Matthew 28:1-10 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
Now this is not something you see every day. But of course, today is not like any other day. We gather in memory and in celebration of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is startling to consider what happened so many years ago, in a land far away. This is a season of surprises, of the unexpected.
We heard in our hymn: Come ye faithful raise the strain of triumphant gladness. It is not just joy and gladness after a long week or maybe even a nice meal this afternoon. The joy comes from the fulfillment of a promise, the promise that a king would come into our lives. The gladness arises from the giving of a new promise, the promise of everlasting life through Jesus’ sacrifice.
God promised to send to us a king. But the king would not be of the regular sort. He would ride into the city on the back of a donkey, not in a chariot or astride a great warhorse.
He would not come speaking of war or conquest, but of finally bringing peace to the land. He would not build palaces of marble or wear a golden crown. For Jesus was a very unlikely king.
Born in a manger, he grew up to work with his hands as a carpenter, a laborer. What king of kings is this? Born into a land conquered by the Romans, born into poverty? Working by the sweat of his brow? Have you ever heard of such a king?
One who lived and walked among the people. One who spent his days healing the sick and feeding the hungry. Certainly, this is no king with which they, or we, are familiar.
Why not? Why is this list of characteristics so hard to imagine in a king? When we think of our kings, our politicians and captains of industry, what do we imagine them doing? Do we think of them as healers? Do they feed those who are hungry? What do we expect of our leaders and how do they meet our expectations?
Are they in anyway like Jesus Christ? Could anyone be? Perhaps…
0 Comments