In the Catholic Church, this last Sunday of the liturgical year is called the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or for short, the Feast of Christ the King. Perhaps it is my American heritage, but I have always considered the name of the feast as unfortunate.
The word “king” carries with it a negative connotation. Throughout all of human history, the number of human monarchs who have been benevolent and wise rulers are far fewer than those who have been heartless, greedy despots. Of all the kings in the Hebrew Testament , only David, Solomon, and perhaps, Josiah, are remembered fondly, and they were all flawed. As we read about the kings listed in the books of Kings and Chronicles in the Hebrew Testament, more often than not, the words written about these kings are, “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestors had done.” This is usually followed by a description of the generally quick and grisly demise of the king.
The Gospels paint an image of Jesus that in no way resembles that of a king. Instead of having people serve him on hand and feet, we find Jesus on his knees washing the feet of his disciples and serving their needs. Jesus states time and again throughout the Gospels that he came to serve and not to be served. In John’s account of the feeding of the 5000, the people come to make him king, and Jesus responds by fleeing and hiding from them.
In John’s Passion we hear this dialogue between Pilate and Jesus. “Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. 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 asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king.” With such negative historical references about kings, why on earth would we impose such a title on Jesus?
Listen to these words from John’s Prologue. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Jesus is far more than a King. He, through him all things were created, is the Lord of all. How is his reign described? The Gospel today describes the kind of ruler or leader that Jesus is as “Lord.”
Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus did not identify himself with the rich and the powerful. He becomes one with the most despised or most forgotten of his society. In the passage from Luke’s Passion, in his passion and death, Jesus becomes one with the thieves executed alongside him. Around him, the Jewish religious leaders mock and taunt Jesus. One of the thieves, in extreme pain physically and spiritually derides Jesus. The other thief rebukes the thief, stating that while Jesus is innocent of any crime, he and the other thief are being justly held accountable for the crimes they had committed. Jesus responds to the thief’s compassion by promising him a place in the eternal reign of God.
We will soon be celebrating the incarnation of Jesus at Christmas, when he became one with humanity by becoming one with us in everything human except for that of sin. In his passion and his death, out of love for us he became one with us in our suffering and our death. Denise Levertov describes this “oneing” with humanity in her poem, “On A Theme From Julian’s Chapter XX”.
One only is ‘King of Grief’.
The onening, she saw, the onening
with the Godhead opened Him utterly
to the pain of all minds, all bodies
sands of the sea, of the desert –
from first beginning
to last day. The great wonder is
that the human cells of His flesh and bone
didn’t explode
when utmost Imagination rose
in that flood of knowledge. Unique
in agony, infinite strength, Incarnate,
empowered Him to endure
inside of history,
through those hours when He took Himself
the sum total of anguish and drank
even the lees of that cup:[1]
Normal human kings seek to separate themselves from their subjects. Their relationship with the people they rule is not a power with relationship, taking on the hardships of the people they lead, but in a power over relationship that is meant to dominate and overwhelm their subject. Jesus is the complete antithesis of a human king. The “oneing” to which Denise Levertov refers, is one in which the one through whom all was created makes it his primary mission to be ONE with us. His is a power with relationship, never a power over relationship.
I love the portrait of Jesus above by Brother Robert Lentz OFM. It is entitled “Christ of Maryknoll”. It is a portrait of Christ as a Latino refugee held captive behind the barb wire of an internment camp run by ICE in the United States (Google Brother Robert Lentz OFM to see all his art). As he was in his earthly ministry, Jesus remains one with those who are poor, those who are outcast, those who are imprisoned. As Lord of Heaven and Earth, he continues to serve those who are in most need.
As we celebrate this Feast of “Christ the King”, let us not model our discipleship after that of earthly monarchs. Rather, let us model our discipleship after Jesus, Lord of All by becoming “one” with those most in need, serving them as Jesus once served us. iN OUR “”ONEING” WITH THE POOR AND OUTCAST, WE BECOME “ONE” WITH JESUS THROUGH WHOM ALL WAS CREATED.
[1] “On A Theme From Julian’s Chapter XX” © 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 by Denise Levertov, A New Direction Book.
