Each year, on the last Sunday before Advent begins, we celebrate the feast of the Reign of Christ, also known as Christ the King Sunday. On this day we celebrate Jesus as our king. In some ways, this Sunday is an in-between Sunday. It is the finish line of our Christian year, marking the Sunday when the cycle of celebrations and readings comes to an end, preparing to start over again. It is the last Sunday in Ordinary time, but it reminds us of all that is coming as the Christian year starts over. And, this year, it helps us round out the readings of the last few weeks.
Over the last two months, we have spent our time together exploring many of the questions that Jesus was asked as he traveled. His disciples had questions for him. The religious leaders had questions for him. Random persons he encountered on the way had questions for him. Some of these questions were meant to test Jesus while others were asked out of a genuine desire to understand.
Today, Pilate presents us something of a contrast (see John 18:33-37). In some ways, he seems genuinely interested in the answers to his questions, but we also have to remember who he is. He is not a stupid man, so he is also cautious, uncertain what answers he will get and what they will mean. And as we celebrate Christ as our king, I suspect we may have some questions of our own.
What is a king? What are some of the things we think of when we hear about a king?
Maybe we aren’t sure what to think. After all, our country has not had a true king in over 200 years. Even the royal family of England does not wield the sort of power it once did. How are we to know anything about a king?
And yet, maybe we can come up with a description based on what we do know. Our nation fought a war that we might no longer be ruled by a king. We placed checks and balances into our political system to keep anyone from making themselves a king. Why? What is it about a king that we fear?
Perhaps we fear the power that kings have. After all, many of our more recent wars have been fought against dictators and fascists. I mean, even World War II was essentially one big antifascist action. In their pursuit of wealth, power, control and domination, it can be easy for a ruler to become corrupt and unfair.
So why do we celebrate today as Christ the King Sunday? If this is what we think of kings, why do we want to claim one at all?
If we look back to the time of Jesus, the picture doesn’t improve much. Two thousand years ago, the Hebrews were under the control of the Roman Empire. Caesar ruled over this empire with eyes always looking to expand and to keep those under his rule in check. The Hebrew nation was divided into areas, each ruled over by a puppet-king controlled by the Roman authorities, but Caesar was the ultimate authority. The majority of people could do little other than what they were told to do. The penalty for disobedience was often death.
Claiming to be a king was an act of treason against Rome – no one rules but Caesar and those he has named. Anyone else claiming to be a king can only be a rebel trying to take power away from those who have it. This is why Pilate’s questioning of Jesus is so important. For certain, Jesus has already been condemned by the temple authorities for claiming to be the Messiah. But this is merely a religious title and of no concern to the Roman governor. If the Hebrews want to squabble amongst themselves, he doesn’t care, as long as they do not cause too much unrest, as long as they do not threaten the peace. But if Jesus has indeed claimed to be a king, then matters are different. If Jesus claims to be king, he could threaten the puppet-kings and ultimately the control of Rome in the region. If Jesus is a threat, he must be dealt with.
But it is in Jesus’ answers that we begin to learn what it means for Jesus to be a king. In verse 36, Jesus responds, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world.” This statement can have more than one meaning. On the surface, it can be seen as claiming some sort of heavenly kingdom rather than the physical one in which we live – a spiritual kingdom, if you will. But I think that this is only part of what Jesus means. After all, if all Jesus was intending to usher in was a spiritual kingdom, why heal the sick, why feed the hungry, why become human at all?
The reason is that Jesus does not seek merely to create a spiritual kingdom. Jesus really is seeking to overthrow the current kingdom, but not in the violent way that most people understand and expect. Instead, Jesus is bringing about a whole new way of thinking. His kingdom is not one of physical power and threats of violence. Jesus is not concerned with amassing wealth or placing his favorite friends in positions of power. His idea of king is not the same as ours. Jesus rules by a different example.
To further put this into perspective, we need to look to Jesus’ next response. Pilate again asks him, “So you are a king?” Most Bibles translate Jesus’ response as “You say that I am a king.” But the Revised English Bible translates this line as “King is your word.” I like that particular translation for this line, because it helps us see that Jesus is making the point that what Pilate means by king is different from what he himself means by king. He does not deny the authority that he has, but he also does not claim to be king in the way that Pilate understands it.
Australian poet Bruce Prewer wrote a poem a few years ago in which he seeks to illustrate how Jesus is not a king in the way we commonly think. The poem is titled “You call me king?”¹
When I was hungry you gave me food;
when thirsty, you gave me drink;
when I was a stranger you gave me a home,
when I was naked, you clothed me,
when I was ill, you came to my help,
when in prison, you visited me.
King is your word, not mine.
I am the hungry crowd
weary and underfed,
I am the willing boy
sharing five rolls of bread.
King is your word, not mine.
I am the thirsty rabbi
waiting by Jacob’s well.
I am that thrilled woman
with the good news to tell.
King is your word, not mine.
I am the prodigal son,
stranger in foreign place.
I am the waiting parent
full of prodigious grace.
King is your word, not mine.
I am the mugged traveller,
left naked by the road.
I am the good Samaritan
ready to bear the load.
King is your word, not mine.
I am the crying leper
outcast to lonely lands.
I am the wounded nurse
with healing in my hands.
King is your word, not mine.
I am the condemned man,
alone in prison cell.
I am the sinners friend
sharing the deepest hell.
King is your word, not mine.
When I come in glory
my sheep will all know me;
branded with my own love
which sets the captive free.
King is your word, not mine.
If you must give me a title,
before you find some rest,
let king describe your servant
and that will serve you best.
For most people, a king is some sort of ruler. In particular, kings rule over the physical realm. However, Jesus rules a kingdom that is not yet fully in existence. He is not a corrupt king, a power-hungry king, a greedy king. Jesus seeks to place the rule of love on our hearts. Jesus is ushering in a new kingdom, one that is both physical and spiritual, a kingdom where the love of God models all of our actions.
What, then, does it mean for us to claim Jesus as king? And perhaps just as important, what does his kingdom look like?
Jesus ushers in the true kingdom of God, a kingdom of love and compassion. It is a kingdom in which everyone has enough and no one is taken advantage of. It is a kingdom of equals.
And it is not a kingdom for which we must wait; it is a kingdom that we can begin to live in today. Jesus has brought the kingdom into being and shown us what that kingdom looks like. And the power of this kingdom is unlike the power that the world thinks is important. If we can quit focusing on the things that this world tells us are important long enough, we can see glimpses of God’s kingdom here among us.
And ultimately, this is what the good news is all about – God is here among us; the kingdom is present. And we, as the Church, catch glimpses of it from time to time. When we take the time to come together and worship God, we deny a culture that tells us that everything we do is about what we get out of it.
When we gather around the table and call each other sister or brother as we eat together, we deny the divisions of our society and make present God’s reign.
When we continue the work of Christ in the world to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and release the oppressed, we live in the kingdom and show others what that kingdom looks like.
Jesus is our king when we follow his teaching and example. Jesus reigns over the kingdom that God would have us all live in. It is not a kingdom for accumulating wealth. It is not a kingdom for amassing power. It is not a kingdom worth fighting for. But we see in Jesus' example that it is a kingdom worth dying for. It is a kingdom worth sharing. It is a kingdom of mutual respect.
Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the king?” Sure, he had certain motives for asking this question. But Jesus again gives us an answer that points us to the kingdom of God. The kingdom does not look like the earthly kingdoms that we have experience with, and, though Jesus’ kingship has political implications for our world, Jesus as king does not look like what we expect kings to look like. So let us follow his example as we go forth to love God and serve our neighbors. Let us go forth to serve God and to love our neighbors.
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¹ Bruce D. Prewer, “You Call Me King?,” 2004.