No Throne, Dominion, Sovereignty or Power can stand against him.

Homily for Christ the King

Sunday 20^th November 2022

Homily by Rev George Kingsnorth (Deacon)

This weekend television aired the Women’s Rugby League World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand. If you go on social media, you’ll find fans rallying around their favourite team. New Zealand took quite a beating, while the Australians are lapping up the glory, reclaiming their title from 2013 and 2017, winning three times in a row. Yet, New Zealand was able to claim the same title in 2000, 2003 and 2008. Each in their own way is a champion. BBC Sport applauded New Zealand for being the only team to make it to the finals in the last five World Cup games. Quite an achievement.

I’m sure the armchair warriors will have hurled abuse at the opposition and screamed at their own side when they slipped up. When we are away from the action, viewing from a distance or huddled in a mass of spectators we are inclined to have the courage of lions. Yet, when we are on our own, or even in a group that has a different view we can simply remain quiet and not show our true colours.

In today’s Gospel, the crowd hovered around watching to see what was going on. The Roman soldiers taunted Jesus while the religious leaders jeered at him for not saving himself. No one was prepared to side with Jesus like they had done only a week before when he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Now, the people stayed at a distance. Even Peter had denied him three times the night before.

An inscription was placed above his head saying, This is the King of the Jews. Even one of the criminals, nailed to a cross beside Jesus, verbally abused him, echoing those in the crowd below. The only person to defend Jesus was the other criminal aware of his own crimes deserving the punishment he received but knew the man beside him was innocent. All he asked of Jesus was to remember him when came into his kingdom. He wanted nothing more.

In early 1960, before carrying out his research on Obedience to Authority, Stanley Milgram carried out a survey with Yale University psychology students which indicated that less than 3% of people would harm another using a high voltage shock. A year later, after his experiment, he recorded that more than 50% of the subjects recruited for the study did as instructed to administer 450 volts of electricity to a volunteer in another room they could not see. Before each experiment, the subject received a sample shock of 45 volts, which they then believed was going to be given to the volunteer, a 45-year-old male teacher with a slight heart condition. In reality, the volunteer was an actor, who left the room, and an audio recording was played back each time a shock was given. However, the subject, being instructed by someone in a laboratory jacket was told they had been paid and they had to do as instructed.

When Milgram presented his findings to an audience of 110 well-educated delegates, he initially asked them if they would give the full voltage. Everyone argued they would disobey the authority figure and stop the experiment. When they were told the result they refused to believe them. All finding it difficult people do not rebel against authority believing instead everyone is decent and not capable of intentionally harming another.

What motivated Milgram, who was Jewish, was why did a nation of people in Germany obey the authoritarian regime of the Nazis and allow 6 million people to be exterminated in the concentration camps? He also wondered if Americans would follow the authorities to the same extent.

For even suggesting such a possibility, Milgram was criticised in the American Psychologist magazine for being cruel to those involved in the experiment. Yet, what Milgram’s experiments, in controlled conditions, showed was ordinary people will follow orders, even committing evil acts, especially if they believe the person in authority takes the blame.

We may think that some 62 years later we also would not carry out such actions if ordered. It is only a small number that will. In one of Milgram’s experiments, it was a German nurse and a Polish electrician who refused to obey.

The Romans in their time were also cruel masters. Most of the people only stayed to watch Jesus dying on the cross. Those in authority jeered or taunted him. No one tried to challenge the cruelty, not even Pilot who washed his hands of the injustice.

Jesus knew what he was doing. He had the authority given to him by his Father but chose to obediently follow what was asked of him. He was to be the sacrificial lamb taking all our sins onto himself so we could be forgiven. Through him, all things in heaven and on earth were created. No Throne, Dominion, Sovereignty or Power on earth could stand against him. Jesus is not just the shepherd of the people of Israel but of all humans.

Out of the many people who stood around the three crucified men, it was the sinner who recognised his crimes and was promised ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’ We are not to lose hope. Just be aware that we are not the heroes we often see depicted in movies, but we are ordinary people who have the capability of getting things wrong if we do not question them. God knows us for who we are and calls us to follow him, admit our fallings and place our trust in him, as our Lord and Saviour. If we place our trust in his authority, then our fear is not in what humans can do to us but it is our awe, respect and reverence of God that will help us find peace and life with him in paradise.

Amen.

 

 

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