Word to the Wise
Sunday, November 21, 2021 - 34th or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time - B: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
[Dan 7:13-14; Rev 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37]"My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say 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." [John]
One of the uncomfortable questions I occasionally venture to ask someone who is expressing a particular opinion about the Church or the pope is: "Does your faith shape your political views, or do your political views shape your faith? Pilate's famous response to Jesus' statement about his (Jesus') kingdom is: "What is truth?" Pilate's categories and those of the Jewish authorities about kings were political. They were concerned about political power and status. Roman politics thought in terms of an emperor who was considered divine. Jewish politics arose originally from tribal leadership (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and then gradually mimicked the "kings" of neighboring ethnic groups. But the cruel lessons of the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans gave rise to "messianic" hopes that included political deliverance! In any case, "kingdom" and "king" meant power. Was Jesus trying to seize power? Was he some kind of revolutionary?
The title of today's feast, Jesus Christ King of the Universe, would have seemed absurd to Pilate and even to the Jews of Jesus' time. The inscription that Pilate put over Jesus' head sarcastically referred to him as "King of the Jews" - meaning this is what happens to anybody who threatens Roman rule. Our liturgical tradition uses the title "King" in terms of God's sovereignty over all creation, which will be manifested at the end of time. The Books of Daniel and Revelation use imagery that the people of their time would understand to convey the truth of God's identity and sovereignty. This "kingdom" transcends all forms of human political (or even ecclesiastical) government.
As we come to this final Sunday in the liturgical year on which we express our faith in Jesus' ultimate return and rule of all creation, we can ask ourselves that initial question about how faith and political visions mix in our lives. "Truth" for us is not a "what" but a "who?" And that "Who" is Christ. AMEN