Pentecost Week Twenty-Four - Day Four – When Kings Kill

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Day Four – When Kings Kill

New Testament: Luke 19:22–27
Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9–10

Anyone having trouble with this text this week?   There is a reason Pastors stay away from it.

In our capitalist society (and that is good) framework – we read yesterday as if the first two were great stewards of the money.  Not your fault.  It was a different world back then!

And now the silence breaks. We get to the third guy.  Can you image being him?

The nobleman’s eyes narrow on the third servant—the one who dared to hide his coin, who refused to play.

“You knew, did you, that I am a harsh man?” his voice slices, dripping with mockery. “Then why didn’t you at least put my money in the bank?”

(Um - because, Jewish Law says making interest on money was illegal – that’s why!)

But, that does not happen – instead we get to the reality of power and corrupt kings and politicians -  the mask of civility slips; the tyrant is fully visible.

The servant’s fear was right. This ruler reaps what he did not sow, takes what he did not earn, and punishes anything that reminds him of mercy.

The parable that once sounded like investment advice for all of us - erupts into indictment.
Then comes the decree that freezes the crowd: “Take his mina and give it to the one who has ten.”

The crowd protests—“But, master, he already has ten!”—and the nobleman snarls his empire’s doctrine of scarcity:
“To everyone who has, more will be given; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Typical Politician rationalizing for the crowds so they turn against the only one that did right!

But here is the catch – why would Jesus tell this story?

Because - every peasant in earshot knows that creed; it was the anthem of their overlords.

The mighty gain more power, the powerless lose what little they have, and the system calls it justice.

And just when you think Jesus will end the satire there, He lets empire speak its final line:
“As for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them—bring them here and slaughter them before me.”

The hillside would have gone silent. Nicodemus maybe got nervous – after all – Jesus is about to dine with him!

That order they heard Jesus announce in his story was not fiction—it was memory.

Archelaus gave it once, in Jerusalem, when three thousand pilgrims were cut down near the altar.

The crowd remembers. Their children still whisper it.

Jesus has just resurrected the trauma that everyone else tried to forget. Some persons in the crowd perhaps lost loved ones on that deadly Passover day.

So – what is Jesus doing?
He is not glorifying violence; He is exposing it. He is asking in his upside down world way  - is this the kind of King you are seeking?

For those with ears to hear and eyes to see - remember a blood‑stained kingdom, yes, but He is unveiling a new reality -  the blood will not be theirs; it will be His.

He is the only king who conquers by being conquered.

Historical Context 
Let’s step into some history so this makes sense - Josephus tells us that at Passover, 4 BCE, Archelaus promised peace and then flooded the temple courts with soldiers.

Three thousand unarmed worshipers died beneath the porticoes.

He writes that the smell of blood and incense mingled for days.

That massacre carved itself into Judea’s collective memory—the story that made Rome both hated and feared.

So when Jesus repeats that same command—“Slaughter them before me”—

He’s not teaching vengeance; He’s unveiling the logic of an empire they are citizens of.

Every earthly kingdom, from Jericho to Caesar’s marble halls, lives by the same code:
Rule by fear, keep order by blood.

But Zechariah had seen another King coming, one that rides not a war horse but a donkey.
What does the OT scripture remind us of -  the image of humility entering the world’s parade routes with peace instead of punishment.

“He will proclaim peace to the nations,” the prophet said,
“His rule shall stretch from sea to sea.”

The irony is complete.  The passion narrative for Luke is ready to begin!

The false king kills to keep control; the true King will die to set creation free.

Not a fun text is it?  
Being a Christian is hard – and we are called to get uncomfortable at times.
Tommorrow, we race through the beginning of the Passion...
 
Modern Context
Violence changes costume but not creed.  Think about it – what do we do?
Do we still call it “justice” when revenge feels righteous?
Do we still proclaim victory when opponents fall instead of hearts changing?  Read that sentence again!

Jesus knows our reflex; He called it out before it happened.

The parable’s horror is not a blueprint—it’s a warning about every age that trusts swords over scars.

Where the nobleman says “Bring them and slaughter them,”
Christ will say “Father, forgive them.”

Reflection – We can soften the lesson a tad!

• Where in my life do I equate being right with having a right to destroy?
• Can mercy interrupt the cycle of payback before it begins?
• What cross am I avoiding because vengeance feels easier than forgiveness? (Hey – you should see me if someone eats that last piece of fried-chicken!) lol

Prayer
Gentle King,
When rage feels righteous, show me Your scars.
Keep me from mistaking vengeance for victory.
Teach me the strength of peace, the courage of compassion,
and the mercy that rebuilds what violence ruins.
Let every sword I carry become a sign of surrender to You.
Amen.