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“Scarred”
Revelation 14b-8
John 18:33-37

November 26, 2006 - Kim M. Henning

When someone receives an invitation to the White House, the world sits up and takes notice. It is never just an ‘ordinary’ person who gets invited to the White House. The famous, the powerful, and the successful are the invited guests of our president and his wife.

Back in 1985, one of those distinguished ‘invitees’ was none other than Mother Teresa. It was a startling moment for those who took notice. On the one hand we had President Ronald Reagon, Pomp and Circumstance, security, the most powerful person in the world. And at his side was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She not only cared for the dying poor, she washed urinals. Regardless of how diseased or distressed a human being appeared to be, Mother Teresa always had a heart for all God’s children.

One afternoon in the White House they stood side by side. And some of us were left to wonder that day about greatness. Not only in the eyes of humanity but also in the eyes of God, who best represents greatness? Not only in the eyes of humanity but also in the eyes of God who brought about the greater good? If per chance the two looked at each other ‘eye to eye’, who looked up to whom?

One day history found Pilate and Jesus standing face to face in a similar way. Pilate was in his headquarters in Jerusalem. He summoned, ‘Jesus.’ Look at the two, side by side.

On the one hand we have Pilate. Ordained with power from Rome, he can afford to have a chip on his shoulder. He has the army on his side, and the power of politics. He has a castle and a royal throne, a scepter and a crown.

And before him is Jesus, the man of Nazareth, who according to testimony did not have a place to lay his head. He never issued an edict. He never prescribed a constitution or book of order. And yet he furiously stirred the waters of religion and politics, authority and power. The two stood side by side. Who commands the greater?

One, with an air of authority in his voice says,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

“Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”

“I am not a Jew, am I?” Your own nation and the chief priest have handed you over to me. What have you done?”

“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 the Jews. My kingdom is not from here.”

“So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

And then, as if to get in the last word, Pilate asked, “What is truth?”

Today is Christ the King Sunday.

Back in 1925, the church recognized the rising tide of atheism, agnosticism, and secularism. The world was rapidly moving toward, ‘anything goes.’ In response the church designated one Sunday each year to be “Christ, the King Sunday.” Let’s get our lives in order.

Who do we trust in life, in death, in live beyond death? Christ is King.

Who do we believe is truly powerful? The church stakes its life upon Christ.

Who is leading us to the good life? calling us to repentance? Who is leading us to joy? uncovering what is phony, shallow, what is evil leading toward more evil?

The church’s credibility is with Jesus Christ from beginning to end..

Back in 1925, the church recognized that the world was going every which way—mega-powers; mega-money; mega-entertainments; mega-let-us-dazzle you. And the church back then articulated a Sunday to solely lift up the way of Jesus Christ.

The options stand before us this morning. In the one corner we have Pilate, and all the trappings of success. Having just completed one of those political campaigns, you and I know what people will do to put themselves into the power circles of Madison or Washington D.C. They belittled each other. They slandered. They humiliated the other. They frequently treated their opposition with contempt. Political power has great allure or they wouldn’t act like that.

And there at Pilate’s side is Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth.

His only command: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” And the second is like is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus said the greatest are those who serve. The greatest are those who give up their pride. The greatest are those who see joy in giving, joy in sacrifice, joy in love, joy in eyes of children and the poor.

When Jesus stands before Pilate, the day is actually Maundy Thursday. The next day is Good Friday. On that day Pilate, the weak king that he is, will succumb to the chants of the crowd, “Crucify Him. Crucify him.”

And that is what they will do. First they will scourge him, of course. First they will humiliate and bruise and wound him without fully putting him to death. Then, he will be nailed to a cross. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

And long about three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus will give up his soul to God. When Jesus is buried, five wounds are on his body: two on his hands; two on his feet; and one in his side because the soldiers wanted to insure his death.

Now, if Good Friday was the end of the story, even we would have to say that Pilate was right.

If Good Friday was the end, we would have to agree: go for power, go for the Red Carpet, go for the biggest and the best.

But, Good Friday is not the end. Three days later, the story continued. At first, there were just rumors. That’s all. “They were women.....do you trust that?” But then there were appearances, first one, then another and then Jesus appeared to the eleven and eventually more than 500.

But the interesting thing is this: when Jesus appeared after the resurrection, he did not appear with some spiritual body, he appeared ‘scars and all.’ As if his disciples would not trust their eyes along or their ears alone, he showed them scars: scars of death, scars of nails, scars created by a spear, scars of hatred, anger, power.

On Christ the King Sunday, we hold before us a Resurrected Jesus Christ who is scarred. Chuck Colson says, “All the kings and queens I have known in history sent their people out to die for them. I only know one king who decided to die for his people.”

We have before us a scarred Jesus Christ who has been wounded for our transgressions. In the words of the great prophet Isaiah, “by his bruises, we are healed.”

Gaze upon his wounds....see his love. Our king Jesus says to you, “I love you.” Gaze upon his wounds.....see his forgiveness. Our king Jesus says to you, “I died for the forgiveness of sins.”

Gaze upon his wounds. See the scars. Jurgen Moltmann is a great pastor and theologian out of Germany who has proclaimed, predominantly, a “Theology of Hope.”

Moltman says that when Jesus stands before us with the scars, what Jesus means to proclaim is “ENOUGH.” Standing with scars, Jesus says, ‘enough of the suffering from sin; enough of the disobedience, enough of the hatred, enough of the greed, enough of the war, enough of the power surges, enough with the violence, enough with the abuse.... ENOUGH.”