Famous Last Words (11/22/15)
Christ before Pilate by Jacques Le Breton and Jean Gaudin.
Image retrieved from: http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-viewimage.pl
What does it mean to say that Christ is king? In this sermon, we explore that question and also our fascination with the biographies and the last words of famous leaders.
Sermon
Good
morning! I read an interesting statistic last week. In the past twenty years or
so, historians have published more than forty biographies of George Washington.[1]
That’s about two biographies a year. Now I suppose that our first president is
a pretty interesting figure, but I’ve got to wonder, how much new information
is there? Do we really need this many biographies? I understand he’s the father
of our nation and all, but forty biographies? Really? Really!
Perhaps
we are so disappointed by our current political leaders—from either party—that
we want to keep churning through every little detail about our greatest leaders.
Perhaps we hope that we might discover some new insight, some bit of
information that could help us to choose better leaders today. In these times,
the great leaders of our past seem even greater; we forget that they were
regular human beings, too.
This
seems to be the case with King David. Our reading from 2 Samuel opens with the
announcement that “these are the last words of David.” In fact there are ten
different scriptures in the Old Testament that can be billed as the last words
of King David.[2]
Most of them appear in 1 Chronicles and each one says something different. Why
so many?
The
accounts of King David’s life got recorded and then revised over a period of
several centuries. Just as modern historians keep writing biographies of George
Washington, ancient biographers kept adding to David’s story:
As biblical generations
passed, and Israel's power as a nation waxed and waned, David came to be viewed
as Israel's greatest king, unsurpassed in the eyes of both God and humans. He was the shining memory of Israel's past as
well as the vision of what Israel's future could be. His many last words attest to his
biographers' attempts to keep his greatness alive in the present and project it
into the future.[3]
Of
course there’s one really big problem with the way these biblical biographers
keep adding to the legend of King David: they’re ignoring all of the worst
things about the human David! David says:
The spirit of the LORD
speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken,
the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in
the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a
cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land. Is not my house
like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in
all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
How can David possibly say this with a straight
face? David didn’t rule justly. His lust overpowered him and he took Bathsheba,
the wife of Uriah the Hittite. And then, to cover his own sins, David had Uriah
killed! King David was as corrupt as any human could be, yet his biographers
make him out to be ancient Israel’s greatest king! And by earthly standards,
perhaps he was.
The
end of this scripture is also very problematic, as David claims: “the godless
are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the
hand; to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are
entirely consumed in fire on the spot.” Clearly, David is not one to judge
which person is righteous or godless.
I
fear that his claim about the godless can also give us license to judge our
enemies. In times of uncertainty, we are tempted to follow earthly leaders who
fan the flames of fear. If we label someone else as godless, we have license to
destroy them, or at least ignore their voices: godless Communists, godless
liberals, or anyone who we decide is less righteous than we believe ourselves
to be. Not only are we usurping God’s power to judge, we’re also ignoring all sorts
of scriptural teaching.
God
uses all sorts of people, including unbelievers. Consider the story of the
widow of Zarephath, which we heard last Sunday. God sends the prophet Elijah to
another country—where the people worship Baal—and tells Elijah to look to an
infidel for help. But the historians who offer glowing accounts of David’s last
words seem to be wrapped up in the greatness of David’s military achievements,
rather than his moral failings.
And
we’re not much different. We look first for political leaders whose views match
the things that we already believe, rather than looking for the most moral
person, or the best Christian, whatever that may mean. Or to look at this in
reverse, I think just about everyone would say that Jimmy Carter is the best
ex-president we’ve ever had. His work with Habitat for Humanity is exemplary. He
has led diplomatic and peacemaking missions around the world.
The
Carter Center, Jimmy Carter’s nonprofit organization, has spearheaded efforts
to eradicate many tropical diseases, including something called guinea worm
disease. Thirty years ago this disease was endemic in parts of Africa and Asia.
At that time, 3.5 million cases were reported each year. Because of Carter’s
leadership and energy, this disease has been nearly eradicated.[4]
Gone. It’s a remarkable story! And yet, there has not been a grass-roots
movement to get Jimmy Carter to run for president again. Nobody is yearning for
a second Carter administration in the White House. The truth is, no human being
is suitably moral, or just, or righteous. This is why Christ is king and why we
owe our allegiance not to human leaders or to the nations that we have created,
but to our true king.
Jesus’
kingdom is not of this world. He says this directly in this morning’s gospel
lesson. Pilate asks Jesus why he is on trial; he asks Jesus if he is a king.
Jesus responds: “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from
this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to
the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
There
were several competing political factions in Palestine in Jesus’ time. Many
people hoped that the Messiah would be a military leader who would lead a
revolt to throw off the yoke of Roman rule. They hoped that God’s chosen leader
would be another King David; their Messiah would herald a return to Israel’s
golden age.
There
was another powerful faction in Jerusalem, the Zadokites or Sadducees. They were
the faction that controlled the temple. When Palestine came under Roman rule,
the Romans allowed the Sadducees to remain in place as the religious
authorities. Their authority was hereditary and the Romans allowed them to
retain their authority. It was the religious authorities who handed Jesus over
to Pilate for trial. Certainly they saw Jesus as a threat to their authority.
Perhaps they also saw the might of the Roman Empire and they knew it was futile
to resist the military might of the empire. Either way, they were the realists,
invested in maintaining the world as it was.
Jesus
proclaims a new reality. “Worldly kings take power from others by winning
battles or at least through successful diplomacy. Jesus neither fights nor
allows his followers to do so. He does not mount a vigorous defense.”[5]
Instead, Jesus offers himself as a voluntary sacrifice.
A few
decades after Jesus was crucified, the people of Palestine revolted against
Roman rule. They met Roman oppression with violence. The revolt lasted for four
years, but eventually, the Romans crushed the revolt. The temple was destroyed.
Violence was met with even more violence.
Jesus’
sacrifice saves us from the cycle of violence and retribution! This is the
cycle of death and destruction. This is the cycle of sin. But we have nothing
to fear—not death or harm or even the loss of status or property. In our world
of fear and violence, Jesus’ kingship “can be difficult to see, for it is
manifest in crucifixion rather than in political dominance.”[6] Jesus
tells us that he came into the world to testify to the truth. His truth is
revealed in his death and resurrection. We affirm this truth when we come to
the table for the Lord’s Supper. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Benediction
Now, beloved,
as you depart from this place, remember that God never turns away from us.
Remember that Christ is king, but His is a different kind of kingship; His
kingdom is not of this world. Remember that Christ’s kingship is made manifest
through his self-sacrifice. So go forth and be instruments of God’s love and
peace and reconciliation. Do not return evil for evil to any person, but know
that we are all loved by God, and that we are called to reflect that love and
act upon that love to everyone we meet. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
Let all God’s children say, Amen!
[1]
Karla Suomala, “Commentary on 2 Samuel 23:1-7,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1474
[2]
Ralph Klein, “Commentary on 2 Samuel 23:1-7,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2527
[3]
Karla Suomala, “Commentary on 2 Samuel 23:1-7,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1474
[4]
“Dracunculiasis,” Wikipedia,
retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculiasis
[5]
Susan Hylen, “Commentary on John 18:33-37,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2604
[6]
Susan Hylen, “Commentary on John 18:33-37,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2604
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