... “This is the King of the Jews.”

Luke 23:38 (ESV) — 38

David

Commander

slew Goliath

sought by the tribes

for these qualities

King of Israel

reigned gloriously for forty years

Jesus

builder

itinerant

preacher

executed for claiming the signs of the Messiah

the blind see, the lame walk

the poor receive the good news.

Son of David

heir the the Israelite kingdom

Son of God

heir to God’s kingdom.

Crucified, tortured, reviled and abandoned.

Raised

new life

eternity

splendor of King of the Universe

Lord of the living and the dead.

He showed us

the true path to glory

lies not in the power to trample

but in the willingness to serve one another.

Paul’s words may make us pause:

References: 1 Corinthians 1:26-27; Ephesians 3:8,10,16; Colossians 3:12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

1 Corinthians 1:26 “26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”

But …

1 Corinthians 1:27 “27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;”

Here’s how

Ephesians 3:8 “8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,”

Ephesians 3:10 “10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 3:16 “16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,”

Colossians 3:12-17 “12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:20 “20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

So …

This feast exists so that we can be:

Inspired

by the awesomeness of the one who calls us

enlightened

by his teaching and example

transformed

by the forgiveness he gives

the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

empowered

by the same Spirit

to share this life as widely as we possibly can by first, living this transformed life. Then our message to the world will be seen in our lives before we speak a word; “God, making his appeal through us.”