WHAT KIND OF KING RULES BY DYING?
Luke 23:33-43
Christ the King, Year C
Analysis by Peter Keyel
33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
From Wikimedia Commons
“Trust in Jesus, crucified with us, drives a different worldview that accepts what happens, knowing that Jesus is King, and has things well in hand.”
DIAGNOSIS: God, fix it!
Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem) – Someone else is letting the world stay broken
While it is tempting to identify with Jesus in this pericope, there are many other people in it with whom we might better identify, perhaps even the criminal mocking Jesus. The common theme among the soldiers, leaders, and crucified criminal is that all of them call out to God, demanding that God fix their world, or at the very least, just avoid doing nothing and dying. It doesn’t seem to be that big of an ask for someone who claimed he could rebuild the Temple in three days, and who raised others from the dead. Jesus apparent choice to do nothing and let the Romans kill him doesn’t feed the poor or end the Roman occupation.
One of the criminals makes his plea direct and clear: “Save yourself, and us too, while you’re at it.” “Ask and the LORD shall provide,” right?
How different is that from us?
Step 2: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) – Mad at God
The mockery and derision reveal that the people are mad at God. Why is God failing to live up to their expectations? If Christ is a King, why not act a bit more like it? As a King, he should reveal his power, come off the cross and rule. There are a lot of people in need. Dead Messiahs have a hard time serving those in need. Contrary to their expectations, God is not doing what they want, even when it means God Himself will not avoid death. This refusal of God to do as they want is the core of their anger. And that anger comes out as mockery and derision.
Stuck on a cross, desperate to avoid death, what does that criminal have to lose by asking to be saved? And if Jesus refuses to save anyone, how can he be God? What a fraud! The others also deride God because God disobeys their commands.
Are we mad at God sometimes, too? Losing our faith?
Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Ultimate Problem) – Getting Crushed
One of the criminals lays out the key problem with being mad at God for failing to live up to our standards and expectations. The problem is not that God fails to be accountable to us, but that we failed to be accountable to God. Both criminals are being crucified for their crimes. The brutality of this capital punishment is, in one criminal’s words, “getting what we deserve for our deeds” (v.41). God’s judgment appears just and final in death.
Is our war against God going to end any better?
PROGNOSIS: God fixes it.
Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Ultimate Solution) – Crucified and Risen
Still, even in the face of this judgment, God is fixing the world for us. God is not avoiding death, nor even our death. Jesus is up on the cross there with the criminals, as he is with us all. But he is there also in a way that breaks and transcends death and all of death’s judgment.
God will raise Jesus from the dead. And Jesus’ response to the criminal who confesses that he is justly dying is instead a promise: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43).
Beyond death, there is new life. Death is not the end, even for us sinners who have it coming.
Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution) – Trusting God
This promise creates the faith and trust we need to grasp the depth of this promise. One criminal makes demands, another shows faith: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (v. 42). Trust in Jesus, crucified with us, drives a different worldview that accepts what happens, knowing that Jesus is King, and has things well in hand.
Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – We are called to help heal the world
How does that new worldview, grounded in trust that Jesus is King, play out? Do we demand that God fix the world on our terms, or spread the Good News about how God has fixed the world? What actions do we take to heal and repair it? An anxious and dying world waits for our answer.
