Christ the King (B)

Dn 7:13-14; Rev 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37

Today, the last Sunday of the Liturgical Calendar, the Church commemorates the solemnity of Christ the King. This is appropriate because the Church would like to show that at the end of time, Christ will be proclaimed, once and for all, as King of kings and Lord of lords. In the first reading, the prophet Daniel envisions the “Son of Man” coming down from heaven to receive dominion, glory and kingship (Dn 7:13-14).

We proclaim boldly Jesus as our King, but a King with a difference. In the gospel, Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And the Lord replies, “Yes, but my kingdom is not of this world.” In a way, Jesus clarified to Pilate that his kingdom is unlike the kingdom of Caesar. The kingdom of this world would depend on military force, political power and economic superiority. Jesus’ kingdom is founded on the virtues of love, faith, and hope; and is nourished with values such as truth, humility, self-giving and mutual understanding. The kingdom of this world would seek to increase its wealth, extend its boundaries and expand its influence. Jesus’ kingdom promotes peace where there is aggression, freedom where there is subjugation, justice where there is exploitation, and forgiveness where there is transgression.

The second reading says that Jesus our Lord, “the ruler of the kings of the earth . . . loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood” (Rev 1:5). Jesus’ kingship primarily was about self-denial and self-giving, not control and domination. In his ministerial life, Jesus showed that he was more concerned with making his disciples kings than with ruling them. The author of Revelation says, he has “made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (1:6).

When his disciples were arguing who among them is the greatest, Jesus reproached them, saying: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave” (Mt 20:25-27). This was a hard pill to take for the disciples because they had a different idea of kingship and authority. However, it did not take them that long to understand because they had seen with their own eyes how their Lord and Master practiced servanthood every day of his life. After he washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them: “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you” (Jn 13:14-15).

As we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, it would be good for us to consider seriously the Lord’s commission to all his disciples. If we accept Jesus as our King, we must heed his call. Let us serve one another just as Jesus served each one of his disciples. The world today does not need a great king to save it from poverty and misery. It only needs every Christian to exercise the kingship that he or she shares with Christ in baptism.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

(The story is from an unknown author)