Word to the Wise
Sunday, November 24, 2019 - 34th or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time - C: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
[2 Sam 5:1-3; Col 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43]He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [Colossians]
I remember a hymn that was sung at one of my campus ministries that had these words, "What are you looking for, in Christ, what kind of king?" These words come back to me each year on this Sunday, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, on which the feast of Christ the King is celebrated. I find the official title of the feast - Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - a bit pompous but the words from Colossians, quoted above, show that the early Christian community began to think in those terms. They are a "cosmic" concept of kingship. The two other scriptures for today give us other, very different concepts.
The passage from 2 Samuel speaks of the choice of David as king of Israel, but one should go back to the original establishment of the monarchy in Israel at 1 Samuel 8:10-22 in which God warns the Israelites through Samuel that having a king is a very risky proposition. But they insisted and God gave them Saul, who was a very "mixed bag" indeed. In fact, most of the kings in Israel get bad grades in the Old Testament. David was no paragon of virtue, but God did promise that David's throne would last forever and the Christian community saw this promise fulfilled in Jesus, a descendant of David.
Jesus' own disciples had their own notions of what Jesus' kingdom would be like. They had only their own experience of Caesar and the local governors like Herod to go by. Pilate's notice on Jesus' cross is a kind of reminder of that notion. The gospel scripture for today shows a compassionate and suffering "king" who forgives one of those crucified along with him. There would not be an earthly political kingdom for the disciples to inherit. There would be only the kingdom of Jesus' teachings and example.
Those three images - political, cosmic and merciful kingdoms - are not the only ones. What image do we have when we hear the words, "Christ the King?" " What are you looking for, in Christ, what kind of king?" AMEN