XXXIIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: Jn 18:33-37
In the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate Christ the King. Everyday, as Christians we proclaim Jesus as Lord. Indeed, he is Lord of lords and King of kings.
What kind of king is Christ?
If Jesus Christ is king, then, we may ask what kind of king is he? The title of king, applied to Christ, can be very misleading, if misunderstood. Jesus himself never claimed to be a king, except during his trial, when he was being questioned by Pilate. Asked by Roman governor, if he was a king, Jesus answered with a question: You yourself, do you think that I am a king? Or are you accepting as a fact what others told you about me?
In chains, before the Roman tribunal, the affirmation that he is a king sounded like a joke, and Jesus himself referred to it by saying: Where is my army? Where are my soldiers? And where are our weapons?
How could the Roman State feel threatened by such a king? In court, Jesus was straightforward in his statement: “My kingdom is not of this world.”
His kinship is of service
Jesus is a king, but not like human kings. According to the book of Revelation, he is “the faithful witness” (Rev 1:5). He is a witness to God’s love. He is the truth, and in him, we find the truth. His rule is not imposed by oppression and injustice. His kingship is of service. He is a king of love, who “loved to the end” (Jn 13:1), who gave himself totally for the ones he loves.
Jesus had been accused of high treason, and Pilate ordered that to be stated clearly on the cross: Jesus, the Nazarene, king of the Jews.
He was proclaimed king on the cross
Jesus was proclaimed king on the cross. The cross, on which he gave the supreme proof of his love, is the throne from which he calls everybody to share the life that he gives.
He “made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6). He shares with us his kingship, and he will allow us to sit on his throne of glory, but for that we have to walk in the same path: to fill our hearts with love and to put ourselves at the service of others.
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