The Challenge of Easter’s Counter-Cultural Servant King
by Dean Curry, Juicy Ecumenism:
In Western Christianity’s liturgical calendar, Eastertide – or the Easter season – begins on Easter day and continues until Pentecost Sunday. The message of Eastertide is nothing less than profound: it is a paradoxical message of power and simplicity. We know the story well: entering Jerusalem, the gathering crowds enthusiastically welcome and celebrate Jesus as king, “the Lord of all Creation who will one day rule the nations.”
But this king of kings is unlike any earthly king.
Strangely, or so it seemed to the crowd, Jesus arrives on a lowly donkey, not on an ostentatious chariot surrounded by the retinues of power. Indeed, here is the essence of the story and the heart of the Christian Gospel: Jesus is King, the Lord of All Creation … but he is the humble, servant King. In our historical moment, this notion of a servant-King is so radically counter-cultural.
Our narcissistic, post-Christian culture is fixated on materialism, status, power, and relativism. Indeed, the central mantra of our time is, “It’s all about ME.” But Rick Warren, in his best-selling book of a number of years ago, reminds us of what followers of Jesus have always known, but are prone to forget; namely, that “[t]he purpose of [our] life is far greater than our own personal fulfillment, our peace of mind, or even our happiness. It’s far greater than … our wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why we were placed on this planet, we must begin with God. We were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”
Read also: From the archives: The real meaning of the foot washing by Ian Paul, Psephizo
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
