FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
24 November 2019
We have only one, very short, document written about Jesus during his own lifetime: the inscription explaining the reason for his execution, nailed to the cross above his head at the order of Pontius Pilate. As we hear in today’s gospel, Luke quotes it as saying: “This is the King of the Jews.” Short as it was, it had the power to condemn Jesus to a cruel, painful death as a criminal, in fact, as an insurrectionist. The accusation, which the Gospel of John tells us caused controversy as soon as Pilate wrote it, explains the government’s reason for executing Jesus. Jesus was charged with leading a revolt against the Roman Empire. It also was a mocking derision on the part of the Jewish leaders, who were awaiting a king like David, whom we heard about in today’s first reading. They wanted an earthly king who would reestablish an earthly kingdom. To both the Romans and the Jews, Jesus was subversive. He refused to worship at the altars of imperial power where people are coerced to accept that might makes right. The alternative he offered was the God who wielded the power of merciful love and eternal life as the only option to a world of violence, division and death.
The religious leaders near the cross revealed their core beliefs as they sneered, “If he’s God’s chosen one, he should save himself.” Their theology was clear: “God helps those to help themselves.” They were heirs to the same faith tradition as Jesus but rejected the lens through which he read it. Jesus realized that his heavenly Father was in control and he humbly submitted his will – and his life – to him. The soldiers summarized the civil and religious positions with their jeering judgment that anybody who was aligned with the powerful should be able to muster self-serving force. All of these actors were putting Jesus’ theology – his understanding of God – to the test. Would Jesus’ God save him or remain silent when confronted with the earthly powers of palace and temple?
In Jesus’ last moments on earth, Luke allowed two criminals to focus the question of the ultimate meaning of his life. The first agreed with the forces that had brought Jesus to this moment. “Are you not the Christ?” he called out. “If you are, then work a miracle! Dazzle and compel them to believe in you! And, by the way, bring us along on the getaway.” With his final breath this man spoke for all who believe in the power of domination and the mantra of self-preservation.
The other criminal – tradition gives him the name of Dismas and you will find him in our stained glass window over there in our western transept – became the gospel’s final and perhaps most unanticipated model disciple. Like the humble tax collector of Jesus’ parable on prayer, his focus was on God and the blameless man – Jesus – who shared his fate. Unlike anyone else on the scene, he perceived God’s presence in this innocent victim by his side. This criminal alone grasped the mystery that the King of the Universe was powerful enough to lay down his life, trusting only in God. Understanding this, he could turn to Jesus and pray, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He was perhaps the only person present at that moment who desired a place in Jesus’ kingdom, and thus he was a comfort to Jesus even as Jesus promised him salvation.
Today’s feast invites us to contemplate the crucifix as we hear the proclamation in today’s second reading that “He is the image of the invisible God.” This image of Christ the King puts all our ideas about God to the test. This image of Christ the King demands a response from us. We either ask to be a part of his reign or we choose to try to save ourselves.
We see here the God who comes to save, no matter the cost. We see here the God who knows nothing of coercion except its impotence when confronted by selfless love. Luke invites us today to look at the crucified Christ and call him our King. As we meditate on what it means to call this Christ our King we understand the insight of the criminal who didn’t ask Jesus to work any more of a miracle than to love him beyond death. He understood that Jesus needed no saving. He realized that Jesus wasn’t seeking an escape because the cross revealed who he was as the Word made flesh, in solidarity with suffering humanity and trusting the all-powerful Father. This criminal, even as he admitted his sinfulness, understood that God was by his side. He prayed, “Remember me.” And as he replied, “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” Jesus declared that man “fit to share the inheritance of the saints in light” as we heard in today’s second reading.
The Feast of Christ the King of the Universe is a triumphant celebration of God’s reconciling love, of divine solidarity with humanity, of God’s love for us at our neediest. The image of Christ the King on the cross proclaims God’s presence with us in our most wretched moments, offering us a love and salvation we could not deserve, even at our best. This is the feast of the indomitable power of God’s love. As we conclude another year in God’s grace, we glory in a God whose mercy is so great – he suffers with us in our misery and raises us to new life!
There is no better for us to end our liturgical year, rejoicing in the God who sent his son, our Lord and King, to save us!