Luke 23:33-43<\/p>\n\n\n\n
November 23, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s Scriptures from Luke is unexpected for this last Sunday of Year C in the 3-Year schedule of the Common Lectionary. It\u2019s more like what we might read on Good Friday instead of Thanksgiving Sunday. But on this Sunday, we also celebrate what is called, \u201cThe Reign of Christ!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We know that in June this year, demonstrations around the country as well as in many places around the world were protesting \u201cNo King\u2019s Day!\u201d When the president who currently occupies the White House behaves like he is king in a democracy and goes about gold gilding everything around him, it\u2019s quite easy to stand up for \u201cNo King\u2019s Day!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With little respect or consideration for the rule of law and respect for the three branches of the government, we are experiencing a situation in the United States never faced before in our memories. The last king we had was King George III of Great Britain and according to the Hamilton play, we told King George we wanted no more a king!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reign of Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike those who see kingship as high and magnificent, power and pomp, exalted and on a throne, the majesty of this King of kings is revealed, not when we look up but when we look down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here we find someone who is deeply humiliated. We see a man who has suffered injustice that harms him. What is revealed in this text is miserable, deeply moving, even shocking. When we see someone suffering, we can\u2019t bear to look and turn away. Even when we have compassion, we are unable to help. When the people said, \u201cHelp yourself!\u201d it is to mock him. To call him \u201cthe King of the Jews\u201d is to ridicule him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this Reign of Christ Sunday, the last moments of Jesus\u2019 life all seem to be in contrast to what is valued as great in our world. Our newsfeed presents not the poor but a world of golden glamour. The ideal is to be rich like Elon Musk, be beautiful like Emma Stone, and be influential like Warren Buffet. In this world, one has to be successful and the slogan, \u201cHelp yourself!\u201d literally means to help yourself for all the pickings! And if you don\u2019t, it would entirely be your fault, your own shortcomings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This passage takes us by the hand and gives us the surprising news: Christ is the highest even in his suffering. When we look down rather than up, we see Christ above all lords is exactly the same one who humbled himself on the Cross; no other is the King, the Lord himself. This is the King whom we respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely, this man who is beaten and driven to death has more power than all those who sit in positions of authority and who have trampled down on so many people. This King is hanging helplessly on the Cross stands in sharp contrast to the powers to be that we face everyday in life. These earthly kings surround themselves with yes people who are afraid to contradict authority while this King surrounds himself with thieves who are on their last breaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two Thieves<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There were two thieves who were also being crucified on both sides of Jesus. One of them kept mocking Jesus by saying, \u201cAre you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!\u201d In other words, if you are the King of the Jews as people are saying, use your powers to save yourself but don\u2019t forget us too. Save us as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the other thief turned to him and said, \u201cDon\u2019t you fear God? Since we are condemned for the things, we have done, we deserve this. But Jesus hasn\u2019t done anything wrong.\u201d There was remorse and the confession from this other thief that might forgiveness be granted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This thief then said, \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d This thief recognizes that Christ\u2019s kingdom is nothing like the worldly kingdoms that exist. While this kingdom of Christ is still hidden behind the noise of all the pomp of ruling empires of our time, the kingdom of God is not simply beyond our time, but it is already overcoming the empires of today. The crowning of Christ\u2019s kingdom is the cross of Christ\u2014the forgiveness of sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus said to the thief and to us, \u201cTruly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n God\u2019s kingdom is not of this world is proven to be truth in what this ruler wants to happen and makes happen that other powerful rulers on earth are not willing or able to do. The ruler of this kingdom does not help himself, but he helps others who need help. The ruler of this kingdom does not meet evil with evil, but repays evil with good. This ruler forgives the people who do not know the evil things they may have done by asking God in heaven to forgive them. The ruler of this kingdom allows someone who is condemned to death to have the confession, \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Power of Forgiveness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The power of the empires in our world today are often measured by how many nuclear missiles they have underground or the buying power of their currencies or the amounts of tariffs one can inflict on another country or the influential power of culture and entertainment on our social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the eyes of God, the power that the believers in Christ have, is on the Cross where Christ took on our sins and forgave us, \u201cFather, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like all the people who were at the place they called The Skull, the people who cast lot for his cloak, the people stood by watching, the leaders who ridiculed him for not acting like a messiah, the soldiers who mocked him, and even the two criminals, thieves who were crucified with Jesus, God forgives them all because they did not know what they were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The power of forgiveness is not often in the hands of powerful rulers of this world. Sadly, we still have capital punishment. We still take revenge in wars. It\u2019s still an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. And we know that if we keep on doing this, we would all be blind and we won\u2019t have any teeth to eat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The power of forgiveness demonstrated by Jesus on the Cross is what makes us as Christians to be able to withstand the injustices and problems in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus\u2019 last words to another human being, \u201cTruly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise,\u201d are words of forgiveness. Jesus has spent his life teaching about the kingdom of God, preaching liberation of the captives, and healing those who were sick and lame. Jesus\u2019 miracles and teachings had so confounded the status quo of the elders, priests, and politicians that he was deemed a threat to their religion and their way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus challenged the unjust treatment of women, preached the need for patience with children, and cursed the Pharisees and Sadducees of lacking good faith. Jesus\u2019 ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation was so powerful and world altering, to the point that those whom he threatened condemned him to death on the Cross. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We Are Thieves Too<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a version of a much familiar story. One day, a little girl stood at the street corner begging for food, money, or whatever she can get. As it happens, a well-to-do man passed that corner without giving the girl a second look. But when he returned to his expensive home, his happy and comfortable family, and his well-stuffed dinner table, his thoughts returned to the little girl and he became angry at God for allowing such conditions to exist. He approached God, saying, \u201cHow can you let this happen? Why don\u2019t you do something to help this girl?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he heard God in the depths of his being respond by saying, \u201cI did. I created you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who are among us is worthy of God\u2019s grace? We are more like the thieves who hung next to Jesus than we are like Jesus. We don\u2019t know what happened to the thief who hung on the other side of Jesus\u2019 cross\u2014the one who, rather than asking for mercy, chided and challenged Jesus to show his might and power to save himself and those who hung next to him. Yet, the grace of God as revealed in the incarnate Jesus is a word of forgiveness and deep abiding love. It is hard for us to believe in the gracious God, in the forgiving God, in the God who would love us even when we disappoint and sin against him, would not also be forgiving this thief. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We see this in Jesus\u2019 ministry. He said the kingdom of God is like love freely given when a son foolishly asks his father for his inheritance, takes it, goes to a foreign land, and squanders all he has. Then when the son comes to his senses and returns, hoping his father will forgive him, he is met with celebration, rejoicing, and jubilation because the father\u2019s great love and ability to forgive him. (Lk. 15:11-23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a shepherd who cares so deeply for all his sheep that when one is lost, the shepherd goes in search of the lost sheep and does not give up until the sheep is found. (Lk.15:1-7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a rich man who gives a party and when the other rich people are too busy for the party, the rich man throws open the invitation and invites the poor, the blind, and the lame to be a part of the feast. (Lk. 14:16-23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus\u2019 act of forgiveness while dying on the cross resounds with his teachings that forgiveness is given to all who repent and believe, even condemned thieves during their executions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This kind of forgiveness is challenging for most of us. We have a hard time believing that God\u2019s mercy and grace would be given to people whom we don\u2019t deserve it. We want to judge whom God lets into heaven. Many of us are comfortable not knowing what happened to the thief who scoffed at Jesus than knowing that an undeserving thief was let into heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We would rather have had Jesus say that God loves the people we like and the people we do not like and the people we say are not like us, not love by God. We would prefer if God did not love the drug addicts, the adulterers, the homeless, the thieves, the prostitutes, the rebellious teenagers, and the disgruntled employees. We would prefer it if paradise were exclusively for the nice people, the clean people, the polite people, the well-behaved people, the right people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh my, wouldn\u2019t we like that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n God is Love<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As Christians, we believe that we are indeed weak in this world but we are empowered in our faith because God is strong and God is love. We believe that the grace of God is sufficient for everyone, for all of us and the world. There is grace for us and grace for the people we don\u2019t like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have this confessional faith because God is our refuge and our strength. We confess because God will hear and forgive our sins and their sins too. Our salvation is not depended on any pastor or any world leader, or on each other, but on a loving, grace-giving God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We confess because God\u2019s saving grace will heal, restore, redeem, and forgive those whom God created and whom God loves fiercely. All have sinned and fallen short; all have angered, frustrated, and disappointed God. God so loved the entire world that whosoever, whosoever believes shall get all the grace that God has to give.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the streets of Philadelphia one day, I saw this van from a social service program that had on its side painted, \u201cWhosoever Center!\u201d It is whosoever believes that get all the grace that God has to give. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not when we may be looking up, but when we look down is when we experience God\u2019s merciful grace and forgiveness for us and for the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pledge to God<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we do have much to be thankful for: God\u2019s grace and mercy freely giving to us. But also, on this Reign of Christ Sunday, we don\u2019t pledge naively to the empires of this world but rather, we make our pledges to the life and mission of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church to proclaim that in Jesus\u2019 last forgiving act on earth that a repentant sinner would be with him that day in Paradise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks be to God!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us pray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n O mighty God, may the reign of Christ prevail in this world and in the universe today and in the days to come. Forgive us when we follow false kings who promise us temporary satisfaction with no enduring and eternal value. Lead us to have a penitent heart and to seek for your mercy and grace. In so doing, may we also hear the invitation to be with Christ in Paradise. Amen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Luke 23:33-43 November 23, 2025 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA. Today\u2019s Scriptures from Luke is unexpected for this last Sunday of Year