"Then you are a king?"
Today is the feast of Christ the King. We take the final Sunday of Ordinary Time before entering into Advent and recall the supreme authority of Jesus Christ.
Why did the Church choose Jesus’ trial and passion as the Gospel for this Sunday? The Gospel shows us Christ’s kingship in relation to His passion. The gospel shows us exactly what kind of king Jesus is and reveals a glimpse of Jesus’ kingdom. “While Jesus had always withdrawn from the crowds which in moments of enthusiasm had wanted to proclaim him king, now, when he is about to be condemned to death, he openly acknowledges that he is a king. When Pilate asks him: ‘So you are a king?’ he answers: ‘You say that I am a king’. But he had already said previously: ‘My kingship is not from the world’. Christ’s kingly power is not in the domain of temporal or political power, but of a spiritual lordship, which consists in announcing the truth, in leading men to the supreme Truth, by setting them free of every shadow of error and sin…It is striking that in the Gospel of John, the theologian Evangelist, the theme of Christ’s kingship is constantly linked to that of his passion. The cross, in reality, is Christ’s royal throne; from the cross he extends his arms to draw all men to himself, and from the cross he rules them by his love. For him to reign over us, we must allow ourselves to be drawn to him and to be conquered by such love.” [1]
“You are King forever, my God; your kingdom is not a borrowed one. When in the Creed the words, ‘and his kingdom will have no end’ are said, it is almost always a special delight from me. I praise you, Lord, and bless you for ever, in sum, your kingdom will last for ever.” [2]
Why does Pilate ask Jesus if He is the King of the Jews? Pilates asks this question for many reasons. Since Pilate was a gentile, if Jesus was the King of the Jews, Jesus would be a subverter of the Empire. In comparison, for Jews, if Jesus was King, He would be viewed as the King-Messiah and a political-religious liberator who would overturn the occupation of Rome. However, we know Christ was neither of these. This is why Jesus answers Pilate with a question of His own: “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” [3] Jesus is not trying to dodge the question, but rather tries to make Pilate understand His kingship and mission is a spiritual one. [4]
What is the Christ’s Kingdom? There is a two-fold dimension in which we look at Christ’s kingdom. First, we follow Christ’s kingship within His Church. We, in fact, are called to “known the worship of the one true religion which subsists in the Catholic and apostolic Church. Christians are called to be the light of the world. Thus, the Church shows forth the kingship of Christ over all creation and in particular over human societies.” [5]
The second dimension of Jesus’ Kingdom is one that is not a physical one, because “ in the Passion, he acknowledges before Pilate that he is truly a King, making it clear that his kingship is not an earthly one. Thus, ‘those who expected the Messiah to have a visible temporal power were mistaken. ‘The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit’. Truth and justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is the kingdom of Christ: the divine activity which saves men and which will reach its culmination when history ends and the Lord comes from the heights of paradise finally to judge men”. [6]
Why is Jesus thought of as a King? For the Jews, the expected their messiah to be a great king who would overthrow the Romans, establish their country again and be reign as king over them. This is why the Jews say Jesus is no king of theirs. For us today, 2,000 years after Jesus death and resurrection we have seen many different forms of governmental rulings. Those that live in western society and one that is of democracy tend to think we have ultimate power; We have the freedom to do whatever we want. This is true to an extent because we do have free will. However, we have to ask ourselves who gave us these rights of life and freedom? It is not the land, people, or government but of God. We owe everything to Him. This is why Jesus is a King. We have seen how kings can ruin countries, but we have also seen through history our kings can make a country and their people flourish. Imagine a perfect king whose kingdom is everlasting and can triumph over any and every foe. This is Jesus’ kingdom.
What is Christ’s kingship? “This is what his kingship really is: his kingdom is ‘the kingdom of Truth and Life, the kingdom of Holiness and Grace, the kingdom of Justice, Love and Peace’ (Preface of the Mass of Christ the King). Christ reigns over those who accept and practice the truth revealed by him – his Father’s love for the world (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9). He became man to make this truth known and to enable men to accept it. And so, those who recognize Christ’s kingship and sovereignty accept his authority, and he thus reigns over them in an eternal and universal kingdom.” [7]
What is the Church’s role with Christ’s kingship? The Church’s role is to still carry on Jesus’ mission to liberate captives and break us free from our sin. For its part, “the Church, looking to Christ who bears witness to the truth, must always and everywhere ask herself, and in a certain sense also the contemporary ‘world’, how to make good emerge from man, how to liberate the dynamism of the good that is in man, in order that it may be stronger than evil, than any moral, social or other evil” [8]
How are we supposed to serve Christ as King? St. Jose Maria Escriva says, “If we [Christians] are trying to have Christ as our king we must be consistent. We must start by giving him our heart. Not to do that and still talk about the kingdom of Christ would be completely hollow. There would be no real Christian substance in our behavior. We would be making an outward show of a faith which simply did not exist. We would be misusing God’s name to human advantage…If we let Christ reign in our soul, we will not become authoritarian. Rather we will serve everyone. How I like that word: service! To serve my king and, through him, all those who have been redeemed by his blood. I really wish we Christians knew how to serve, for only by serving can we know and love Christ and make him known and loved.” [9]
How do we share in Christ’s Kingship? “Finally, the People of God shares in the royal office of Christ. He exercises his kingship by drawing all men to himself through his death and Resurrection. Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made himself the servant of all, for he came ‘not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ For the Christian, ‘to reign is to serve him,’ particularly when serving ‘the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder.’ The People of God fulfills its royal dignity by a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ.” [10]
[1] Divine Intimacy Vol. IV, pg. 388
[2] St. Jose Maria Escriva, The Way 22:1
[3] Jn. 18:34
[4] cf. Navaree Commentary Gospel of John, 18:33-34, pg. 217
[5] CCC 2105
[6] J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 180
[7] John Paul II, “General Audience”, February 1979
[8] John Paul II, General Audience, 21 February 1979
[9] J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 181-182
[10] CCC 786