The irony of an emperor

But the fact that we can’t ever earn God’s favor by our own moral effort shouldn’t blind us to the fact that the call to faith is also a call to obedience. It must be, because it declares that Jesus is the world’s rightful Lord and Master. (The language Paul used of Jesus would have reminded his hearers at once of the language they were accustomed to hearing about Caesar.) That’s why Paul can speak about “the obedience of faith.” Indeed, the word the early Christians used for “faith” can also mean “loyalty” or “allegiance.” It’s what emperors ancient and modern have always demanded of their subjects. The message of the gospel is the good news that Jesus is the one true “emperor,” ruling the world with his own brand of self-giving love. This, of course, cheerfully and deliberately deconstructs the word “emperor” itself. When the early Christians used “imperial” language in relation to Jesus, they were always conscious of irony. Whoever heard of a crucified emperor?—N. T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, 208

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I love that: "Whoever heard of a crucified emperor?" Indeed! Jesus flips things upside down. Of course, they only seem to be upside down because our world is upside down. He really flips things right side up, so that we see the reall values—ones that generally are scorned by society: self-giving love, humility, etc.
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