiveness and that this person, Jesus who at the same time is God, healed the sick and preached liberation to the poor and exercised his kingly power by challenging the status quo rather than seeking to uphold it. Jesus’ ministry was so full of compassion that it caused those in power to feel so threatened that they took his life.
As we close out this season of Pentecost and move into the season of Advent and preparation, we are reminded on this day, on this Christ the King Sunday that ours is a faith based on God’s grace, grounded in our confession, and found in communion with each other and with God. The legend of King Arthur tells of a leader tied to the land and who seeks to serve the people of that land. Per the legend Arthur, like Jesus, sought to live out ideals that were greater than himself. He is modeling for us what it means to serve something greater than ourselves. Jesus models for us a way of love that will transform the world. As Christians, ours is a faith found in restoration and redemption. In welcoming the repentant thief into paradise, Jesus shows us that the way to the Kingdom of Heaven is found in the love and the communion we share with each other and with God.