As Americans, we don’t often think about kings and queens and royalty. You may have recently read with mild interest about Queen Elizabeth, the 95-year-old beloved queen of England as she experiences some health issues. Other than that, who hears about kings or queens. It may surprise you to learn that there are currently 44 countries worldwide that have a king or queen, countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, Spain and New Zealand.
Of course, there aren’t really many true kings in the world today. After the American Revolution, the yearning for democratic rule and the overthrow of monarchies swept across Europe and beyond. Today, there are very few countries – such as Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – with monarchs who have absolute power. So, it may be a challenge for us to identify with today’s feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This is the final Sunday of the liturgical year, the culmination of a 12-month scripture-shaped narrative that began last Advent and followed the life of Jesus. Pre-existent before creation, born of the Virgin Mary, an itinerant preacher who was crucified as a heretic and criminal, resurrected from the dead by the power and love of his heavenly Father, ascended into heaven, Jesus Christ now rules for all eternity at the throne of the cosmos. It is a big, sweeping, compelling glorious affirmation of faith that we make today. To call Jesus Christ the King of the Universe is to confess that he is the ultimate authority in the universe, that he truly rules by divine right, that his power and dominion are absolute, and that he is due our complete and unfailing loyalty and worship. Again, for a people living in a democracy, where the leaders of the government are supposed to serve the people rather than the other way around, this language of submission and glorification may seem antiquated, at best.
But, while all that may be true, it’s important to realize that, when we speak of Jesus Christ as the King of the Universe, we are using a metaphor to help us better understand who Jesus is. We see many metaphors used in the Bible to help us to understand Jesus. He is called a teacher and a prophet and he calls himself the Good Shepherd and the Son of Man. All of these metaphors are given to us to describe someone who is, ultimately, beyond our full understanding. They are used to draw on something that is familiar to help us begin to grasp the unfamiliar. But, no metaphor completely captures the entire essence of that which it attempts to illuminate. Remember that, as we continue to speak about Jesus and his kingship.
Kings were very familiar to the people of Jesus’ time. They were ruled by King Herod, the local representative of the Roman Caesar, and we all know that “Caesar” is just another name for emperor, the title given to the Roman kings. And, the Jewish people of Jesus’ time had fond memories of their beloved King David; in fact, they were hoping that Jesus might be their new king. And, that’s what got him in trouble with the local Roman officials. When the Jewish leaders brought Jesus before Pontius Pilate, he wasn’t concerned with their complaint that he claimed to be the Son of God. But, they got Pilate’s attention when they charged that Jesus claimed to be a king. It was Pilate’s job to keep Roman power firmly in control in Israel and any claim to political power was a threat to that control. So, as we hear in today’s Gospel, the critical question that Pilate asks Jesus is, “Are you the king of the Jews?” You will notice that Jesus never gave Pilate a direct answer, he dodged the question over and over again and, in doing so, gave an important insight into the true identity of his kingdom. “My kingdom does not belong to this world,” he said. In fact, as you will recall from Palm Sunday, it was the people who gave Jesus the title of king. Jesus never accepted that title because he knew that the people’s understanding of a king did not fully capture his role as their savior. His earthly throne would be the cross, his crown would be made of thorns. Jesus did not come to overthrow the power of Rome or to re-establish the kingdom of Israel. In fact, he did not come to set up any earthly kingdom. No, he was sent by God to re-establish the heavenly kingdom, one that would be marked not by hatred, cruelty and oppression but by love, gentleness and peace. His kingdom here on earth would be present wherever the beatitudes are lived. His subjects would be the poor in spirit, the humble, the meek, the peacemakers, people who work for justice, those who are willing to suffer for their faith.
And so today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we do well to praise our Lord, Jesus, to assure him of our absolute worship and obedience, to recognize his reign over the Kingdom of God. But, as I mentioned before, we must also resist the temptation to apply the metaphor of king too tightly or literally because no metaphor completely captures the entire essence of that which it attempts to illuminate. Jesus Christ reigns in the hearts and souls of all who love him. His kingdom is not drawn on a map or guarded by weapons at the borders. Rather, the kingdom that Jesus established is to be found anywhere we freely and joyfully choose to live as he lived, in obedience to his teaching, following his example and loving both God and our neighbor with selfless and sacrificial hearts. Whenever that happens, it is like heaven on earth. Whenever that happens, we please and honor our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.