The Coming King

Borden Scott

Easter Sunday 2024 • Sermon • Submitted 2 months ago • Presented 2 months ago

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Easter message focused on the road to Emmaus, importance of the scriptures, the full Gospel story, etc.

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When I write up my Easter letter each year I call what we do on Easter Sunday our “celebration service.” Across the world and going back centuries this is the Church’s day to joyfully announce that Jesus is alive, and declare that this wonderful news changes everything, energizing the world with hope.

But why? How? And what can we to do to bring that hope to life in ourselves and in our world? Continuing our focus this year on “reasons to believe” I want to engage those basic questions about Easter and the resurrection today.

Luke’s Gospel spends some time focused on a pair of Jesus’s disciples who were trying to figure some of this out that first Easter Sunday as they were travelling from Jerusalem to a nearby village called Emmaus. In the passage that was just read they were talking at length about everything that had just happened, when Jesus walked over and joined them.

The men didn’t recognize Jesus. The language of the text suggests that God kept them from realizing it was Him. The same thing happens two other times in John’s Gospel, where there was some purpose to Jesus being able to teach or explain something without his identity being known in that moment.

This time Jesus asks what they were talking about so urgently.

One of the travelers, named Cleopas, marvels that this stranger must be the only person in the greater Jerusalem area who isn’t aware of the strange events of the past few days. The two of them explained that all the fuss was about Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people, who was crucified three days earlier.

They said they had received word that some of the women who also followed Jesus claimed to have gone to His tomb that morning and found it empty, and that they had seen an angel who told them Jesus was alive. Then other disciples went to the tomb confirmed that Jesus’ body wasn’t there.

But these reports didn’t inspire amazement or hope. Instead Jesus found these two men with downcast faces. They said “We had hoped that he would be the one who was going to redeem Israel.” But they didn’t understand how this could be true if Jesus had died, and they weren’t convinced of the reports that He was alive again.

Jesus chastised them for this. “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

These disciples had the same struggle as many of their Jewish brethren in that time – they were waiting for a Messiah, but expected a conquering Redeemer, not a Suffering Servant. Bible scholar Warren Wiersbe says “As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross.”

They could have talked and argued and discussed this for weeks and not figured out what to make of the Jesus’ death on the cross. So Jesus took them back to Bible school, explaining how their scriptures led directly to what was happening. Imagine that travelling Bible study class with Jesus Himself!

Later on, when those men told this story to the remaining eleven of Jesus’ closest twelve disciples they said that their hearts were burning within them when Jesus taught them from the scriptures, and how they came to recognize Jesus a short time later when they stopped in Emmaus and ate with Him.

After this Jesus disappeared from their sight and so they rushed back to Jerusalem. Then, alongside the eleven, Jesus appeared among them. He let them touch his body and ate with them to prove He wasn’t a ghost. And, as verse 45 says “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things…’”

And those witnesses went out from there and transformed the world. A handful of people with no particular influence or power at all spread far and wide, formed churches, spread their message about Jesus, endured violence and persecution with steadfast faith and self-sacrifice, and changed whole cultures from the inside out. They peacefully overthrew the unreliable and immoral gods whose idols surrounded them and lovingly drew people to Jesus.

We are not entering this Easter season in a time of great confidence or optimism. I don’t know if the world has ever seemed like it was on the right track, but things near and far seem more-than-usually off track right now. The Australian New Testament scholar Mike Bird recently wrote “Ours is a time of rising geo-political tension, economic hardship, environmental catastrophe, multi-theatre wars, democratic disarray, and cultural turbulence. What is a person to think of all this, or to do about it? What is there to hope for? For many people, life is merely crawling from one disaster to another, ebbing from national crisis to personal crisis, a succession of despairs piled on upon another.”

I think that feeling would have made perfect sense to those travelers on the road to Emmaus. Israel chaffed under Roman occupation, the ruling priests were corrupt, the poor were being abused, life was cheap, and the only way they saw out of all of this was for God to send them the one they had been waiting for – the Messiah who would set things right. And they thought they’d finally found Him until they watched Him die.

What they wanted from God was a king to liberate Israel from Rome and re-establish a just nation. That’s not a bad thing to want. But the story of the Bible, which I spent quite a bit of time on last Sunday, shows us that redemption through earthly kings and kingdoms had already been tried and failed.

Just as living according to the law – the Torah – had failed.

Just as living according to the covenant set through Abraham and Israel had failed.

The pattern, set at the beginning by Adam and Eve, always repeated itself sooner or later. Humanity was not willing to govern the world on God’s behalf, they wanted to rule without God. They rebelled against God and in their pride always turned to violence, greed, power-seeking, and selfishness.

The solution to the problem of sin needed to go right back to the beginning. I don’t know exactly what Jesus focused on with those men on the road to Emmaus when he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself but maybe he started in Genesis 3:15, which speaks of a descendent of Adam and Eve who, one day, would undo sin’s curse.

Maybe He stopped in Genesis 22, where Abraham placed his only beloved son on the altar, as a foreshadowing of the cross.

He may have shown them the connections to the Passover, the temple sacrifices, and other rituals and symbols that were a shadow of what Jesus had done by giving His life on the cross, absorbing the just wrath of God against all sin.

Perhaps he taught them the prophetic messages in Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?

Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

Surely He would have reminded them of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all…

He showed them that there was no glory without suffering, no crown without a cross – not if this world was to be saved.

Jesus, through the scriptures, helped His disciples see that He was present all through them. Whatever page they turned to, He was there. He had always been there, calling people out of darkness and into God’s light.

But now a new chapter had begun. Jesus had ushered in the kingdom of God – God’s redemptive reign had arrived. Through Jesus’ death on the cross there could be reconciliation between God and His rebellious people. Through Jesus’ resurrection humanity was given a preview of new life in a creation that would be healed and restored.

To quote from Scot McKnight’s summary of the Gospel message again, “What the rebels didn’t know was that they had met their match in King Jesus, who was about to usher in an alternative kingdom.

To start the world all over again, the God who had graciously given new chances and fresh starts over and over, intervened one more time. He raised Jesus back to life to end the dominion of death, to prove that the rebels would not have the last word. To make this altogether clear, Jesus appeared to many people and then he was taken up into the presence of God.

Jesus, at long last, came as the King this earth needed. He was exalted to reign over the world, over both Jews as Messiah and over Gentiles as Lord. And he summoned all people to accept his forgiving, kindly, peaceful, gracious transforming rule. If people would but turn to him, they would be forgiven and their rebellion would be forgotten forever.”

At times our world seems grim, or our circumstances very difficult. The hope of Easter is that if the light of God’s love has shone into the world, even through the horrific violence of crucifixion, then neither death, nor tyranny, or evil has to be accepted as inevitable. Jesus, risen and victorious over sin and death, is King. His kingdom stands against the darkness in this world.

If you feel uncomfortable about the state of the world, good. We are supposed to be discontent with any lingering darkness. We are supposed to come together as the Church to use our gifts and resources and influence and love to bring a little light into the world, not cower in the dark. It doesn’t matter if we feel like we are too few and too weak – King Jesus has done far more with far less. What matters is if we will respond in faith.

And if you feel uneasy about the state of your life, that may also be good. We are supposed to be discontent with misplaced priorities, unhealthy ways of being in this world, and anything that keeps us from being fully human and alive as God created us to be. Our call is to receive God’s goodness by faith, cling to His love, and live according to His Word, not what passes for wisdom in our time.

Let’s not neglect that last part. That’s what stuck out to me this Easter in considering the stories of the risen Christ. One of His top priorities was making sure His disciples rightly understood the scriptures. That’s what opened their eyes and helped them see the truth of the resurrection and empowered them with hope to become a world-changing force as the Church. We need that understanding of truth and empowering hope again today, and we won’t find it if we ignore the Bible.

I think we are moving into an interesting time for the Church, because it’s becoming more and more obvious that the rejection of Christianity and religion in general hasn’t left us better off as many critics and cranks have claimed. I think there’s a moment coming where many more people could be willing to hear Christians out when we say “listen, you’ve been trying everything but God and things keep getting worse. Would you be willing to consider the Christian story?”

It’s becoming ever more clear that we have done serious damage to a generation of children and youth by taking away play and risk and community and ritual and giving them social media, predatory chat rooms, and pornography instead. But the depression and despair growing among young people isn’t nearly as pronounced in religious families.

Our most essential human connections are falling apart. Participation in clubs and service organizations has collapsed. People are dating less, marrying less, having fewer children. Those who do have children are struggling under impossible expectations, spending far more time with their kids than previous generations and still thinking they don’t measure up. The Church offers community and structure, it’s a place that values and supports marriage and doesn’t consider children to be a burden or a luxury but a gift and a blessing.

In Canada we have done many positive things in the name of justice, but I fear we’re headed into a season where misguided efforts are backfiring. We’re failing to make homes and food accessible, or to sustain services that we all count on. Increasingly we offer assisted death as an option for what ails people instead of actual help and call that compassion.

We may soon invite a dangerous amount government oversight into what people can express in order to combat “hate”, where “hate” means whatever the government of the day says it means, giving it the power to punish any sort of dissent. To get out of this negative spiral we will need people – leaders and ordinary citizens alike - with convictions that go deeper than partisan politics and the latest trend, people committed to loving their neighbour and making choices that help everyone thrive, starting with the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, it feels so hard to pay attention to any of this, let alone do anything about it, because we seem to be trapped in this machine of modern living. This machine gives us many benefits, but also drains us. We have unlimited communication and information and entertainment and access to cheap goods that we can’t find enough space to store. What’s scarce is time, attention, and meaningful connections to others and the God who gave us these lives and meant them for more than this. What will call us out of frantic, confused activity and into a simpler and deeper life if not Jesus, who promised abundant and eternal life to those who would join His kingdom?

On Easter Sunday God showed everyone whose kingdom is more powerful. Every evil earthly and evil spiritual power rose up against Jesus and, briefly, appeared to have won the day. But their best efforts were undone – Jesus rose again and his confused and dismayed followers were suddenly ready to throw themselves out into a hostile world to tell anyone who would listen that Jesus was king, that His kingdom was everlasting, and that those who renounced their sin and asked to join His kingdom could live in the powerful hope of their own resurrection and a restored creation.

This Easter, my challenge for those who are wondering, thinking, considering, or yearning is to take a step of faith and join Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus is a good king. His way is a good way – a way of life. Joining Jesus’ kingdom doesn’t mean giving up on the world. Joining His kingdom is the way to help save this world. And, as you strive to serve and love as Jesus did and seek to know Him more, He will add meaning and peace to your life. You were made to live in communion with God. No matter how you’ve wandered or what ways you’ve failed, He’s never stopped wanting you to come back to Him. He’s wanted it enough go to the cross.

For those of us who are part of the kingdom, who have pledged ourselves to king Jesus, my challenge is for us to take up our crosses and follow Him. The pandemic was hard. We’re not getting any younger. The Church can be messy. But the Church is also the expression of God’s kingdom on Earth in the present age.

It’s precious. It’s the bride of Christ. It’s the hope of the world. It’s the place we can come to learn the scriptures together, and help each other see Jesus on each page. It’s the place where we can grow our connections to God, each other, and in service to our community. It’s the place where we can strengthen our souls for life in the modern machine. It’s time to revive Jesus’ Church. We need it. Canada needs it. The world needs it. We need a good kingdom that will point people to the good king – our risen Christ.

On this day, when we praise God for what He has done, what He has given us through Christ, risen and victorious, let’s ask God what He wants to help us bring to life. What relationship? What ministry? What gift in you? Let’s be sure that we keep celebrating Easter by stepping forward in confidence – trusting that what God has next for each of us, and all of us, is good. The Bible tells me so.

1st Corinthians 15, the most resurrection-heavy chapter of the Bible, says:

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter[c] and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.8

And later: But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[j] this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.[k] 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?[l]”

I trot out my favourite Easter poem just about every year, and I saved it for last this year. Here are some words by Phillips Brooks about Easter to wrap things up from me before we sing our closing song of praise:

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger, Stronger than the dark, the light, Stronger than the wrong, the right, Faith and Hope triumphant say Christ will rise on Easter Day. While the patient earth lies waking Till the morning shall be breaking, Shuddering 'neath the burden dread of her Master, cold and dead --- Hark! she hears the Angels say Christ will rise on Easter Day.

Up and down our lives obedient Walk dear Christ, with footsteps radiant, Till those garden lives shall be Fair with duties done for Thee And our thankful spirits say, Christ arose on Easter Day. And when sunrise smites the mountains, Pouring light from Heavenly fountains. Then the earth blooms out to greet Once again the blessed feet; And her countless voices say Christ has risen on Easter Day.