In days of stress, we often see the true nature of things. Peace and prosperity can mask the nature of people and things. I once witnessed a large store closing. I liked going to this place, but the economics just were not working out for it. It was closing. I regularly went to the liquidation events they held. Some of the employees were stripping out things for their own selves, stealing what they could. Others were valiantly trying to make things work until the very end. But it was the manager who stood out to me. He consistently took care of the employees and customers to the best of his ability. He was unflappable and, though you could see the strain on his face, he remained a solid and calming presence to the very end. I would like to work for a guy like that, someone who thought about his employees and others when the chips were down, and he was losing his job too. 

We come today to the celebration of the Last Day – the day when Christ reveals His kingdom for every eye to see, when every knee will bow, and every eye will see that He is King. That will be an awesome day, a day of glory and power. But what of that King who will receive our worship? What sort of a person is He? Matthew turns our eyes turned toward the inauguration of His kingly rule, long ago, when he hung dying on a tree. Notice the three groups he addresses in this narrative. He notices, warns, and comforts the women who follow him. He forgives the men who pound the cruel nails into his hands and feet. He hears and forgives the criminal who hangs beside Him on another cross. Thus, we learn something of that King whom we worship.

He sees the humble and powerless people, noticing their suffering and grief. He forgives even the worst of us. He saves even the one whose deeds and life merit suffering and death. That is the sort of King we anticipate. Good Friday was a day of stress and death for Jesus, a day to reveal Him as He really is. Stripped of everything, we see Him loving, listening, forgiving, and saving. That is what our King is really like. I look forward to the day when all will see His rule. RPB