Jesus is not guilty of any crime, neither violence nor deceit, nor any act deserving the anguish now laid upon him. He is an innocent man condemned by fear, envy, and the blindness of those who fail to see truth nailed before them. Condemned by religious structures wedded to Empire. Above his crucified body are the words: “King of the Jews.” The words are meant as mockery and threat, but in them lies a truth unknown to his accusers. For here we find a king unlike any other king known to the ancient world.This king owns no palace of marble, no throne of gold. He has no honour guard of armed men or phalanx of sycophantic nobles. His kingdom is not defined by conquest or wealth, but instead it is shaped by compassion, mercy, and service. His teaching heralds peace and forgiveness, not war and vengeance. He reigns through love not fear.Flanked by thieves, his court is the hilly crag called the Skull, where the rocks are stained with blood and the crowd, stirred by hate or ignorance, are the audience that bear witness to his broken body. Upon his head rests a crown of thorns, placed to humiliate not honour. His robe is his own torn flesh, his sceptre the nails that pierce his hands. His royal cupbearer, a soldier raising sour wine to his lips. His exaltation is not upon a dais but upon a cross.Here in his sacrificial glory Jesus again displays the true nature of his father. But this cross does not reveal a god shaped like a pagan deity calling for a virgin’s blood, or a courtroom judge demanding payment for a crime. Upon this cross the worst of our violence is committed upon God’s own son and in response he cries, “Father, forgive them”. The radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. This cross is not a transaction that allows forgiveness it is the mysterious stage upon which Jesus embodies God’s forgiveness. In his death he takes all our trespasses into the grave, and three days later he rises victorious. Sin and death overcome by perfect love.Jesus shows us what God has always been like, and in doing so he gives us the template for what we should be like.

There are many inspiring testimonies where the faithful are rescued and the imprisoned freed, or where the sick get healed. There are testimonies of answered prayers and victories. But here Jesus speaks to his followers about a much more challenging testimony of faith. A testimony of faith amid grief, amid doubt, and even perhaps faith amid betrayal and persecution.

Jesus consistently saw those who were unseen or marginalised as people worthy of respect and kindness. His interactions with people who were poor and sick come to mind, as does his countercultural treatment of women and children, and his civility and compassion towards gentiles and outcasts. Again and again, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the radically loving nature of our father in heaven.

In the context of Luke's gospel, Jesus is assuring his people that God hears them and sees them. God’s plan involves a radical restructuring of world systems so that injustice is ultimately overturned – and we should be relentlessly crying out for that. We should not be complicit with injustice and when we petition heaven for justice it is a bold proclamation of hope for the world. It is a declaration that we also see the problems around us, and that we will not rest until His kingdom comes here on earth.

The thing that separated this leper from the other nine was hisgratitude. And gratitude doesn't find it’s fullness until it isexpressed.

The Pharisees thought that Israel needed to be more holy in order for Yahweh to save them from the oppression they faced. This meant they needed to follow the rules more closely, purging all impurity from Israel, especially by excluding the people who fell short of their laws; the exact people that were so frequently drawn to Jesus. People like those reflected in the parables of chapter 15 about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.

Through this parable Jesus tells them that the real solution isn’t policing the rules more rigorously, the solution is getting rid of the extra rules they have added on top!

Ritual and tradition that help us to transform our hearts can be incredibly beautiful, but tradition that only serves to make us feel morally superior is not beautiful.
We should heed the warning that Jesus is sitting with those the institution has cast out and make more room at the table instead of missing the party.

For those in Jesus’ audience this message is a warning that they should set aside hubris and reconsider their self-appointed places at the table. But to the crippled man, the lame, the blind, and the poor this message is an invitation to a seat of honour. Sadly though, too often those who need to hear the first message do not have ears for it, and those who need to hear the second message often excuse themselves from the table because of the contempt they endure from those already seated.

It’s saddening how many loud Christian voices use their influence to peddle fear and bigotry through biblical sounding arguments. Today, just as it was in the first century, it remains commonplace for the pious police to pick on people that they perceive are easy targets. Picking on women continues to be popular, so does picking on immigrants and the poor. Sexual and gender minorities, people of different faiths, and brave prophetic voices from within are also frequently singled out. Rather than adding to the burdens of the oppressed, I pray that when our Lord returns, he finds us hard at work setting people free. May we be allies to the powerless, a voice for the exploited, and advocates of the poor.

Too often the church and groups of believers seem to live in fear. Fear of immigrants, or the queer community, fear of their freedoms being curtailed, fear of oppression, fear of women in leadership, fear of ecumenical partnership, of other religions or relativism.

Honestly, the church has far too often been a loud voice of fear in the community instead of lending their voice to those who are oppressed.