Some thoughts about Jesus, our King

For the Solemnity of Christ the King, which officially marks the end of the liturgical year, some thoughts about how to understand Jesus Christ and how he acts as the king of our hearts.

A different kind of king

With the celebration of this weekend’s Masses, we are beginning the final week of the Church’s liturgical year.  All the gatherings of God’s people held during this Jubilee Year of Mercy have led to this weekend’s commemoration of Jesus Christ, the King.  Throughout human history, kings and queens have been rulers: they have led their people in battle, they have held political influence, they have been loved by some and hated by others.  For some time while Saul was king over the tribes of Israel, David too led Israel in battle (cf 2 Sam 5:2).  Later on, when Saul had died, the people came to David, and David made a covenant with them … before the Lord, and they anointed him king (2 Sam 5:3) because they believed in him and trusted him.

Many years later, this concept of a king – one who would lead his people in battle, one who would fight for their rights – was still alive in the memory of the people of Jesus’ time, yet even though he acknowledged the fact that he was a king, his understanding of the way he would lead was drastically different from human understandings.  Throughout his earthly life, he had spoken on many occasions about his kingdom (cf Mk 1:15; 4:26; 9:1) but his concept of kingdom has always been based on service: the kingdom of God belongs not to those who would be judged mighty by earthly standards, but to those who are pure – like little children (Lk 18:16-17); the kingdom of God promises a different kind of wealth (cf Lk 18:24-25) that is not based on the accumulation of tangible goods but rather on relationships with God and with others.

All that Jesus said about his kingdom was demonstrated on the final day of his earthly life, when he sat on the throne of his cross.  From that place, onlookers scoffed at him (cf Lk 23:35).  They mocked him and laughed at him because they had expected his kingship to be like all other earthly relationships with such leaders, but they had failed to understand the true meaning of his teachings.  We too can sometimes fall prey to this temptation: How often have we ignored Jesus when life is going well?  … and yet we may be quick to call out to him when we are in trouble.  How often have we looked at others and only seen their outward appearances?  To do so is to run the risk of thinking of others as statistics rather than as beloved brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of a merciful God who endured the insults of bystanders as they challenged him to save himself, all the while failing to understand that in the very act of giving his life for us, he was in reality saving us.

Even the words uttered by the criminals who were condemned along with him show us two very different ways of understanding the ultimate moment of his loving gift.  Those who are closed in upon themselves will never be able to grasp the meaning of self-sacrifice.  They will always focus on the use of words and actions as a way to save ourselves from the judgement of others, from their ridicule (cf Lk 23:39), but Jesus came to show us another way, the way of love, the way of service.  He calls us to look beyond the realm of the visible, and to comprehend the truth that although he was innocent, he willingly gave his life out of love for us, so that we might be able to understand the lengths to which our God is willing to go in order to convince us of his infinite love for each one of us.

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God … in him all things in heaven and on earth were created (Col 1:15-16).  His act of dying on the cross was the final and ultimate act of love by which he showed us the depth of the Father’s love.  Each week, we commemorate this act of self-giving here at the Eucharistic table, and from the throne of his cross, Jesus still calls to us, reassuring us that he has risen from the dead.  When we in turn must face difficulties and challenges in this life, even though they might seem to be insurmountable, all we need to do is look to the crucified Lord and pray in the words that were spoken by the criminal who hung by his side: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Lk 23:42).  Surely he will welcome our prayer and reassure us: Truly I tell you, today your prayer will be heard, and when your time comes, you will be with me in paradise (cf Lk 23:43).