Another carnival season has come and gone. What a time it was for William Grace, Jr. He served as His Majesty Rex and presided over the revelry of Mardi Gras in 2002. But now Mr. Grace has hung up his crown. Wednesday, February 13th at 12:00 a.m. his reign as Rex ended. Now, his name has joined all the others as “past Mardi Gras kings.”
Today, St. Paul tells us about another king’s rule. Unlike His Majesty Rex of Mardi Gras, this particular king is ruthless and possesses unlimited power. This king is Death. Yet, Paul also gives us some comforting news. He tells us that this REX IS DETHRONED. The apostle points out how we came under the rule of this tyrant. He says 1) Adam’s Sin Made Us Subjects of Death. Then he recalls our deliverance from this awful rule; namely that 2) Christ’s Obedience Makes Us Heirs to Life.
1) Adam’s Sin Made Us Subjects of Death
To understand Adam’s sin, we simply turn to the Old Testament reading for today. Genesis 3 describes the utter folly of our first parents, as well as the complete deception of sin. Satan tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God’s loving commands. He tempted them with the promise of something better. Satan pictured the LORD God as an unloving being who was holding out on Adam and Eve. So Satan offered a solution: throw off God’s oppressive rule and be the masters of your own fate. Do this, and you’ll really be able to enjoy life.
This was a classic example of the old’ “bait and switch” routine – a person offers something wonderful, only to let you down in the end. People experience this every Mardi Gras. A float rider holds out a huge, shiny string of beads and indicates that he’s going to throw it to you. So you jump and shout, trying to secure that prize as your own. You’re sure that “throw” is going to be yours, but then, he tosses it to someone else. What a letdown!
Sin makes the same empty promises. Sin dangles the promise of freedom in front of us. “Don’t listen to God,” we’re told, “follow your own desires.” And so we do – we sin. Then comes the bait and switch. Sin rewards our foolishness all right, but it’s not with freedom or happiness. Sin rewards us with death.
The apostle Paul describes the extent of this foolishness. He states: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world.” Paul makes an interesting observation. We might think people are guilty in God’s eyes because they sin so much, or because their sin was so great. For example, we might think a murderer is a really bad person because murder is a really bad sin. Do you see how God operates though? One man’s sins – namely Adam’s – has corrupted all humankind. And it only took one sin to do this. He partook of a piece of fruit. That disqualified all of us from God’s grace.
This is what is known as Original Sin. It’s the state into which we all are born. We are born sinful, corrupt, and immoral. Even though we didn’t commit the exact sin Adam did, we’re still guilty. Sin attaches itself to our very essence. It’s like a parasite that clings to us. And it stems from Adam. We inherit this trait from him. Just like a child might inherit blue eyes from his mother, or brown hair from her father, so we all inherit the parasite of sin from Adam.
Paul reminds us that sin is here and it is real, whether God’s Law – the 10 Commandments – shows it to us or not. The other reality is that there’s another king in our lives. Paul explains, “Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was the pattern of the one to come.” Even before God gave his Law on Mt. Sinai, death reigned. Death ruled even after God gave his commandments. The 10 Commandments simply show us the truth – Death is Rex.
This king permeated his way into our lives. Death dominates. Think of how a Mardi Gras parade passes through a neighborhood. The parade is not just observed. It affects people. The spectators get involved and become part of the parade (that’s what makes them so neat.) The same can be said of Rex Death. A person cannot simply observe the parade of Death. It becomes a part of us. It worms its way into our lives. It dominates. We are laid low in the ashes of death, even while living. We don’t just observe it. We experience the pain of death first-hand.
Death sits as Rex over this miserable carnival of life. Its cold grip extends to every part of our existence. There is physical death. We experience that first-hand. Sickness and disease abounds. There are colds and flu, cancer, and heart disease. Then there are the trips to the doctor. Sometimes a stay in the hospital follows. Still, the parade marches on. We often endure the loss of a loved one. Then there those painful trips to the graveside, the faded memories – all the while, the parade of death marches past.
The harsh reality of physical pain and death can lead to spiritual death. Death’s toll can lead to depression, loneliness, despair, or even anger towards God. We might be tempted to blame God, even hate him, and then we put our faith in danger – all the while, death marches past. This can lead to the final step, eternal death, which is separation from God and his blessings forever. And this is King Death’s ultimate goal; to parade past us, thumbing his nose at us forever.
We were hopeless peasants. Death reigned as a tyrant worse than any dictator. Death wants to hold onto us for all time and eternity. It wants to rob us of our hope in God. The sad fact is that we cannot overthrow the tyrant of Death. No matter how determined we are to revolt, we can’t free ourselves. This is frustrating. Deep down we realize just how weak we are because of sin.
2) Christ’s Obedience Made Us Heirs of Life
But a new Rex has come. A new king has arisen. It is Christ, our Savior. He is the perfect king to overthrow the tyrant of death. He proved his perfect obedience by becoming a human being. This was a crucial step in his obedience. Now, if you were to be part of a parade, you’d dress the part. You’d wear the costume. Well, Christ did more. He didn’t just dress the part as true man. He became the part; the Son of God became a true human being with flesh and blood. The only difference is that he was without sin. He lacked the parasite of Adam.
As true man, Jesus lived for us. He did all the things we couldn’t do ourselves. He gladly obeyed his heavenly Father’s will; keeping every commandment and law in our place. He loved all people. Christ was also perfectly obedient by what he didn’t do. He refused to be tempted to sin in any way. In the process, Christ fulfilled all of God’s Law. He lived for his Father. He worshipped, honored and obeyed his Father in every way. He loved his neighbors selflessly. He kept himself pure from the stain of sin. That means Jesus was qualified to be the new Rex. He paid the dues to ride in a parade of his own.
Christ’s parade is the parade called Lent. This parade is like no other. Those who view this parade aren’t in high spirits. Instead, we come with tears streaming down our cheeks, pouring from broken and contrite hearts. There aren’t any floats or celebrity guests instead; a purple robe is flashed before us; a crown of thorns viciously bites into this Rex’s head; wooden beams used for execution --death by crucifixion. We see a beaten, exhausted Rex; a man who is virtually unrecognizable and is falling under the sheer weight of our misery. The parade route leads from garden to garden to garden. This parade began in Eden, where sin and death entered their reign. It was also there that God promised deliverance. That impact of that promise was realized in Gethsemane as Christ began to taste the utter bitterness of our collective sins. And that promise was sealed in the garden Tomb on Good Friday, as Christ our King, placed himself under death’s reign.
The promise God made has been fulfilled. Christ reigns as our substitute. He took our place in that dirty parade to the cross. He bore our guilt and shame. And his reign permeates our lives. We died with Christ; we were crucified with Christ; we rose with him; we are seated with him in heaven. When Christ died, he died for us. When he rose, he rose for us: “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Christ Jesus as our eternal Rex. He has overthrown the tyrant, Death. Christ conquered death by enduring it himself. He descended to hell, but he did so as King of kings. Death cannot keep us from God’s blessings. Death is no longer a barrier, but a bulkhead. A bulkhead is a structure that is built over an opening to keep it from collapsing. Bulkheads are often built over stairways or elevator shafts. Jesus, our eternal Rex, has transformed death into his bulkhead. Death is now what our Savior uses to hold open the gates of paradise. Rex Death is Christ’s doorstop!
Those doors are open for us. The reason is that we’re now royalty. We’re heirs to life. We have a free invitation to our Savior’s royal ball. That’s the glory awaiting us in heaven. We are dressed appropriately. We don’t have tuxedos or ball gowns. Instead, we are masked in Jesus’ blood and righteousness. We’re able to attend the glorious ball in heaven, but that also means we’re part of the parade right now. We are able to parade Christ in our lives. We let his banners fly, just as Paul declares: “how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”
Some of you may have had to the chance to ride on a float in a parade. That’s quite an honor and privilege. The rest of us might never be more than mere spectators at a Mardi Gras parade. But that doesn’t matter. We are part of an even greater spectacle. By God’s grace, we parade Christ in our lives. What a gift we have! What a gift to share!
I looked in one of our closets the other day and found a shopping bag full of beads and other Mardi Gras “treasures.” Those parade throws really don’t serve much of a purpose or satisfy any real need. But think about the truly valuable “throws” that we can offer to people in the name of Christ– the hope of forgiveness, life and salvation. We can offer hurting people are real treasure. We can offer people an answer to life’s troubles. We can offer them hope for eternity. What a treasure to throw to anxious souls!
Now, the carnival season may be over for another year. Some may breathe a sigh of relief. Once a year is enough. Jesus, however, makes us part of a celebration that is never-ending. Our lives take on the shape and atmosphere of one huge parade in honor of Christ. We showcase and share Christ’s love with the people in our lives, and, in the process, they are swept up in this carnival with us. So, enjoy the celebration. Death has been dethroned. A new Rex has taken the throne. Christ is our King who rules over all things now and forever. Amen.
