CHRIST THE KING - Luke 23:35-43
We end the liturgical year with the feast of Christ the King and we proclaim him to be “the King of kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Tim 6:15; Rev 19:16). Lord - translating the Greek word - κυριος - which was the word used in the Septuaginta translation of the Bible (done about 300 years before Christ) to translate the name of God, YHWH. In today’s translations of the Old Testament, whenever we find the word LORD, we know that it corresponds to YHWH in the Hebrew Bible. Calling Jesus LORD was like calling him by God’s personal name YHWH, and the Jews considered that a great blasphemy.
In this Sunday, the whole Church, united to all past generations, proclaims that Jesus is LORD and that he is the King of kings. He came to establish the Kingdom of God and his mission will be fulfilled.
Not like the earthly kings
However, we cannot be induced in error by thinking that Jesus is a king like the earthly kings. And in this Sunday’s gospel, we can discover how Jesus’ kingdom is completely different. The reason for his crucifixion was given in an inscription fixed on the top of the cross: “the King of the Jews.” (Lk 23:38). Such words sounded like a mockery: If he is king, then his throne is the cross. But that is the truth. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus is glorified on the cross; and in the same way, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ kingship is proclaimed and recognised on the cross. The ones responsible for his condemnation abused him and challenged him to prove that he is “the Christ, the Chosen One” (Lk 23:35). In Jesus, they only could see a false prophet. It was one of the criminals crucified with him who was able to recognise the truth and to believe that Jesus is indeed the Christ who came to save us and set up God’s kingdom, and he prayed: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Lk 23:42). Jesus answered his plea with the promise that they would enter together in paradise to share the blissfulness of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ kingship is one of faithfulness, service and love. He so loved the world, the he gave his life for us, so that we have a share in his glory.
God’s Kingdom is completely different from the Muslim Caliphate
Speaking of a kingdom, we may think of power in the same way we think of the political powers of this world. Nothing further from the truth. How different is Jesus’ kingship from the Caliphate of the Islamic State founded on the footsteps of Muhammad and the Caliphs that came after him. They spread Islam through the power of the sword and have kept it through the centuries with an iron fist, killing those who disenchanted with Islam go in search of other answers for their lives. Unlike Muhammad, Jesus never used the power of the sword. Instead of killing all those that opposed him, as Muhammad did, he suffered death at their hands and promised suffering and persecution to those who follow him. Jesus’ power is the power of love and of mercy, and in him we experience God’s love and mercy.
Jesus made peace by his death on the cross
The second reading, taken from the letter of Paul to the Colossians, speaks of this great mystery, which is the salvation in Jesus Christ.
“He is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –
all things were created through him and for him.” (Col 1:15-16)
It is in Him that we can make a true experience of God. Everything was created through him and for him. He is the first to be born from the dead,
“because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross.” (Col 1:19-20).
It is by his death on the cross that we are reconciled and that the door of God’s kingdom is open to all who are one with Christ. This is the mystery of God’s plan, a plan made of love and mercy, as Paul puts it:
“Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.” (Col 1:13-14)
Celebrating God’s mercy
As we celebrate Christ the King, we conclude as well the Jubilee of Mercy. This Jubilee has helped us that God’s merciful love is in the centre of his plan of salvation, and Jesus Christ, who came to carry out that plan, has taught us to be merciful as the Father is merciful (Lk 6:36).
Even though the Jubilee of Mercy is coming to an end, the spirit and the attitude of mercy are an essential part of being a Christian. As children of God, we must practice mercy, because our Father is merciful. We pray for those who are our enemies and ask God’s blessings upon them. Only being merciful, can we expect to receive mercy.
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