Devotion for the Week

Devotion based on the scripture from November 23, 2025.

The Servant King

Many congregations will sing a hymn this Sunday that declares, “Crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave and rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save” (ELW 855). This is an image of a conquering hero who fought Satan and won. Hail to the king! But that is not the king we are presented with in today’s gospel reading. Jesus is a broken, rejected man hanging naked in public shame, dying for a capital offense, sandwiched between two criminals.

Many people struggle to think of Jesus as king because of the negative actions of historical kings. Kings have too often been men wielding power for their own gain, sitting on thrones upheld by patriarchy and wealth. Furthering this negative image are colonialism and the kings who issued decrees to ravage and control people in their native land. Neither is this the image of Christ the king in today’s reading.

At Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington), a focus on servant leadership is offered as a concentration in the master’s program in organizational leadership. Its focuses are forgiveness and restorative justice, listening and discerning, community-building, foresight and strategy, and transformational thinking. Doesn’t that sound a lot more like the leadership of Jesus?

Perhaps we are reminded of the hard parts of Jesus’ journey to draw our attention to his purpose and the focus of his teachings. He wasn’t a conqueror, and he didn’t wield power for his own gain. He hung naked on the cross to be the ultimate servant leader. We claim Jesus as our king because of his servant leadership—his focus on forgiveness and restoration, building community, and thinking in transformational ways. Hail the servant king!