27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.  28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,  29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.  They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him.  “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.  30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him.  - Matthew 27:27-31, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:

What should a king look like?  Do you see a large man seated at the end of a long stone hall with armed guards on both sides? Is he sitting on a throne high above anyone who dares to approach him?  Do you see a distinguished gray bearded figure wearing flowing purple robes and gold rings on his fingers?  Do you see a sparkling crown adorned with precious jewels resting on his head?  When he speaks, does his thundering voice strike fear in the hearts of his enemies and inspire loyalty in the hearts of his subjects?

Each of us has our own idea of what a king ought to look like.  But our ideas have been shaped to a certain extent by the many books that have been written and the many movies that have been made about kings and queens and royal families. Because of that influence, your idea of a king is probably similar to the scene I just described.

Today on Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the church year, we focus on Jesus and his kingdom.  Jesus is indeed our king, but the text before us does not paint the picture of a man who was about to assume the throne.  As Jesus stood before the Roman soldiers on Good Friday, he looked like anything but a royal ruler.  Yet we have every right to sing hymns and offer prayers and give thanks because Jesus is our King and he is ruling right now.

How can we be so sure?  What gives us our confidence?   We can be certain because we know the whole story.  Using a portion of Jesus’ passion, we will review that wonderful story of sin and grace as we remember that Jesus’ life is really…

I. A Crown of Thorns

II. A Crown of Glory

A quick scan of the text might lead a person to ask why it was included in the readings for Christ the King Sunday.  In the Old Testament lesson, Ezekiel described the Lord as a shepherd king who leads his people with justice and equality.  In the second lesson, Paul rejoiced in Jesus’ resurrection and in his ruling activity as Lord over all things.  In contrast, the gospel sounds like the description of a common criminal, not a powerful king.  Matthew records what might be considered the greatest miscarriage of justice in the history of the world.

It was a tragic day, that Friday, the day of preparation for the Sabbath…

It was a tragic day when Pilate had Jesus flogged publicly.  A few hours earlier, Pilate had asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews, and Jesus told him the truth.  Yes, Jesus was a king, but not a king in the sense that Pilate understood.  Pilate sensed that there was something different about this man.  His demeanor.  His silence.   His lack of fear in the face of the man who held the power of life and death in his hand.  Pilate was afraid of this man, but he still had to do something to satisfy his Jewish critics.  Perhaps he believed that flogging would be enough.  If it was, then he would not be forced to shed innocent blood.

It was a tragic day when the Roman soldiers got their hands on Jesus.  They didn’t want to be stationed in the hot Judean desert, far from their friends and families back home.  They didn’t want to deal with these religious fanatics, with their strange customs and constant uprisings.  So they decided to take out their frustrations on Jesus, and they led him into the Praetorium.

It was a tragic day when hundreds of Roman soldiers crowded around Jesus.  So much attention had been given to this one called Christ.  He didn’t look very impressive now, they thought to themselves.  He could barely stand up.  What kind of king ever looked like this?

It was a tragic day when the soldiers stripped the clothes off Jesus’ back, and thereby, also stripped him of his dignity.  The marks of his bruised and weary body were exposed for all to see.

It was a tragic day when the soldiers threw an old, tattered purple coat over Jesus’ shoulders, a far cry from the royal robes of King Herod or Pontius Pilate.

It was a tragic day when the soldiers fashioned a makeshift crown out of some thorny branches and pressed it down hard on his head.

It was a tragic day when the soldiers thrust a stick into Jesus’ hand.  That old piece of wood looked more like a shepherd’s staff than a royal scepter in his trembling hands.

It was a tragic day when people came running to see the source of all the commotion in the Praetorium.  The deafening noise of the soldiers’ taunts and jeers could be heard throughout the city.  What was the reason for the disturbance?  It was just some harmless fun.

It was a tragic day when the soldiers knelt down before Jesus and proclaimed, "Hail, king of the Jews," all the while thinking that this man was nothing more than a helpless, hopeless poor wretch of a man.

It was a tragic day when the soldiers spit in Jesus’ face and treated him like he was less than human.  Little did they know that the one who stood before them was more powerful than any man who had ever lived.

It was a tragic day when one of the soldiers ripped the wooden scepter out of Jesus’ hand and hit him repeatedly over the head, pushing the thorns deeper and deeper into his skull with every blow.

It was a tragic day when the Roman justice system failed.  Pilate knew deep down that Jesus was innocent, but he caved in to the Jewish pressure and handed him over to be crucified.

And when Jesus’ life was all but beaten out of him, then and only then did the soldiers lead him out to Calvary to be crucified. Still, they forced him to carry his own cross.

This is hardly the picture of king who inspires confidence.  We wouldn’t wish those things on our worst enemy, much less on the sinless Son of God.  But the real tragedy is not in what Pilate did or failed to do on Good Friday.  In the same way, the brutal acts of the Roman soldiers are only a symptom of a much deeper problem.

The real tragedy is what made it necessary for Jesus to suffer and die in the first place.  We can look at the world and point out all the terrible things that happen every day.  You can open the newspaper on any given Sunday and find at least one article about a murder in the city.  You can read about some kind of sexual perversion being defended or even applauded.  You can read about a church leader who was accused of committing some of the very sins he spoke out against.  But these modern day atrocities are only symptoms of the real problem.

The real tragedy lies within every human heart.  The real tragedy is sin.  When God looks into our hearts, he sees hatred.  He sees greed.  He sees rebellion.  In every sinful human heart, even in the heart of a cute and innocent little baby girl, God sees a person who wants to set himself up as king of his own little world and live by his own godless code of conduct.  Sinful hearts always give birth to sinful actions.  Sin separates us from God.

There was a time when sin ruled in our hearts, but our King has changed all that.  Jesus willingly donned the crown of thorns… for us.  Jesus silently endured the grief and pain of Good Friday to make complete payment for our sin.  He allowed himself to suffer the worst death imaginable, because he loves us more than he loved life itself.

"The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now."  That was the opening line of today’s sermon hymn.  To put it another way, the tragic events of Good Friday have given way to the glorious events of Easter Sunday and beyond.  Jesus has set aside his crown of thorns, and in its place he now wears a crown of glory.

Jesus ascended into heaven almost two thousand years ago.  So what has he been doing since then?  The apostle Paul gives us a detailed description of Jesus’ kingly duties in his letter to the Ephesians.  "(God) raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (1:20-23).

I guess you could say that Jesus is pretty busy.  He is not the king of an empire or a continent or even a hemisphere.  Jesus is in complete control of all things.  He is ruling over everything in his heavenly glory.

There is a fundamental difference between Christ the King and the kings of history.  World leaders are motivated by personal ambitions.  They are basically self-serving, always striving to gain more wealth and power and influence for themselves.  Our King does not work this way. Jesus did not come to earth to advance his own personal agenda.  It was not in his best interests to give up his heavenly glory, to come down to earth and suffer and die.  Our King’s motives were anything but self-serving.  He did not come "to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."  And Jesus continues to rule for the good of and on behalf of the church, his body, the body of believers.

No matter what happens in this life, our King is in control.  Jesus is directing the affairs of this world for our eternal welfare.  That knowledge gives us comfort, but the Christian can draw even greater comfort from God’s Word.

On one occasion the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked him when the kingdom of God would come.  Jesus replied: "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21).

Not only is Jesus ruling over the world.  He also rules in the hearts of believers.  Jesus has marched victoriously into our hearts and defeated sin and death and Satan.  For most of us, that triumphant procession took place on the day of our baptism.  The Holy Spirit drowned our enemies with a few drops of water, water connected with his powerful Word.

What does that mean for us now?  It means that we are free to serve our King with joy.  Jesus once told his disciples: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).  The same holds true for us today.  If Jesus had not won the victory for us, we would still be lost.  We would still be slaves to sin.  We could do nothing to please God.  And we would be punished for our rebellion.

But Jesus is ruling in our hearts right now.  Because Jesus reigns, believers are free to serve him by what they think, by what they say and by what they do.  Because Jesus was ruling in the heart of a believer, Joshua could live by his bold statement: "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 25:15).

Because Jesus was ruling in the heart of a believer, Mary could feel the baby Jesus in her womb and joyfully proclaim: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-47).

Because Jesus was ruling in the heart of a believer, Peter was able to look Jesus in the eye and confess: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

Because Jesus was ruling in the hearts of believers, Paul and Silas took advantage of every opportunity to share the good news: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

Because Jesus rules in our hearts today, he also rules in our homes and families.  Because Jesus rules in our hearts, we gather together to worship him and rejoice in our own salvation.  Because Jesus rules in our hearts, we confess our faith by our words and actions.  Because Jesus rules in our hearts, we are eager to share our joy with people who do not recognize Jesus as Lord of their lives.

As so we come to the end of our story, this tale of two crowns.  It was pure grace that led our Lord to give up everything for us.  Out of love for loveless sinners Jesus wore a crown of thorns.  But the head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now.  And we look forward to the time when will see Christ our King coming down from the clouds in all of his heavenly glory.  On that glorious day, he will give each of us our own crown of glory, the crown of eternal life.  Amen.