CHRIST THE KING (2013)
(2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43)
There was a time when Jesus asked His
disciples what people were thinking about Him:
Who do men say that I
am?
They answered saying that people
thought Him to be one of the former prophets back on earth.
Shortly afterwards, however, at His
crucifixion, there was, as we heard in the Gospel reading, a public
proclamation, made by the highest authority in the land for all peoples to
read, concerning the identity of Jesus:
An inscription was
written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF
THE JEWS.
The distinguishing mark for
membership of the Jewish nation was, of course, circumcision, or so the Jews of
Jesus’ time thought. St. Paul, however, in
his letter to the Philippians (3:3), tells us that circumcision of the flesh is
not the true circumcision:
For we are the
circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ
Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh.
Or, as another version puts it:
We who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly
circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence
in human effort.
And the Jews of old -- those of the fleshly
circumcision -- showed its provisional and ultimately false character by their
rejection of Jesus as their King:
We
have no king but Caesar!
Are we, then, who are of the true
circumcision, Christians and Catholics, quite sure that Jesus the Messiah is,
indeed, King for us personally, our King, my
King? That question is of the utmost
importance, for the Kingship of Christ would seem to be the supreme criterion
for the true People of God, the true disciples of the One sent by God as their Messiah
and Saviour, the true children of God. We, Catholics and Christians, ascribe
the word ‘King’ to Jesus, but what do we mean by that word, is our
understanding of it in tune with that of the Scriptures, of God’s Holy Word?
That He is a King, there is no doubt:
Now Jesus stood before
the governor, and he questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus
said, “You say so.” (Matthew 27:11)
Jesus was very careful in
His reply because the Jews wanted to have Him put to death by the Romans for
treasonable activities and royal aspirations, and so He did not directly use
the word ‘King’ as the High Priest was provoking Him to do, for that word had a
predominantly political import for Roman ears. Yet, neither could Jesus deny
the word, since it had too much meaning in the historical, and too much
significance for spiritual, development and expectations of Israel. Therefore, He chose to accept its scriptural
content and aspirations while rejecting its political implications by respectfully
answering the High Priest of Israel with his own words:
You (who are this day High Priest in Israel) say
so.
Today, however, there is
some doubt about whether or not He is our King: do we indeed accept Him as
such? What does that word “King” mean
for us? We can use the word, but do we give
it its true, scriptural, meaning? Are we
aware of, do we accept in our lives, the full meaning of “King” when we say
“Jesus is our King”?
Well, we are aware, first
of all, of the splendour and power of kings; for in this our country we are
still privileged to see and be able to appreciate something of that most
ancient, imposing and impressive, and even -- perhaps to a small degree –
inspiring, regal office and function. And,
in that regard, Jesus yields to no one, as St. Paul makes abundantly clear when
telling us of Jesus’ power and splendour:
He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in Him were created all things in heaven
and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers; all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things
hold together. (Colossians
1:15-17)
We can indeed be proud
of, we can glory in, our King; no other earthly king could ever compare with Him. On that account, we certainly are inspired to
claim that “Jesus is King, our King”.
However, as we continue
with this examination of the meaning of the word King we recognize in it not only power and majesty, but also
authority … for there is no doubt that a king has always been thought to have
authority over his subjects. Do we now
want to proclaim so loudly that Jesus is King over us? Do we -- who so readily and enthusiastically
recognize His splendour and glory, His wisdom and might – accept, with similar
enthusiasm, that He has authority over us and the way we should live our
lives? Many claim to be Christians --
thereby acclaiming Christ as their King -- but do they, in fact, want to bask
only in certain reflected aspects of His glory, without considering themselves
in any significant way as being subject to His authority? There are many so-called Catholics who want
to accept Jesus as king in the style of our democratic monarchy: with pomp and
circumstance indeed, and with no little popular support and respect, but
without any real authority.
However, that is not the
style of kingship recognized in the Bible, such was not the leader that the
people of Israel wanted; their king had authority (1 Samuel 8:19-20):
The people refused to
obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over
us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us
and go out before us and fight our battles.
And in the very
beginning, at the birth of the People of God, the leaders, Moses and Joshua
were not called kings, but their authority was very real:
All that you command us
we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all
things, so we will heed you. Only the LORD your God be with you, as He was with
Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all
that you command him, shall be put to death.
(Joshua
1:16-18)
The people of Israel
said: “Wherever you send us we will go.”
‘Wherever’ meant ‘wherever on the way to the Promised Land’, for that
was what had been promised them, the Promised Land, their true homeland and
ultimate resting place: wherever you command us to go as we journey towards
that Promised Land we will go.
Today, however, there are
so-called Christians who have no desire, let alone hunger, for the heavenly
destiny offered to all who commit themselves, through faith in Jesus Christ, to
the Father’s plan of salvation; they have lost their vision of a promised land
because passing pleasures in the desert of this present world have distracted
their minds and seduced their hearts.
In ancient Israel some
tribes had entered the land Promised to their forebears and into their own
personal inheritance before crossing the Jordan, but they were not allowed to
rest on their territory -- with their families, cultivating their land, and
gathering their crops. No, they had to cross over with all the rest of their
brethren and fight with them until they too could enter into their inheritance
promised by the Lord, the God of Israel.
Today, far too many nominal
Catholics and Christians want to settle for what they have got now, they want to satiate themselves
with the seemingly endless pleasures this world – or our privileged part of the
world -- seems to offer them; or else they have weighed themselves down with
cares that suffocate and blind them to all else. Such disciples are not necessarily against
the glory and the splendour of a King they can understand and rejoice in: one
appreciated and praised by all for his goodness and wisdom, his humility and
sympathy in his dealings with the underprivileged of his time; indeed, many of
them would accept a King who, as heavenly Lord, is able to give them spiritual
comfort and joy as they participate in the holy atmosphere and liturgical
splendour of the Church. What they
cannot accept, however, is One Who has the authority whereby He might refuse to
let them rest in the pleasures and plenty of earthly possessions and passions,
just as the Israelites of old were not immediately allowed to rest on the other
side of the Jordan; One Who will not allow them to succumb to whatever would
stifle their aspirations towards the attainment of God’s promises, just as
Israel had to constantly resist and struggle against her many enemies.
Joshua (another form of
the name Jesus) had been told by the people, may the Lord be with you; only be strong and courageous; that is,
given that the Lord our God is with you, and that you show yourself strong and
courageous, we will follow you through whatever trials will bring us into the
Promised Land. Was Jesus strong and
courageous in His life and in His death?
Was the Lord, His Father, with Him in His Resurrection? Indeed Jesus was all that could be wanted of
a leader of God’s People. And yet,
despite all that, for many today the obedience due to the authority of Christ
is withheld and has become the litmus test for true discipleship.
And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone
to myself.
When lifted up on the
Cross Jesus will draw all those whom the Father gives Him to Himself (John
12:32).
The obedience of the
Cross is indeed the criterion for distinguishing true disciples from those who
are false; those whom the Father has called, from those who have come to Jesus,
not out of obedience to the Father’s call, but out of other motives, worldly,
selfish, and faithless motives.
People of God, Jesus
Christ is King, our King; and we
must give true obedience to His kingly authority over our lives if we want to
share in the beauty and truth, the goodness and glory, the splendour, majesty, and power of
His Kingdom. The promise has been made
to us; the opportunity is here for us; and we are fully equipped for the
journey; indeed, we already have a beginning of the fulfilment awaiting us, for
today’s rejoicing in our King should give us some faint inkling and joyful foretaste
of the glory and bliss that are to come.
Thy will be done that Thy Kingdom may
come, Lord Jesus.
