|
Christ the King
SERMON - 10.15am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Sunday 21st November 2004
Revd. Matthew Vernon
Emperor Constantine became a Christian at the beginning of the fourth century.
It was a turning point for Christianity.
At the battle of Malvian Bridge Constantine defeated his rival
• and became ruler of the Roman Empire.
Constantine had a dream the night before when he saw the cross of Christ.
During the battle he fought under the sign of the cross
• and attributed his victory to Christ.
"Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before."
Constantine and so many military leaders since have inspired that disturbing hymn.
Constantine's conversion was a turning point for Christianity.
Until then Christians had suffered persecutions at the hands of a number of Emperors.
With Constantine, toleration and imperial favour were given to Christianity.
It became the state religion and the rest is history.
Compare the Roman Emperor:
• leader of the Western world;
• head of the only superpower;
• commander-in-chief of the imperial army
compare with the charismatic, wandering teacher from Galilee
• who taught peace and love of neighbour
• and ended up on a Roman cross and a criminal's death.
"Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before."
Somehow, I feel, we Christians have missed the point.
Which is why we're not sung that hymn here at Emmanuel recently.
"When the came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on this left."
Imperial power was threatened by Jesus.
The Romans ruthlessly suppressed trouble makers, anyone who threatened their rule.
So to avoid an uprising, Jesus was crucified.
His weapons?
• Healing hands and words of love and justice.
Rome was the superpower,
• occupying a troublesome Middle Eastern land
• of a different religion.
• The people of that land lived in fear of the soldiers amongst them.
• The soldiers regularly fought armed resistance.
Sound familiar?
Does it remind you perhaps of Iraq?
There was a powerful picture in the SCMP on Friday.
In the foreground a British soldier in full battle fatigues with gun posed.
In the background, an Iraqi man watching the soldier,
• in a Middle Eastern male dress,
• sandals,
• perhaps 30 something,
• with a beard –
• looking like how we imagine Jesus.
The occupying power killed Jesus.
The same could be happening in Iraq today.
In fact we Christians believe the same is happening in Iraq today
• because we see Christ in all people.
"And the people stood by watching, but the leaders scoffed at Jesus, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming and offering him sour wine, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
Sound familiar?
The soldiers mocked the prisoner:
• tying his hands and putting a bag over his head;
• shouting at him and laughing him;
• forcing him into obscene poses.
The prisoner abuses in Abu Ghraib prison are a recent example,
• but there are many, many examples of torture in the last two thousands years
• since Christ was abused by soldiers;
• many, many examples of torture when Christ has been tortured again.
Our faith challenges us to see the image of God in all people.
It's that belief that is an absolute barrier to torture.
Its torture and other terrible things that take place in war and occupation that make Christians uneasy with imperial behaviour.
By mentioning Iraq today I'm not picking on America.
I'm well aware that British and other troops are in Iraq.
And I'm (shamefully) conscious of Britain's Imperial record.
But the war's commander-in-chief often speaks of his faith.
America might not have imperial ambitions in the way that Britain and other European countries and Rome did.
But when a country tries to impose its will and way on others,
• Christians should be nervous.
When leaders act on the basis of a theology of righteous empire,
• in which they are good and doing God's work and the enemy is evil,
• then Christians need to be wary.
Jesus' example has a lot to say about these attitudes.
Jesus' kingdom is not from this world,
• as he says to Pilate in John's Gospel.
Jesus' kingship, his leadership, is the servant kind.
The king who washes his friends' feet.
In Christian understanding, we humans are fallible creatures and so not good at empire.
We cannot be trusted with domination.
We are too easily corrupted by its power
• and we too often resort to repression to defend our dominance.
We shouldn't be surprised by war time brutality.
Human nature being imperfect,
• abuse is inevitable during occupation and domination.
Our faith urges human dignity,
• justice,
• humility.
Domination and empire usually involve the opposite of these.
Truth is a victim of domination.
The complexities of real situations are grossly simplified.
The humanity and dignity and culture of the enemy,
• and of the enemy's religion,
• are blocked out.
The enemy is objectified and thought of as different and somehow less human.
The hard work of diplomacy and dialogue is rejected,
• after all, if we are right, then there's nothing we can learn from 'them'.
Pilate asked Jesus "Are you a King?" Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over."
In his arrest, and trial and crucifixion,
• Jesus shows us another way.
By not acting in the same way that he was treated,
• by not trying to escape or fight,
• by not falling into a struggle to be right,
• Jesus shows us another way of being human.
So different to our usual way of doing things,
• with our will to dominate
• and our need to be superior and right.
Jesus death was inevitable,
• the abuse of Jesus' death was inevitable
• because power and domination have no other way of dealing with things.
Jesus' way of peace, humility, vulnerability undermined domination's existence
• so it tried to destroy what it did not understand.
But truth cannot be destroyed.
They tried, but the resurrection shows that God's way,
• the way of life and love,
• cannot be destroyed.
The pages of human history are filled with domination and oppression.
Sadly, by supposedly Christian empires.
But many others too:
from the USSR, to Cambodia, to China.
We humans find it so difficult to do anything else.
But Christ the King shows us a different way.
|
