Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

It appears we’ve been getting it wrong this whole time. From my childhood, and I can imagine from yours as well, every time I came across an image of Jesus Christ as King of the Universe, he is attired in royal robes – luxurious velvet, fine linen, and rich cloth; crowned in magnificent gold; adorned in brilliant precious stones; enthroned amid the familiar trappings of earthly power and authority – scepter in hand, enemies at his feet, hosts of angels awaiting his every beck and call. It’s a very comforting image of the One we honor on this glorious feast as we bring the liturgical year to a close – Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal and Most High God, Universal King and Supreme Ruler over all Creation. And then we hear in that gospel passage how he says right to Pontius Pilate’s face, “My kingdom is not of this world.” You would think he would be starving for some sympathy after being betrayed by one of his inner circle, abandoned by the rest of his friends, disowned by the religious leaders of his people, and dragged in by soldiers who serve the world’s most powerful and most paranoid emperor. I suppose it’s not our fault we have such an understanding of what a Universal King and Supreme Ruler over all Creation might be. This is all we’ve ever really known about kings and earthly rulers. So if we just clean up the image, set aside all human imperfections and dysfunctions, then voila!, we give the itinerant preacher and carpenter’s son from Nazareth a makeover and bestow on him the highest honors we can ever imagine!

Today’s feast was instituted for the universal church in 1925 by Pius XI to be celebrated on the Sunday before the feast of All Saints, then later moved to the last Sunday of the liturgical year by Paul VI in 1969. The pope’s original intent was to divert attention from the divisive nationalist and secularist movements in Europe after World War I to the one true focus he hoped all of Christian Europe would welcome. Although he intended well, the true meaning of the feast continues to escape us. Had Christians strayed so far from the truth, that we would ignore the Holy Father’s call to reexamine our priorities and return to God? Did the image of Jesus Christ in the guise of an earthly king fail to fire up the Christian imagination? It probably did little to impress non-Christians and non-believers. Perhaps we should have been paying closer attention to what Jesus was saying all along. “My kingdom is not of this world.” Are we ready today to really hear what he was trying to tell us?

We might recall that this kingdom he speaks of, alternately referring to it as the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, is not a kingdom of some future time and place. Instead, he tells us it is already here, already in our midst. But somehow, we have believed and taught others that we may not attain heaven until we depart from this life, that we can get to heaven only after death. Did we also get that wrong?

When Jesus spoke of the kingdom, he never described it using images of earthly power and wealth. When we think of an earthly kingdom, we might picture a noble family of historical importance, endowed with the trappings of affluence, power, and privilege, with self-important noble titles and vast holdings of land and property, a veritable army of household servants and soldiers, power both imagined and real, the appearance of military might, the unchallenged allegiance of its citizens, topped with enviable adoration, influence, and prestige within and beyond its borders. Instead, he announced that those who belong to his kingdom would strive to do the will of his heavenly Father, and that tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom ahead of those who believed themselves righteous yet refused to put faith in him.

When Peter picked up a sword to defend him in the garden before he was arrested by Roman soldiers and temple guards, Jesus strongly cautioned against violence, that Peter should put his sword back in its place, that “they who take the sword will perish by the sword.” That seems more consistent with his teachings against paying back evil for evil in the Sermon on the Mount. “Offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. … You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”

Then at the last supper, he washed his disciples’ feet, he who is Lord and Master. Why have we believed and taught others very differently from what Jesus was saying, putting greater importance on popularity and likes and followers on social media?

When Jesus spoke of the kingdom, he pointed often to the cost it would demand of those who wanted to possess it. He spoke of how the kingdom is a precious treasure; that one would be willing to sell everything to possess it; that one was not worthy of the kingdom who looked back on what they were leaving behind; that one was not worthy of him who loved father and mother, son or daughter more than him; that one was not worthy of him who did not take up his cross and follow after him. The promise of instant wealth and notoriety, as when somone wins a Mega-million lottery prize, might force the poor soul to renounce family, loyalty, even their most noble principles, literally placing the value of an earthly kingdom ahead of everything else. Those who stand on the sidelines might call it madness. We might even declare we would never do that. But secretly, we could see things differently when it’s happening to us. Still, we believe, and we teach our children that people are more important than things. Yet Jesus says to place the kingdom above everything, even the people most dear to us. If the kingdom of God is our highest priority, Jesus tells us, we should be willing to set aside all our other priorities. But that’s not what we teach others. So how did we get that wrong?

“I was born to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” What is he talking about? Pilate asked the question, but didn’t hang around for the answer. The Father sent Jesus to proclaim the truth, calling us to a new way of thinking, and a new way of living. Jesus said the kingdom is already in our midst, a kingdom of mercy, justice, forgiveness, renewal, with God ruling over all. It is not some future time or place. It is here and now. It is not for the privileged nor the self-righteous. It is for the repentant sinner. It is for the imperfect and the struggling who keep working hard and don’t give up. It is for the blind, the deaf, the mute, and the lame who proclaim the triumph of God’s mercy over evil and sin. It is for the broken made whole again. It is for the dead risen to new and eternal life. “My kingdom is not of this world.” How is it we keep getting that wrong?

Rolo B Castillo © 2024