The gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for Christ the King Sunday, November 21st, John 18:33-37 says…
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. 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.
The Christian year comes to an end with Christ the King Sunday. November 28th is the first Sunday of the season of Advent and begins a new Christian year as we anticipate the coming of Christ at Christmas. We begin the year awaiting the coming of Christ and we end the year with Christ reigning as king. Christ the King Sunday was established officially as a feast day in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. In 1925, dictatorships were rising in Europe and Pope Pius felt people were being taken in by the power and charisma of these dictators. Allegiance to these earthly rulers, Pius feared, made them doubt Christ’s authority and the Church’s power to maintain the authority of Christ. Pope Pius hoped the feast of Christ the King would result in people acknowledging Christ’s true kingship and would establish Christ’s reign in people’s bodies, minds, and hearts.
In our passage of scripture today, we find Jesus encountering someone who was a ruler over people. Pontius Pilate ruled over Judea as the servant and representative of Caesar. The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus was forcibly taken to Pilate and accused by the people of being a criminal. Confused by the accusations Pilate takes the opportunity to question Jesus. Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”. It is interesting for us to note here that Jesus doesn’t say to this question, “Yea, I’m the king.” Jesus never went around lording over people royal privilege or exclaiming that he was a king. In fact, Jesus in no way embodied the common characteristics of what we would imagine a king to be— no crown with jewels, no palace with many rooms, no chariot. In this exchange it appears that Jesus is intentionally evasive and strives not to say he is a king. Pilate asks Jesus, “what have you done?” Jesus answers “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.” So then, what kind of a king is Jesus? What is this kingdom that Jesus is always going on about?
We see time and again throughout scripture Jesus using the language of kingdom. In Luke’s gospel, we are told “the kingdom of God is within you” or “the kingdom of God is among you” (17:21). In Luke chapter 22, Jesus states, “I confer on you a kingdom…so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom” (22:29-30). The Gospel of Matthew states “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (16:19). Again, Luke’s gospel states, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (6:20). These scriptures provide us with many different models of the kingdom of God.
Many of the Jewish people were waiting for a super king who would establish King David’s dynasty forever. Jesus Christ came into the world in the most humble way, born in a manger. Jesus was not a king in the way that many of the Jewish people were expecting. Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting on, but Jesus offered no earthly kingdom based on power. Jesus came speaking about a different kind of life. Jesus brought with him a spiritual kingdom that was based on loving God and loving people. Jesus is a king who represents and offers us a kingdom of humility, service, and love. Jesus offers us a kingdom of grace, mercy, and peace. Jesus offers us a kingdom that is breaking into the present and is still yet to come. Jesus didn’t come to bring about an earthly kingdom that would establish governance for the people; rather he came to offer something way more important than that. Christ brought a kingdom that changes the human heart. This is a kingdom that brings about justice and joy for all people. This is a kingdom that stands in contrast to many of the kingdoms of the world and offers us a different and better way to live. This is a kingdom that is made up of love, service, and humility— a kingdom that is concerned with relationships rather than acquiring wealth.
We join together this Sunday with the universal church at the end of the liturgical year to celebrate Christ our King. And so as we reflect on this past year in our personal lives and in the life of our churches, we have to ask ourselves: is Christ the king of our hearts? Is Christ the king of your heart? Is Christ the king of the heart of our church? How can we journey together and draw closer to perfection and come to a greater understanding of the kingdom of God? Next Sunday will be the beginning of Advent. A new Christian year will start next week and we will begin a journey awaiting the coming of Christ. What would it look like for us to move into the next Christian year asking, both individually and as a church, how can Christ be more the king of our heart? How can we honor this king who didn’t wear a crown of jewels or live in a palace, but rather was born in a manger? How can we honor this king who spent his time with lepers, tax collectors, sinners, and people who others wanted to stone and kill; this king who displayed humility by washing others feet; this king who embodied perfect love and carried a cross and wore a crown of thorns; this king who didn’t expect others to serve him, but rather served others? We do this by recognizing that Jesus Christ the king has arrived, and will come again. Let us all strive to live in his kingdom.