Feast of Christ the King November 21, 2021
Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37
The kingship of Christ is necessarily a threat to the
kingdoms of the world. This was the thinking of Pontius Pilate when he was
interrogating Jesus to ascertain whether Jesus was a king. Jesus’ answer was
that, yes, he was indeed a king, but not the sort of king he had in mind. “My
kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my
followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But
as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). Wherein lies the
difference between the kingship of Christ and that of Pilate and other kings of
this world? We can name three:
(1) Other kingdoms have territorial boundaries but the
kingship of Christ is universal. Christ is king without borders.
(2) Other kingdoms come and go, but the kingship of Christ
is eternal.
(3) Other kingdoms are sustained by military power, but the
kingship of Christ is sustained by the power of truth. Citizens of Christ’s
kingdom must, therefore, stand by the truth even when it is hurting and
embarrassing to do so.
When we speak about the kingdom of God in this way, some
people ask: what then becomes of patriotism and national loyalty? Patriotism
and national loyalty certainly have their place in the Christian life, but
loyalty to God comes first. In the name of patriotism and national loyalty some
Christians have surrendered their consciences to the state. If the state says
it is lawful, then it is all right to do it. A good example is abortion. Or, if
the state says it is illegal, then it is wrong to do it. An example is helping
an “illegal” immigrant. Today’s celebration challenges us to do better than
that: to look more critically at the laws and policies governing public life
and examine them against the light of the law of Christ. As Christians we
should be loyal citizens of our countries, but loyal citizens of God’s kingdom
first.
We express our faith by calling Jesus our King who is the master of our human hearts. The kingdom of God over which he presides consists of the presence of God manifested fully in the reality of Jesus. Whoever listens to the voice of Jesus and belief in him is a member of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is really our King when we consciously become his subjects, when we listen to him, love him, serve him, and follow him. We belong to his kingship when, like him, we have reached that level of freedom that can really let go of everything, even of life itself in the struggle to make our world a world of truth, justice, and love. That is the struggle to help make real the prayer we constantly say, "Your Kingdom come!" Paradoxically, one of the best ways to know Jesus is to go about helping others to know him. In order to share the knowledge, understanding, and love of Jesus with others, we have to discover that knowledge, understanding, and love for ourselves.
(You are most welcome to add your thoughts and views in the
comment section below)
Happy Feast
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