Inaugurations are always spectacles. This was also true for Jesus’ inauguration as King of the Earth, but unlike the pomp and circumstance of most inaugurations, Jesus’ was a spectacle soaked in irony and insults.
Yes, he wore a crown, but it was constructed out of thorns that jabbed into his scalp. Yes, he was given a scepter, but it was a reed, not iron. Yes, he was dressed with a robe, but it was only to add to the ridiculous image of this beaten up man being a “king.” Yes, he was praised, but it was all in sarcasm and mockery. Yes, he was “high and lifted up for all to see,” but it was on the heights of a cross.
But what humans saw as irony, God saw as truth. Yes, it was spectacle, but kingship nonetheless. And if Christians, as the royal Children of God, are to mirror their brother and King rightly, we should expect our own elevation to often carry diminished tones. For in the Kingdom of God, the pathway up is down. Like Jesus, we come bumbling into the throne room as bleeding lambs and living sacrifices.
*This devotional was created out of the themes of Matthew 27:11-23 found in today’s reading at CommonPrayer.net. Below are the various AI-created pictures I typed into existence via Mid Journey to mock up artwork for today’s post.
Jamin Bradley 