Sunday's Sermon

God’s Chosen One

November 24, 2013

Scripture: Luke 23:33 – 43

And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood, seeing.

But the rulers were deriding, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen." And the soldiers also mocked him, coming (and) offering to him common wine, and saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was also an inscription over him, "This one (is) the king of the Jews." And one of the hanging criminals was reviling him: "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us."

But the other answered, rebuking him, saying, "Do you not fear God that you are in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly, for what we receive (is) appropriate to what we did, but this one has done nothing out of place." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."

Thinking it through:

So, it is appropriate for us at the end of the Christian year to ponder and remember. If this scripture seems to be an unusual choice for a gospel reading on this particular Sunday, then think about the irony: Jesus is declared “king” by a criminal, Roman soldiers, and a cynical governor. Three times Jesus is mocked: “Save yourself,” they said. The soldiers and others (maybe even us) assume that if one has God’s favor, a proof of it would be to use that favor to end suffering and avoid death.

Sadly, many of us still think, act, and pray this way, expecting God to help us avoid painful and unpleasant occurrences in life. We desperately want the path of discipleship to be smooth and without risk. It is especially tempting in the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons to forget the difficulty of the journey. Perhaps that is why we are talking about Luke 23 today—as a reminder not to settle for a candied or watered-down version of the story.

The deeper understanding of the scripture is that even under those terrible circumstances, Jesus could not avoid death. Nigel Spivey, in his book, Enduring Creation: Art, Pain, and Fortitude notes that the idea of a crucified messiah was such a shattering notion that the early church avoided it in art and theology from the time the Gospels were written; clear through to the tenth century. And even then, the depictions were carefully tamed.

On this last Sunday before Advent, this scripture is reminding us that to avoid the difficult parts of Jesus’ story is not acceptable. We must recognize the cost—for Jesus, for us and for God’s kingdom. And we must constantly remind ourselves that each of us is also “chosen”.

Authors Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker in their book, “Saving Paradise” were surprised when they visited the Mediterranean world where early Christianity began to find that the very earliest Christian art did not depict the crucified Jesus. They began their journey in Rome in the catacombs where underground tunnels and tombs are carved into soft tufa rock. The earliest surviving Christian art is painted onto the plaster walls of tombs or carved onto marble sarcophagi as memorials to the interred. There were crosses everywhere in the artwork, but on none of these very early pieces was Jesus depicted as crucified. He was usually sitting on the ground under the cross. They found it took a thousand years for Jesus to die in this artwork. Images of his corpse did not appear in churches until the tenth century.

And why is this important? It’s because we have to realize that the common people did not read or write. They learned their stories about Jesus through artwork depiction in icons and stained glass windows.

According to the writings of Paul, the early gentile church could not tolerate a dead messiah whose mission would be seen as a failure.

We have learned in church and some even in graduate schools that Christians believed the crucifixion of Jesus saved the world and that this idea was the core of the Christian faith. Today that idea is challenged by many because it is seen as contributing to the sanctioning of violence and war and it does not originate from the message of Jesus. It absolves perpetrators of violence of their responsibility for their unethical behavior. The focus of the earliest Christians was instead to create a paradise on earth. To them, even heaven was considered a dimension of this life.

In fact, the "Father, forgive them" passage of this scripture is not present in the earliest documents, It is included because it fits so well with one of Luke's over-all themes, that is “forgiveness”, and that is why it was left in later scripture.

So what have we learned from this story of Jesus’ crucifixion?

In this upcoming Christmas season, it is important to be honest about the real cost of discipleship. Since we too are chosen, it is time to move into the Advent season, affirming our discipleship and being realistic about what following the chosen one really means in our lives.

Being disciples of God’s chosen one comes at a cost. Even though many of us are not comfortable taking risks, we sometimes have to go outside our own comfort zones and step over the boundaries we have constructed to actually be a disciple. And that may not always be comfortable. Many of us prefer to be pew sitters. Yet, Jesus charged his disciples to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit those in prison. Yet today even our politicians seem to resent doing just that.

Mockery and derision is a frequent tactic of the powerful to besmirch someone's character. The irritant is brought down through derision and character assassination. As Mahatma Gandhi put it, "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you,…… then you win."

The apparent vulnerability of Jesus on the cross calls into question how this one who felt sent by God can possibly save the people. It seemed to disciples of that day that the powers of the world had overtaken the powers of God. And yet, this episode offers hope. In it, left there for us, Jesus asks for forgiveness for those who have crucified him and shows that he still has power in the last, painful moments of his earthly life by offering the promise of a paradise to the evildoer.

Jesus did not lose hope but trusted in God even when it appeared that he was in a hopeless situation. All hearers, therefore, should not lose hope but trust in God. Jesus made good on his promises, brought good news to the poor and offered healing to those who were in need. He also offered forgiveness to those whom his society deemed evil. In the moment of his greatest vulnerability, when those with earthly power showed that they had the power to condemn Jesus to death, he managed to heal one on the cross beside him and promised the other suffering one a paradise.

Instead of dying an anonymous death, Jesus’ words and mission live on…inspiring millions to have a part in building God’s kingdom here on earth.

. So what are we willing to suffer for the sake of the kingdom?

Not much is asked of us. We are challenged to do what we can in feeding the poor and offering healing friendship to those who are in distress. We should feel called to visit those in prison and in hospital and nursing homes. We should be available to help anyone who needs our help..regardless of the inconvenience it may seem to us. Because of our conscious, each of us is aware of what we can do. Sometimes we do move out and other times we defer to help… out of selfish reasons known only to ourselves. But we are chosen because we are able.

In this holiday season, we are aware of much need in our communities. As a congregation, we will soon be asking for assistance in providing gifts and food for the children of needy families. Let us respond as we are able. Jesus spent his short life helping all those to whom he came in contact, even in his last moments. As disciples, we can do no less because we too are able and are some of God’s chosen ones.