The King of Leicester Cathedral

When Jesus was crucified, Pilate irritated the local leaders by designating him their king –Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews read the sign above his dying body.

It is the nature of the history of kingship that one was usually either crowned with glory or defeated in ignominy.  Jesus was one of countless kings to suffer shame and mockery in his demise.  The fate of some was gruesome even compared to crucifixion.

Whereas the normal dead disappear with the grandchildren’s memories, kings linger on in the history books, their reputation being sullied or restored by succeeding generations of commentators and changing fashions.

 

Richard III of England will make his incongruous way to Leicester Cathedral for a royal interment sometime this year.

So, since his bones were unearthed from a municipal car park in Leicester his reputation, concerning which history had been unkind, has been undergoing restoration by Leicester City Council (no tourist wants to visit the remains of a failed King).

21^st century computer technology was amazingly able to reconstruct his facial features from the mere bones.   Dr Ashdown-Hill was very excited, "I had said previously that when I stood by the grave in Leicester that I felt closer to Richard III than I had ever been, but when I saw the facial reconstruction I realised I had been close to a dead Richard III. It was just bones, just a body, whereas confronting a facial reconstruction, I felt almost in the presence of a living Richard III."

Now that’s what I call an Easter experience!

No, wait a minute. Felt almost is not the same thing at all. 

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus confessed to their travelling companion that they had felt almost that Jesus of Nazareth had been their Messiah.  Then their hearts burned within them as their companion explained that his shame-filled death was the whole point.  The king of a defeated race must share, indeed front, their defeatedness.  At the cross the human race was invited to see its defeat in its true King.

Then, at Emmaus, their companion shared the bread at the table with them – and they recognised him!  It was not feeling almost that an animation had reconstructed him.  The Jerusalem City Council’s attempt to keep him buried had failed!  Jesus was there!  He was risen! He is risen! He is here!  For our King is also Heaven’s King – and cannot end defeated!

Happy Easter!