Christ the King Sunday
Today is “Christ the King” Sunday. Sometimes it is called the “Reign of Christ” Sunday. It marks the very end of the church calendar. It brings us to the ultimate end of history as we know it, which is the eventual recognition of all of creation that Christ is the ruler of all- that his love triumphs over hate and greed. That he is greater than all the false idols that try to tempt us into their worship- like money, power, and lust. Christ provides the ultimate meaning for our life, and is the ultimate power at the foundation of the universe.
God has allowed a certain level of ambiguity to continue until the Day that all creation recognizes Christ as King. That ambiguity allows the question to remain in the air. This means that in our own day there are many possible answers to the question of the ultimate power of the universe and meaning of our lives.
So, we are surrounded by alternative beliefs regarding the ultimate power and meaning in the universe. Perhaps it is true that those who die with the most toys win. Maybe it is a matter of pursuing the most pleasure in life. Maybe the ultimate power in the universe is the entropy that will cause the sun to die and all life in the universe to end as the atoms and energy of the universe dissipate into the cold darkness of the universe. Maybe the ultimate truth is that you (as an individual that makes choices) exist as an illusion created by your brain and biology, and that you are really just a biological computer programmed by your DNA and environment, and when you die that illusion ends and you stop having experiences. And without choice, there really isn’t such a thing as good and evil- just stuff that happens according to our programming and the random cause and effect of the universe’s expansion. … Maybe another view of god is the true view, but maybe it is not a view of Christ and his love and forgiveness, but of power and domination and condemnation. … These remain live options in our world.
God has allowed a certain ambiguity to remain until that day when all creation, all humanity, recognizes Christ as sitting on the throne of the universe. So, these questions can remain as live possibilities in our world until that day.
Our readings point us to that Day. He is the anointed king, like David, which is what it means to be the Messiah, but that is only beginning to hint at who he is. All over the New Testament we see indications of the divinity of Christ. He is fully human, but much more, as well. In our reading from the book of Revelation Jesus is described as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” And what kind of king is this? He “loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father”.
Eventually, he will come in a way that “every eye will see him”.
But, until that day, the ambiguity remains. And we see this in Pilate’s interaction with Jesus. “Are you the king of the Jews?”, he asks. It is a small question. “Are you claiming some kind of leadership among these people?” “Are you a rival to King Herod?” … If only he knew who stood before him. He would see that he is the king over all kings. Over Herod, yes. Over Roman governors, as well. Over the Emperor, and all governors and all emperors and kings that have ever existed and will ever exist. Over the powers of death, and Satan, and all darkness- and he sets himself against them. And he is the king over all light and life and justice and goodness.
Pilate’s question is a shallow one. The religious leaders who handed Jesus over had accused him of blasphemy and wanted him put to death, a sentence that in those particular circumstances required a higher authority above the Sanhedrin. So, they brought Jesus to Pilate, but he would not want to be used in their religious arguments, so they changed the charge to a political crime so that Pilate would be more agreeable to a sentence of death. Jesus was causing sedition against Rome and those Rome put in power. He forbids the payment of taxes to Rome. And he sets himself up as king.
An interesting detail is that the Sanhedrin would not enter into the home of Pilate who is a Gentile, or they would be prevented from celebrating the Passover. They had to remain pure to sacrifice the Passover Lamb. So, Pilate had to come out to meet them.
Pilate is only really interested if Jesus was going to disturb the Roman peace. Was Jesus going to make him look bad by being the cause of a riot? Was he going to cause violence in the street and make him release the violence of Rome on the people? There were others who caused this kind of trouble before. Was Jesus one of them? … There were two ways to the crown, by the blood of family, or by the blood of violence. If Jesus was claiming either of these paths, then he was of interest to Pilate. … If not, he has other more important things to deal with.
Jesus responds to Pilate’s question in a way that hints towards his otherworldly origins. He is a king, but his kingdom does not come from here- “My Kingdom is not from this world”, he says It is of such a kind that no earthly power can put it at risk- he says, “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.”
Pilate follows up by asking, “‘So you are a king?’” Jesus agrees, “‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” … A kingdom has a king. The letter to the Colossians tells us that this king “is the image of the invisible God” and “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col 1:15,19). And the 1st chapter of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). … Who better to bring truth to the creation, but the very Word of the Creator?
And what is this kingdom? A kingdom, as Dallas Willard explains, is the range of the king’s effective will. A King’s rule is where his will is made a reality. The kingdom of God is where what God wants to happen is what actually happens. … When we allow God’s will to become a reality in our lives, we have entered into His Kingdom. When we accept Him as our King- when we accept his loving rule in our lives- when we receive him as the ultimate authority over our lives- then, we become citizens of His Kingdom.
And when we enter into that kingdom, our citizenship becomes indestructible. Just as no power on this earth can destroy that Kingdom, so neither can the powers of earth touch the citizens of that Kingdom. Yes, there are temporary earthy pains, but ultimately, those who are in the kingdom of Christ are safe and secure. No power can threaten us or tear us out of His kingdom. As St. Paul says in Rom 8:38-39- “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
For the time being ambiguity is allowed. People can claim other rulers and powers as the ultimate in our universe. Pilate is permitted to walk away from Christ smugly asking, “what it truth?”. He is able to walk away from Truth incarnate, and he is even free to crucify Truth. … But that time will eventually come to an end and Truth will be revealed in a way that is undeniable- His throne and crown will be undeniably visible to everyone. AMEN
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