Sermon Tone Analysis

He is Risen

The Resurrected King

I want to thank you Tim, for last Sunday focussing on Jesus as the King.

Twice during last week , I found two references to how Jesus entered from the East, on the donkey, and how Jesus may have timed his ride to exactly match Caesar's representative Pontius Pilate arrival with all the pomp of the Roman Empire approached from the West.

Jesus was directly contrasted to Caesar's power.

And just as sunrise comes from the East, Jesus will be King, just as surely as the sun would set on the Roman Empire.

I love that thought!

So we see that all of what comes from Friday to Sunday must be in light of Jesus as the King.

Tim showed us three facets of Jesus as the King:

The triumphant King

The humble servant King

The Polarising Transforming King.

There is a big question here, that I would like to ask:

We heard from George and from our ten readers the just awful story of the crucifixion of Jesus.

I watched again last night the passion of the Christ.

This movie really helps me.

It helps me truly lament.

Up until that point, Jesus bought good news, even great news.

He was shown to be the prophet within whom the Holy Spirit would come and enter.

The one promised from times past.

He would forgive sins, he would bring a message of salvation to the poor.

He would break the chains of prisoners.

Release the power of those under Satan’s dominion.

He had power over the wind and the waves!

These are all tremendous things.

Not only that, but Jesus brought a message of salvation.

A message of joy!

Not only that, but Jesus was the Christ.

Think of the blind man - the first people that Jesus tells that He is the Christ - A Gentile lady, and a blind man.

The Messiah, the liberator.

But the gospels tells us that there will be a price to pay.

The world was under the sway of Satan in so, so many ways.

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians - All Creation groans, wanting justice to come, but we groan he tells us, with courage because we know that there is a perfect judge coming.

So Why did Jesus the King have to die?

And then why the resurrection.

I want to express then these two questions in the light

The triumphant King

The humble servant King

The Polarising Transforming King.

Yesterday morning, I gave myself an exercise - I read all the accounts from Palm Sunday onwards on each of the accounts.

All those accounts when added together, here is what I see:

I see a man Jesus, who is completely in control of what is happening.

He starts with all the power - revolutionary power, people power, and religious power.

And then, just as deliberately, he relinquishes this power.

He sets in motion the complete opposite.

From a position of power, he adopts a position of complete vulnerability.

George took us through the last part of Matthew, and on Friday we traced its path:

Firstly the Triumphant King:

, Jesus had that incredible victories when he answered all their questions, then came into the temple, cleaned it up, seemed ready to replace the system that the religious ruling elite had established.

He had them on the ropes!

Well, those on the ropes priests, scribes and elders: they came and used one of his own to betray them into their system.

Jesus was brought down.

Jesus condemned their use of money in the sacrificial system, called them a den of robbers.

Well they bribe one of his own, using Jesus condemned tactics against him.

And guess what - it works!

Jesus is betrayed in a huge injustice.

It completely wins.

Jesus calls them a Den of Robbers, and now Jesus asks them at Gethsemane - do you come after me with clubs, as if I am a robber?

A complete reversal.

Secondly, you see it legally.

The leaders take Jesus into their council, and they charge Jesus - God Himself - with Blasphemy.

A religious system that was full of blasphemy itself, charges Jesus to God-Man with blasphemy.

And they win!

What is the judgement?

He deserves death!

Secondly: The Humble Servant King.

Here Jesus had painstakingly taken his disciples through a new way of the heart.

He washed each of their feet.

And the person who was taught the most - was Peter.

He got all the special attention.

And he was confident: Even if everyone leaves you, I never will.

He hears the mocking words of the priest attendants - Prophesy to us Christ, who hit you.

And it is Peter himself, who first declares that Jesus is the Christ - revealed to him by God Himself.

Surely this is the chance for the King to have his number one supporter back him.

NO.

This is a three time failure, three indicates completeness.

The third time Peter swears an oath that he doesn't know Jesus.

Complete failure.

The oath typically would be - may God deal with me severely if I do know him.

Jesus has failed.

This new way was a loser way.

He has now lost Judas to the religious system, and now Peter has denied him and cursed himself in the meantime.

His disciples then, are complete failures.

Jesus as Messiah failed as a religious system, and now he has failed individually, among those who he spent three years tutoring!

Jesus is twice a failure.

Third picture is the Transforming King:

Jesus is bought to Pilate, representing the current power.

The picture here couldn't be starker: Jesus has come in from the East, on a donkey, bearing the palm branches of the King of the Jews - to liberate his people, who have been without a King for generations, in fulfilment of .

Here is Pilate, and he can see that Jesus is indeed powerful.

Jesus has an effect on him.

Yet Pilate’s power wins out.

Jesus claims that his power is based on truth.

It doesn't work.

Pilate allows self-interest and self-protection to rule over truth.

“What is Truth”.

The people respond: "We have no King, but Caesar".

Listen to this description of Pilate from the book “Behold His Love”:

"Pilate was responsible for Jesus scourging, for he it was who handed Him over to the soldiers.

It is frightening to see that his behaviour towards Jesus was determined by his desire to avoid criticism.

In every decision Pilate considered only himself.