The Suffering King

So, good morning, everyone.

As you've hopefully figured out by now,

! This Sunday is a special Sunday in the life of our church,

in the church calendar.

This is the last Sunday in the Christian year,

and we call it the Feast of Christ the King

because we recognize and celebrate that Jesus is King.

And if you're listening to the readings,

all of the readings point to that reality.

We have the Old Testament reading

that shows how the human shepherds and leaders

over God's people ultimately failed,

and God says that one day He's going to come Himself

and shepherd His people, gather them together.

And in the Psalms, we see God's people

clinging to that promise, waiting, hoping,

the day when all violence will end,

when God will finally put things right,

and we have but to be still.

I could have sung that for an hour, by the way,

just that refrain.

I just felt that in my soul.

That was so wonderful.

And then we see this incredible description

in the New Testament reading of Christ the King,

the cosmic King, the one through whom all things were made,

the one in whom all things hold together.

But then we come to this gospel reading,

and I have to say it is a curious finale.

Four readings in a row, all extolling this great king,

until we get to the gospel reading.

Luke chapter 23 immediately becomes clear

Luke 23 · chapter mention

that Jesus is unlike any king this world has ever known,

because we see Jesus not with a crown being celebrated

and worshipped, but hanging on a cross,

suffering and dying.

And even more curious, we see this story,

and the details of this story that we're going to focus on

are unique to Luke's gospel of two criminals,

one on Jesus' right, one on his left.

Now, as we're going to see, one of these criminals

is going to gain the great honor and privilege

of being the first person welcomed into Jesus' kingdom.

The other is going to completely miss his chance.

And the question we're going to contemplate together this morning is why?

What's the difference?

Both men are criminals, both accused of the same crime,

both under the same sentence,

both turned to Jesus in their time of need.

One has his life completely transformed.

The other does not.

I think this is an important question for those of us

who grew up in the modern West,

because the vast majority of people in our society

either grew up attending church

or grew up Christianity adjacent.

When you grow up in a culture like that,

like myself, for instance, I grew up in the South,

which Flannery O'Connor famously described as Christ-haunted.

When you grow up in a Christ-haunted culture,

it's easy to assume that you know what Christianity is all about.

It's easy to assume a kind of familiarity with Jesus.

Many people don't understand that growing up around Jesus

is not the same thing as having a relationship with him.

So there are many people, I think, in our culture,

many people who fill our churches on Sunday mornings

who assume they have a relationship with Jesus,

but who, in fact, do not.

Their lives have never really been changed by him,

although they may know quite a bit about him.

The question we're going to ask this morning is,

why not?

And this passage, I believe,

shows us three things we need to see

in order to answer that question.

What's the difference between these two criminals?

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word,

and we thank you for this final Sunday in our church year,

and we thank you for the focus.

Help us to understand what it means that you are king,

what kind of king you are,

and what this could possibly mean,

what hope it has to offer criminals like us.

We pray this in Jesus' holy name.

Amen.

Amen.

So the first issue,

the first difference I would suggest

between these two criminals

has to do with the posture of their heart

toward Jesus.

Is Jesus the means to an end,

or is Jesus the end itself?

The first criminal says,

aren't you the Messiah?

Save yourself and us.

But most commentators agree

his tone is quite sarcastic.

What he's really saying is this,

aren't you supposed to be the Messiah?

If so, if you're the Messiah, as you say,

prove it.

I've got a great idea how you can prove it.

Get me off this cross.

That's his approach.

Get me down from here.

In other words,

if you solve this urgent problem in my life,

if you meet my felt need,

then I will consider believing you as the Messiah.

So for this man,

we begin to see right away

that Jesus is for him a means to an end.

I'll believe in you.

I'll put my faith in you

as long as it benefits me in some way.

You do this for me,

and then I'll consider doing that for you.

And before we pile on to this poor man,

I think we probably need to reflect and admit

that many of us, I think,

have done the same thing in our lives,

if we're really honest.

At some point in most people's lives,

not just Christians,

but non-Christians,

atheists, right?

At most people,

at some point in their life,

when they're in a time of desperation and need,

some major crisis happens,

even non-religious people

will sometimes in a moment of desperation

cry out to God.

God, if you're there,

please help me.

I need you to do this for me.

I need you to keep this bad thing from happening.

But the fact is,

and I think we know this anecdotally,

most people are not changed by that.

They cry out to God in a moment of need,

but they're not changed by that.

The reason is because most of the time,

what we're really saying

when we cry out to God in those moments,

what we're really saying is,

if you're really worth believing in, God,

if you're really worth following,

then get me out of this situation

or do this for me,

and then I'll believe.

Some of us may have even prayed that prayer before.

If you do this one thing for me,

God, I've never asked you for anything,

and if you just do this one thing for me,

then I promise I will go to church every week

and I will follow you

and I will give all my money away

and I will do all these things.

If you just do this one thing for me.

And the reason I think

that most of us have done this,

and the reason that I think

most people tend to do this

is because it's only natural.

I mean, if we're honest,

most people are not walking around

contemplating life's greatest questions.

Most people are not walking around

on an average Tuesday

considering the claims of Christianity

and whether or not they're true.

Right?

Most people are thinking about

the person who just broke up with them

and how to get that person back.

You know, most people are thinking

about their job stress.

The reason they're up

at three, four o'clock in the morning.

Most people spend their time

and energy thinking about

how they're going to be able

to afford the things

that they need in life.

Most people are worrying

and wringing their hands

over their health,

or the health and well-being

of their kids.

We're not contemplating

these deep existential questions.

It's only natural.

It makes sense.

We're focusing on the needs

right in front of our face

most of the time.

But see, we need to understand

the problem here.

The problem is this.

Our biggest need as human beings

is never the problem

right in front of our face.

It feels like it in the moment.

Our biggest need is never

the need that's right

in front of our face.

Our biggest need

is the salvation

and renewal of our souls.

But most of the time

we live with that need

buried way down there

in the list of priorities.

The point for us to see here, though,

is that when our relationship

with Jesus is based on

what He can give us

or do for us,

or the ways in which

He will or will not

address those immediate

felt needs,

if our relationship

with Jesus is based on that,

then if we're really honest,

it's not actually about Jesus.

It's about that thing

that we want or don't want.

It's about that felt need.

And whatever that thing is,

that is really our God.

That is really the thing

that drives and animates our life.

And we're trying to make Jesus

a servant of that thing.

So for those of us

who are Christians,

we should really pay attention

to this.

Do we want Jesus

even if and when

He doesn't give us that thing

that we cry out for?

Or if by not doing that thing

we want Him to do,

if by not doing it,

He's actually doing something

far deeper in us

that only He understands,

do we still want Him?

Will we still trust Him

and follow Him?

Do we still love Him?

Do we still believe He loves us?

For some of us,

it can take a very long time

to learn that Jesus

is infinitely more valuable

than anything He might give us.

and the second criminal

already,

I would say,

on some

maybe pre-conscious level,

we're going to come back to this,

is beginning to figure that out.

Because if we look at

this second criminal's

posture toward Jesus,

it's completely different.

He doesn't even,

notice,

He doesn't even ask Jesus

to get Him down off the cross.

He doesn't ask Jesus

to solve anything

about their crisis.

He simply,

in a way,

says,

wherever you are,

I want to be.

Whatever your kingdom is,

remember me.

I want to be there with you.

That's His only request.

So for Him,

we're beginning to see

that Jesus is not simply

a means to an end.

Jesus is the end.

The first criminal says,

Jesus,

I want you to fix my life.

The second criminal says,

Jesus,

I want you to be my life.

And if it means

all of this trouble,

if it means

all of this suffering,

if it means

I have to deal with that

in order to have you,

then so be it.

That's a very different posture.

So if we're only ever focused

on what we can get

from Jesus,

and we never come to see

that having Jesus

is everything,

is worth everything,

then even if we grow up

in church,

and we grow up

all of our lives

hearing about Jesus,

our hearts can remain

far away.

That's the first thing

that we see,

the first difference

between someone

who's going to have

their life changed

by Jesus,

and someone who's not.

the second difference

we see

has to do with

their response

to the wrong

that they have done

in their own lives,

and what we see

is this difference.

It is not regret

over sin,

but a willingness

to accept responsibility

for our sin

that opens the door

to grace

in our lives.

It's not regret,

but a willingness

to accept responsibility.

The first criminal

clearly feels regret.

The first criminal

feels a ton of regret.

He regrets the circumstances

that he's in.

He regrets the fact

that they got caught.

He regrets the consequences.

He regrets the fact

that it's brought

all this suffering

into his life,

and he just wants

to escape.

Tons of regret.

But look at the second criminal.

Verse 40.

But the other criminal

rebuked him.

Don't you fear God?

He said.

Since you're under

the same sentence,

we are punished justly

for we're getting

what our deeds deserve,

but this man

has done nothing wrong.

Now that, my friends,

is not just regret.

There's far more

going on here.

First of all,

he knows

and is acknowledging

with trepidation

that there is a holy God,

and he's clearly able

to recognize

some degree of truth

about Jesus.

He rebukes

this other criminal

for blaspheming

against Jesus

by mocking him.

He recognizes

and affirms

Jesus' innocence,

and he seems

to be able

to recognize

that Jesus

is some kind

of king

with some kind

of kingdom,

only it's clearly

very different.

But I would say

the most amazing thing

is that this second criminal

is willing to fully

admit his wrong.

Now that is very,

very rare.

It's very rare.

He is willing to say,

we deserve this.

We are getting what we deserve.

And that kind of admission,

that willingness

to fully own

and accept responsibility,

the willingness

to admit

that you're wrong,

that is the beginning

of the road

to true repentance.

And in the Christian life,

repentance

is that word

that means

turning away

from your sin

and reorienting

your heart

toward God

completely

because of his mercy.

The beginning of that

is what we see here,

a willingness to admit

this is wrong

and I deserve

what I'm getting

as a result.

And I want to pause

for a second

and just focus

on this

a little more

because it's

extremely important.

Some people,

when they

do something wrong,

they might go on

and on

and on

about how sorry

they are,

about how much

they regret

what they've done.

But sometimes

if you pay attention,

they will ultimately

avoid actually

taking responsibility

for their actions.

They're very sorry,

they're full of regret,

but they won't

actually accept

responsibility.

So,

imagine someone

who gets angry

and in their anger

they snap

and they say

something hurtful

to their spouse

or their friend.

which one

of these

apologies

reflects a

genuine

willingness

to accept

responsibility?

This is multiple

choice.

Okay?

Okay,

the other person's

hurt,

they're upset,

things are tense

and awkward

and now

this person

wants to try

to make it better

so they're going

to apologize.

Okay?

Which reflects

a genuine

willingness

to accept

responsibility?

A.

Whoa,

sorry,

I was just kidding.

It's not that

big of a deal.

B.

Look,

I'm sorry

but I only

said that

because of

what you said

to me.

C.

I'm sorry,

I feel awful,

I'm just a

terrible person,

I'm not worth

loving.

D.

Sorry,

I didn't realize

you were so

sensitive.

D.

E.

I'll say

I'm sorry

if you admit

that what you

did to me

was wrong.

F.

F.

I'm sorry,

I'm just under

so much stress

right now.

Which one?

Right?

None of the above,

right?

If you guess

none of the above,

you get a gold star.

Why not?

Right?

Well,

what do we see here?

We see minimizing.

We see blame shifting.

We see self-pity.

We see a lighter

form of gaslighting.

We see conditional

apology.

We see making excuses

to justify yourself.

Right?

What are all of those?

They're all tactics

to avoid actually

having to accept

responsibility.

What does a genuine

apology sound like?

Right?

It doesn't have to be

verbose and flowery

and extended.

What does it do?

It clearly and specifically

names the wrong

and it accepts

responsibility

without any conditions

or excuses.

Now,

there might be context

and there might be

a point to come to that

in the conversation.

But a genuinely

repentant apology

clearly and specifically

names the wrong,

accepts responsibility,

and places no conditions

or excuses on that.

So,

it might sound

something like this.

What I did to you

was hurtful.

I did it out of anger.

It was wrong.

Please forgive me.

I'm really sorry.

Right?

It doesn't have to be

complicated.

I've known people

who have been Christians

for years

who are well-known

and highly respected

in the church

who may even serve

in prominent leadership roles

and yet they are

incapable of actually

accepting responsibility

when they mess up.

And I'll tell you this,

in the best

and most thriving marriages,

people think of

thriving marriages

as marriages

that are conflict-free

absolutely not.

The best,

healthiest,

most godly marriages,

there might be a lot of,

you might come into seasons

where there's very high

conflict season

in your life.

That's going to happen

in the best marriages.

The difference

is that healthy,

godly,

thriving marriages,

when the conflict happens,

they're able to do

the work of repairing

and healing

and moving forward.

And what makes

that possible?

It's that both people

are willing to admit

and take responsibility

for their sin.

Right?

When that's not happening,

your ability to repair

and heal

and move forward

is very stunted.

Right?

Now you say,

well,

I thought we were talking

about the criminal

and now we're talking

about relationships

and why are we talking

about all this now?

A couple of reasons.

Number one,

if we have a hard time

doing this

in our human relationships,

chances are

we have a hard time

doing it with God.

If you cannot admit

you're wrong

to your best friend

whose feelings you hurt,

then what are the chances

that you're going to be able

to go to your knees

before God

and confess

and admit

all of your sin

to Him?

Conversely,

I believe the more

comfortable we become

taking responsibility

for our sins

and wrongs

in our human relationships,

or I'm sorry,

the more comfortable

we become confessing

and taking responsibility

for our sins

before the Lord,

the easier it becomes

to do this

in our relationships

with other people.

You know,

if you get used to

on a daily basis

when you're doing

morning prayer

or coming to meet

with a priest

for confession

or even going down

on your knees

and confessing your sin

thoughtfully

and meaningfully

on a Sunday service,

if that becomes

a part of your

regular life rhythm,

confessing and owning

your sin to the Lord,

I guarantee you

that's going to translate

into your human relationships.

Having a relationship

with God

begins by recognizing

that God

is a holy God

and that ultimately

all of the sin

that we commit

in the world

is ultimately

committed against Him.

And it begins

by a willingness

to accept responsibility

over our sin,

to confess it

to the Lord,

and then to cry out

for mercy

and forgiveness

knowing that

we don't deserve it.

That is the beginning

of repentance,

that reorientation

of our hearts

and lives

toward God.

So here's what

we've talked about

so far.

The difference

between these two criminals,

number one,

posture.

Is Jesus a means

to an end in my life

or is He the end?

Number two,

do we simply feel

regret over our sin

or are we willing

to take responsibility

for it

and confess it

to the Lord?

That's number two.

But those

have to lead us.

We can't stop here

because there's one

final difference

that arguably I think

is the most important

difference of all

between these two criminals.

And it's something

that we need to understand

anytime we talk about

practices like

confession,

repentance,

we need to understand

this final truth

that ultimately,

friends,

it is not

our repentance

but God's grace

that saves us.

Now listen,

repentance is necessary,

don't get me wrong,

but God's grace

is what makes

repentance possible.

And God's grace

is the only reason

repentance offers

any hope

of salvation.

And if we forget that,

we start thinking

that there is some kind

of formula

that we've been given

and that is not at all

the kind of God

we're dealing with.

We need to understand

something very important

about this second criminal.

Actually, two things.

Number one,

this was not a petty thief.

It's much more likely

given the way this word

is translated

contextually elsewhere

that this man

was violent,

he was murderous,

and he was an insurrectionist.

He was probably part

of a group that was

trying to overthrow Rome

and they had probably

done all kinds of

horrible things

to try to make that happen.

So this is the very

worst kind of person.

He's a violent,

murderous insurrectionist.

Number two,

this second criminal,

this detail is very easy

to miss because it's not

in Luke's gospel,

but it shows up

in Matthew's gospel.

Moments before

this second criminal

says what he does

in our passage,

moments before he says this,

the second criminal

was mocking Jesus

right alongside

the first criminal.

It says in Matthew 27,

44,

in the same way,

the rebels,

that's what Matthew

refers to the mass,

the rebels who were

crucified with him

also heaped insults

upon him.

So imagine this scene.

All the while,

these men,

all three men

are being laid down

and nailed to their crosses.

All the while,

the crowds

and the religious leaders

and the soldiers,

they're all

mocking and insulting Jesus.

Nobody's paying any attention

to the other two.

They're all mocking

and focusing

all of their hate

on Jesus.

And these other two men,

as they're being put

on their crosses,

are also heaping

insults

and reviling Jesus.

Everyone,

even the other criminals,

they're all mocking Jesus.

And then as they hang there,

they're all mocking Jesus.

On his right and his left,

everybody's hurling insults

in Jesus.

And then,

all of a sudden,

imagine this,

all of a sudden,

one of them stops

and he begins

to have an inexplicable

change of heart.

And it's like the pieces

start to fall into place.

Maybe he's seen Jesus

or heard Jesus teach.

Maybe he's seen him

perform miracles.

Maybe he's interacted

with some of Jesus' disciples.

They're probably all

roughly the same age.

And all of those pieces

that he's been around

maybe all of his adult life,

it all begins to click.

And he begins to grasp something

about what's actually happening.

And what's happening

is that grace,

you know,

is beginning to break

into his life.

And he doesn't know it yet.

But this man is by no means

a model for us to follow.

Right?

The preacher,

Alistair Begg,

has a wonderful sermon

on this passage.

And I'll paraphrase him here

as best I can,

although I lack the Scottish accent

to do it well.

But he sort of has us imagine

this criminal,

this second criminal,

sort of arriving

at the gates of heaven.

Right?

So he arrives

and he's looking around

and he says,

you know,

the angel standing at the gate

comes up and says,

what are you doing here?

The man says,

I have no idea.

Well,

what do you mean

you don't know?

Guy says,

that's what I'm saying.

I have no idea.

I have no idea

how I got here.

Angels are like,

all right,

we can figure this out.

He says,

well,

well,

I mean,

obviously,

surely you've been baptized,

right?

Guy says,

I have no idea

what that means.

Okay?

Well,

so,

so surely you're clear

on the doctrine

of salvation

by grace through faith,

right?

Guy,

I've never heard

of that in my life.

Well,

let's just start

with the basics then.

What about your doctrine

of scripture?

Have you,

Guy says,

blank expression,

I have no idea

what you're talking about.

Never even heard

of a Bible.

angel,

after asking

all these questions,

finally just throws

his hands up

in frustration

and says,

well,

on what basis

are you here then?

And the man says,

because the man

on the middle cross

said I could come.

I don't know

if you've been

ever asked that question

of,

you know,

if you were to die today

and you were to go

and you try to gain

entry to heaven

and someone were

to ask you

on what basis

should you be allowed

to come in,

what would you say?

If your answer

begins with,

because I,

you've already

gone wrong,

right?

Because I believe

this,

because I was

baptized,

because I did

this or did

that or stopped

doing these things.

the only proper

answer to that

question,

because he,

because Jesus.

Think about this

for just a moment.

The first person

to enter paradise

through the cross

was a violent

criminal

who had

who had

no theological

understanding,

no baptism,

never even

heard of a Bible,

and no opportunity

to amend

his life.

If that doesn't

make us all

extremely uncomfortable,

then I think

we're missing it.

And here's the way,

I think the longer

that you've been a Christian

and the longer

that you've been

in the church,

and maybe even

for those of us

who are pastors

and theology

professors

and Bible scholars,

right,

who teach this,

and we have

our ordo salutis,

and here's how

salvation works,

and here's how

it all maps out,

right,

and then you read

this story,

and you're just

kind of like,

what?

Now,

I'm not saying

all that stuff

doesn't matter.

I'm not saying

it's not solid

and biblical.

I'm not saying

that repentance

isn't necessary.

I'm not saying

that we shouldn't

baptize all believers,

right?

I'm not saying

any of that,

right?

But what this

ultimately means

is that the reason

that any of that

has any value

is that we are

dealing with a

promiscuous,

unpredictable,

scandalous grace,

and I think it

means that when

we do enter

into paradise

and we look

around at who's

here,

I think we're

going to be

shocked at

who's there,

and I think

there's going

to be a whole

lot of that

kind of thing

going on.

what are you

doing here?

What are you

doing?

We'll probably

have people

look at us

and say,

what are you

doing here?

So the season

of Advent

begins next week,

and it's a

wonderful time

for us to

reexamine our

relationship

with Jesus.

You know,

for those of us

who want our

lives changed

by Jesus,

for those of us

who don't just

want to be

Christianity adjacent,

right?

But those of us

who actually

want to be

changed,

Advent is a

wonderful time

for us to

remember some

of the things

that we've been

talking about

this morning,

to do some

self-examination.

First,

in my relationship

with Jesus,

is Jesus a

means to an

end or is

Jesus the

end?

How does my

faithfulness and

devotion to him

wax and wane

depending on

whether or not

he's living

according to my

plan for my

life?

You know,

one of the

disciplines we

use to remind

ourselves of

this is the

discipline of

fasting.

And we're

encouraging our

church beginning

on Fridays

during Advent

to either fast

for one meal

or fast for the

day.

A lot of the

church around the

world will be

doing the same

thing.

And one of the

main points of

fasting is to

recenter our

focus on our

ultimate need

for Christ.

You know,

I love the

old quote by

the old

preacher Charles

Spurgeon.

He says,

nothing teaches

us about the

preciousness of

the creator as

much as when we

learn the

emptiness of

everything else.

And this is an

opportunity to

remember that.

Number two,

for those of us

who want to

reevaluate our

relationship with

Jesus and grow

closer to him,

focusing on how

do we respond to

the sin in our

lives?

Do we simply

feel regret over

the consequences

of the trouble?

Or is there in

us a willingness

to accept

responsibility for

our sin that

opens the door

to grace?

Beginning in

Advent, we're

going to have a

number of unique

opportunities for

corporate repentance.

As a church,

there's also going

to be opportunities

to come and

meet with clergy

and do confession

if you'd like to

do that.

There's an

Anglican version

of that that we

do during these

seasons.

And you can let

us know if you

want to do that.

But I think that

this is particularly

important for those

of us this year, I

think any time you

are on the cusp,

on the precipice of

a new season in

your life as a church

community, as we

are beginning to

move into this

neighborhood and

this building and

all the things that

we're hoping to

see, often in the

story of God's

people, before times

of flourishing and

growth and

fruitfulness, there

are times of

hardship and

desolation and

challenge.

And we're in one

of those right

now.

And it's easy to

just kind of shake

our fists and be

frustrated and focus

on the negativity

of that.

But in reality, this

presents a major

opportunity for us.

As we've been

saying, even as we're

renovating our

building, this is an

opportunity to

renovate our

hearts.

And that a heart

level renovation

begins with

repentance.

It always does.

Repenting, turning

to the Lord,

confessing, seeking

or asking forgiveness,

extending forgiveness,

doing the work of

reconciliation where

possible.

this is a time for

that.

Number three,

remembering as we

talk about all of

these practices,

right, it's always

important to remember

whenever we talk

about things like

fasting and

repentance and all

that, it's not

ultimately these

practices, but God's

grace that saves us.

It's important to

remember that these

practices have no real

inherent value in and

of themselves.

It is the grace of

Jesus Christ which

gives them value.

value.

It's only because of

Jesus, our suffering

king, that they have

any value at all.

It's only because we

have the kind of king

who refused to save

himself in order to

save us that they

matter.

Let's pray.

our Lord and heavenly

father, you have shown

us what a true king

looks like.

You have shown us the

true king of the

world.

And you've shown us the

hope that he brings.

You've shown us how and

at what cost he gathers

his people together as

their true shepherd.

You've shown us why

violence will one day

come to an end.

We see that on the

cross.

You who refused to do

violence but accepted

it upon yourself.

We see how you are the

one in whom all things

hold together, Lord.

We see your glory on the

cross.

We pray that we would be

changed as we approach

you.

That whether we are

long time seasoned

Christians, whether we

are teenagers who are

just beginning to think

about this, whether we're

here and we've never

heard any of this

before, we pray that

Lord, in the coming

weeks, we would all be

changed by you.

From the inside out,

Lord, not just for our

good, but ultimately

that we might be a

people who glorify you.

We pray this in your

holy name.

Amen.

Thank you.