Preaching text: John 18:33-37
Why was Jesus crucified? That’s one of those questions we don’t ask in the church; again, because we think we know the answer. Theologically, we do know the answer. It’s because of us and our sin. But even there, there is some disagreement on precisely how so. What is known as “substitutionary atonement” in scholarly circles is still quite popular; Jesus takes our sin upon himself and dies in our place, taking on the punishment we’ve earned instead of us. I’m fond of what I call “demonstrative atonement,” which is a term I’ve invented myself although there may be a more appropriate scholarly name that I don’t know. The idea is the cross is a demonstration of just how far Christ, and therefore God, is willing to go for the sake of the human race; even to the cross and its horrific death will he go to show how much he loves us.
Demonstrative atonement in a nutshell
I'm on a bit of a tangent here. These don’t really answer the question I’m asking; I'm not asking for the theological reason Jesus died. I'm asking for the legalistic reason he died. What was his crime? Again, the easy answer is “there wasn’t one.” Jesus was killed just because; he was innocent. True, but even tyrannies will create the pretense of some lawbreaking to justify their cruelty. What then was the pretense? One could say “blasphemy,” the charge the religious leaders level against him. But a Roman court would not care about the nuances of Jewish religious law, and it was a Roman court that condemned him.
No, to the Romans, Jesus was a threat because he claimed to be a king. And that would be treason.
The Gospel stories tend to show Pilate as rather blase towards the threat Jesus poses. That’s either because Pilate did not take Jesus seriously or because the Gospels were written in a futile attempt to paint the Romans in a good light by making Pilate sympathetic. But make no mistake. Jesus was seen as a threat by the powers that be. His talk of a Kingdom of God was not going to go by unanswered.
And that shouldn’t be any surprise to us. What is the kingdom of God? It’s nearly impossible to answer that question in its entirety but we do have pieces of that puzzle. It’s a place where the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, the lost are found, the outcast is welcomed, and death is no more. It’s a kingdom of life for all people.
Now compare that to the kingdoms, the nations of this world. Each ruled by a person or persons who derive their position via power. And what power is that? It’s the power of death. It’s the power that says to the hungry, I’ll feed you if you obey me. It says to the sick, I’ll heal you if you obey me. It says to the lost and the outcast, stay that way and serve as an example of what happens to those who defy me. Death is the tool of rulership. Fall in line or die.
Every nation in this world, throughout history and today, operates from that mindset to some degree. Even our own. If you are hungry or sick, yes there are services available, but one must fulfill criteria to receive them; they must obey the rules or be denied what they need. And there are lost and outcast in our midst. Immigrants, people of color, LGBT, Muslims, Jews, and countless others are seen with great suspicion by the majority. We may not kill them (well, not all of them), but they often do live as second class in our midst. Death or the threat thereof still serves to keep people in line.
The kingdom of God turns all of that on its head and it proves a threat to even the most enlightened or civilized societies. If Jesus is king, then Caesar is not. If Jesus is king, then Trump or Obama or Bush or Clinton is not.
For many of its centuries, the Church has tried to have it both ways. The flag and the cross together, perhaps with hopes the cross will sanctify the flag and the nation is represents. The truth is, throughout history and perhaps even now, what happens instead is the flag replaces the cross and the Church plays along with the mainstream of society, becoming the most fanatical defender of the status quo. We justify the power structure. We use Scripture to deny food to the hungry or health to the sick. We use Scripture to create the outcast. And Caesar nods with approval.
But there are those who remember what the kingdom of God is about. Names across history: Thomas Becket, Martin Luther, Joan of Arc, Thomas Cranmer, Jan Hus, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and hundreds of others. They remembered what the Church is for. They remembered truly who is on the throne: Jesus Christ. They share something else in common. They were all killed by the powers-that-be or very nearly so. They threatened the kingdoms of the world with the kingdom of God and they suffered and/or died just as Jesus did.
Every generation of Christian faces this question. We live in a terrible world, led by unjust people and/or unjust systems. The kingdom we hear of in worship spaces like this is 180 degree opposite of the world outside. Who bears our true allegiance? Do we play along with the world? It’s the safe way, and the way the institutional church has often gone. Or do we defy the ways of the world and seek to bring some small portion of the kingdom of God here and now into this world and in doing so give the world a taste of what is to come?
I’m sure it’s no surprise for anyone who’s heard me preach this long to know that I’ve chosen the latter, whatever it may bring. I remember what God has said to me in his Scriptures. Where I am, you shall be also. Let the world rage. Let it kill me if it must. I am baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and Caesar cannot take that from me. Nor can all the powers of this world. If any of you choose likewise, you can live secure in that truth as well.
But even if you don’t, there is another truth. Caesar’s world will pass away. Christ will come and inaugurate the kingdom in its fullness one day. And the nations will fall. They will be no more and the kingdom where the sick are healed, the poor are fed, the outcast welcomed, and dead live again will come. It will be here and Caesar, or whatever form he might take now, cannot stop it. Bide your time if you feel you must and know that this present darkness will indeed give way to Christ’s unstoppable light. That is our hope. That is our promise. Amen.
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