Who wears the crown?
One of the questions that a bloke like me, in my line of work, gets a lot at the moment is this: ‘Who is in charge of this crazy world?’ Put another way, we could ask, ‘Who wears the crown?’
That is a question that has been a constant across human history. It has dominated international politics – ‘Who wears the crown in this patch of dirt?’ It has dominated inter-personal and work relationships – ‘Who wears the crown in this relationship?’ It has even dominated recent Australian history, in places like the debate about the republic – ‘Who wears this crown here?’
At this time, it is a particularly relevant question. After all, ‘corona’ means ‘crown’, and it seems that the crown is worn by an invisible virus that has completely turned the world on its head!
Who would have though that this would be the state of play three months ago? After all, back then, we wore the crown – humans were in charge. And, yet, the current COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that our human rule is tenuous, faulty and fundamentally broken – even an invisible virus can expose that the human emperor wears no clothes.
But it is also a particularly relevant question because of the time of year this is. This week we will celebrate Easter. That is the time when we remember that a bloke called Jesus died an unjust death on a cross on a hill outside Jerusalem. He was executed as a criminal. He was mocked as a pretender – ‘the king of the Jews’, killed and destroyed.
That is the time when we remember, too, that this supposedly dead king rose three days later. His tomb remains empty. He was raised from the dead. And he was shown to be truly the King of all, even death which could not keep him in the tomb.
In this crowning moment, the Bible tells us that Jesus offers true life for all who trust in him. This event was the way in which God provided forgiveness for every human who has ever rebelled against him, who has tried to live life wearing the crown instead of God.
This is life where the crown is worn by the right man. This is life where Jesus is recognised to be in charge, even of the world that killed him.
I reckon that the question is worth asking of all of us: ‘Who wears the crown?’ If even an invisible virus can expose our pretence to be rulers of the world, perhaps it is time to consider the possibility that the crown is worn by Jesus, and that in him there is true life.
Rev Gabbott will be an occasional columnist for The Courier
To order photos from this page click here
