Here we are at the end of our church year, about to begin
our journey of Advent, with a scene from the last hours of the earthly life of
Jesus. We hear this exchange between
Jesus and Pilate, where Jesus is identified as the King of the Jews, a name
that Jesus, himself, does not embrace, but allows others to use, even when they
don’t really understand the truth of Christ as King.
The people were looking for a savior
who would stop the tyranny of Caesar, who would end the slavery, the
oppression, the poverty, and who would help them live with hope.
The people wanted someone who could
call upon armies to overthrow their government and re-balance the hierarchy
with greater fairness and understanding.
Perhaps someone with military might and an understanding of human
institutions.
They needed a strong voice who could fight
for them while strengthening the world in which they lived.
For so many, these were the attributes
they expected from Jesus.
Even those who walked the way with
Jesus hoped that this man was the one who would change the governmental
structures.
Instead, Jesus came into this world to
change hearts.
He didn’t come to overthrow a system
of law or a system of government or to claim his superiority over those who
governed the people.
Jesus came to overthrow
and claim our hearts.
Today we celebrate Christ the King
Sunday, and it can sometimes be difficult to understand what that means. It’s
difficult to understand because we have images of royalty and examples of
leaders. Some are born into their title,
some are elected, and others take them.
We look up to them and we look to
them to govern and manage our civic affairs and we hope that they will make balanced
decisions that will strengthen our communities and the world.
Unfortunately, it is very likely that
any of us, like many throughout history, will be or have been disappointed in
some of our royals or elected officials at some point in our lives. Their successes and their failures are boldly
marked throughout history and as history is being made. Throughout human history, throughout scripture,
we learn of kings and judges and rulers and governors who are hurtful and deceitful
and oppressive, and we find our heroes who have changed these negative paths,
if even for a short time, and we cling to their memories.
The people around Jesus were looking
for that kind of hero. They wanted that kind of leader. One who
would change their lives from the top down by taking over some political office. Who would overthrow tyranny, upend systems of
oppression, and hear the voices of those who were continually silenced.
They wanted a king, or maybe a lord or
a governor. They wanted Jesus to be a
political figure with power to change the world in which they lived.
But that is not Jesus. Jesus was not born of a peasant family, or trained
as a carpenter, or became an itinerant preacher and teacher to end up sitting on
a human-made throne. He was not born to
lord his position over anyone. He was
not sent here to politically reign over anything or anyone.
Yet, we call him Christ the King. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. Ruler of all nature. We say Jesus is King. That Jesus is Lord. We use this language because there are no earthly
words to describe the breadth of Jesus’ reign or the depth of God’s
kingdom. There are no borders, no
palaces, no white houses or state houses that confine Jesus.
That’s because Jesus does not reign
over a city or a country.
Jesus reigns over our hearts. His kingdom is within each of us and all around
us. It is immeasurable. It is truth.
In our Gospel, we heard Jesus answer Pilate
saying, ‘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.’ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” What does it mean to belong to the
truth? How can one testify to the
truth? Who is this Jesus? Is he a king, or isn’t he?
That’s the crux of it. How do we describe who Jesus is when the
people of Jesus’ time were looking for someone who would save them from their
current rulers? Jesus was not who they
expected or what they thought they needed.
Instead, Jesus was what we all need throughout eternity. Jesus is Truth. Jesus is the Word, the embodiment of God,
made flesh, made human.
So when we say that Jesus is King, that
Jesus is Lord, we barely touch the surface of who he is to those of us who
believe in him.
Because when we believe in Jesus, when
we belong to Jesus, we surrender ourselves to him. Our hearts are transformed as we recognize
God’s love within us.
It’s hard to deny the ways in which
that love can affect us. When Jesus is
the ruler of our hearts, we are given the opportunity to gain a new understanding
of the two greatest commandments: to love God and to love one another.
We learn to take chances with
unconditional love—that agape that
helps us recognize the beloved-ness of every person created in God’s image. Throughout the Gospels we learn, by Jesus’
example, how to love one another, because when we love one another, when we
walk in the ways of Jesus, we express God’s love for all humanity.
Jesus’ reign, his kingdom, is, as he
said, not of this world. His rules are
different, his role is different.
They are different because when we
have surrendered our selves to Christ, we become a part of Jesus’ reign, his kingdom,
willing to be ruled by God to live in unity with Christ, to live as reflections
of his love, to express the unconditional love of God to all our neighbors.
Often you will find quotes from the
brothers from the Society of St. John the Evangelist in your bulletin insert. These quotes are designed to help us dig a
little deeper into our understanding of our faith. Yesterday, Brother Geoffrey Tristram wrote
that
Christ the King Sunday “is a chance for us each to look back and ask ourselves
some searching questions:
During this past year who has been my king?
Whom have I served, through my words, thoughts, and deeds?
To whom have I paid allegiance?
Who sits on the throne of my heart?
Here (he says) is an invitation to choose Christ again.
Choose Christ.
Enthrone Christ as your Lord and your King.”
During this past year who has been my king?
Whom have I served, through my words, thoughts, and deeds?
To whom have I paid allegiance?
Who sits on the throne of my heart?
Here (he says) is an invitation to choose Christ again.
Choose Christ.
Enthrone Christ as your Lord and your King.”
I would add, that when we do, he shall
reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!