Today's Message: Christ the King C

2 Samuel 5: 1-3; Colossians 1; 12-20; Luke 23: 35-43

Today we are called upon to understand a concept that is very hard to understand:  that of Jesus as our King.  Most of us have not lived under the rule of a king.  So what is it like?  Presently there are twenty-six monarchies in the world.  Google describes this as, ‘a fascinating network of kings, queens, sultans, emperors, and emirs who rule or reign over forty-three countries in all.’  Presently here are twenty countries with kings or queens.  Would I like to live under a monarchy?  Probably not because I like and am comfortable living in our democracy.  So what is it like living under the rule the Kingship of Jesus?  This is a difficult question because we identify that with living under the authority and rule of the Catholic Church.  Am I comfortable with living within the rules of the Church?  I am, it’s my job  as being a Catholic priest.  But is this what it means to live under the rule of the Kingship of Jesus?  

Jesus’s royalty is unlike any on earth:  poor, humble, serving others.  

Pilate questioned Jesus and asked, “Are you, the King of the Jews?”  It’s interesting that this title ‘King of the Jews’ was only used by pagans.  Pilate didn’t even know what he was asking.  Only John’s gospel goes more into the questioning Jesus and His ‘kingdom’:  “So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’   Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this on your own or have others told you about Me?’  Pilate answers, ‘I am not a Jew am I?  Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.  What have you done?’  Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world.  If My Kingdom did belong to this world, My attendants would be fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews.  But as it is, My kingdom is not here.’  So Pilate said to him, ‘then you are a king?’  Jesus answered ‘You say I am a king.  For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to MY voice.’  Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?”  (John 18: 33-38)  Then Pilate went out with the intention of releasing Jesus, but the crowd prevailed in putting Jesus to death.   Jesus’ kingdom is not OF this world, yet it is IN this world.  Luke 17: 20-21 states, “Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He (Jesus) said in reply, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look here it is, or, ‘There it is’.  For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”

Since the Kingdom is among me and within me, am I living as a ‘citizen’ of the kingdom?  Do I live my life as being a total follower of Jesus?  

We need to know that the Kingdom that Jesus is talking about is described in Matthew’s Beatitudes 5: 1-12.  Paul describes them in Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others.”  So it boils down to how I am living my life in Christ?  We look to the readings today for more help.

Although David was chosen by God to succeed Saul as king and was anointed by Samuel, Saul never accepted God’s decision.  Saul never respected the ways of God; now he has died and the tribes come to David to make him their king.  David was the one who led them out to battle and brought them back victorious.  The tribes also knew that it was God who had appointed David: “You shall shepherd My people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.” 2 Samuel 5: 2

Paul is sharing with the Colossians today an ancient Christian hymn declaring Jesus as the cosmic Lord and peacemaker:  “all things were created through Him and for Him…for in Him all the fulness was pleased to dwell…”   Thus reconciliation to God and God’s peace result from the blood of Jesus.  What is my hymn of praise to Jesus for all He has done for me throughout my lifetime? 

In Luke’s we have the encounter between the two criminals crucified with Jesus that demonstrates what Jesus’ kingship was all about.  One of the criminals consistently and aggressively attacked Jesus and mocked Him out.  The other criminal who shares the same death penalty rebukes the man saying that Jesus has done nothing criminal.  He begged to be forgiven for his evil ways and remembered in Jesus’ kingdom.  He receives the ultimate privilege of being with Jesus in heaven, “Today  you will be with Me in Paradise.”  

The same promise has been given to each of us.  By our Baptism, we are all called to spend our lives in service of our great king, Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.  Service coupled with mercy to those in need is the hallmark of our faith.  I look at Jesus and can learn everything that I need to be a follower of Christ.  Jesus’ total selfless giving showing that He loves me and came to prove it.  His total love to the very end is seen in  bringing one broken through a life of crime and killing and Jesus granted him mercy, forgiveness and heaven.  How can I not see Jesus’ total commitment in showing us God’s love and the need for me to love?

Philip McBrien in Word of the Lord summarizes it in this way: ”As if to set an exclamation point on this last Sunday of the church year, this text offers a snapshot from Luke’s passion narrative.  We see Jesus on the cross, mocked by those who have put Him there, as well as by a man crucified  beside Him.  The contrast between Jesus and David could not be more extreme.  While David has assumed the political and military command of all the people, Jesus just hangs there, dying.  Yet each is called king of the Hebrew people  The inscription above Jesus’ head may be a piece of Roman snideness, imposing an exalted label on a man seen as a common criminal.

   What sort of king is Jesus?  He is certainly unlike any other king, for His most important act is His sacrifice of Himself.  Stretched out on the cross, as gravity separates His bones and organs one from another, He invites another criminal crucified nearby into paradise.  He is a king with universal power, who has chosen to endure the worst punishment humanity can dish out.

  This is the essence of our faith.  Our king has bled and died on the cross.  In so doing, He has offered us peace with ourselves, with one another, and with the whole universe.  He has invited us into paradise.”

I reflect on:  

• How do the images of Christ the King affirm and challenge me?
• How can I serve Jesus today, whose power and glory as God are matched only by the depth of His love?
• I think of how Jesus uses His power.  How can I use the power I have in my day-to-day life to make more fully manifest God’s kingdom of love and peace?
• How can I use Jesus’ love and wisdom in reaching out to those in need?

Sacred Space 2019 states:

   “This is one of the most striking passages in Scripture.  I meditate on this conversation between Jesus and the two thieves.  What stands out for me?  What challenges me or gives me hope?

   The central message of Jesus, eager to free us from our sins and grant us the gift of everlasting life, brings out the deep meaning of the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, which we celebrate today.”