Christ The King Sunday

Throughout history:
Christians have lived in and under:
All sorts of political arrangements.

In empires and under emperors,
In democracies with presidents and prime ministers:

In monarchies with kings and queens:
With dictators in repressive regimes:
And in open societies with lots of rights and privileges.

Christians have lived in all of it.
And not a single one is explicitly “Christian.”

What has united all Christians throughout time:
Is that regardless of what earthly powers ordered Christians daily lives,
Those political regimes were only a secondary allegiance.

In truth:
All Christian’s throughout all time:
Owe their allegiance to Christ the king and the Kingdom of God.

And today:
Is Christ the King Sunday:

The final Sunday of the church year before advent begins.

So before we begin contemplating the baby in the manger:
We celebrate and place our allegiance:
In Christ the King.

When we think about Christ as king:
(If we even do it at all)
Many of us may have in mind the images of Jesus of a king with great
power:
Giving us the impression that he is similar to all other earthly kings,
Except maybe more powerful.

But our Gospel today brings into stark relief:
Who Christ’s kingship and his kingdom:
Are in contrast with any and all earthly power.

Today’s gospel reading is one that is often misunderstood.
With Pilate facing off against Jesus as almost a tragic figure, or even a sort
of antihero.
But make no mistake:
Pilate represents the monstrous powers of the earth:
The way that humans wield power and control over others through
violence, repression, and domination, standing in for the whole Roman
Empire.

It is fascinating to begin with that we don’t even have a king to king
showdown:
But instead, King Jesus face to face with Caesar’s REPRESENTATIVE:
Since Caesar himself is too high and mighty to approach his people (in
contrast to our incarnate King, Jesus.)

In the story:
Pilate asks if Jesus is a king.
But this question is complicated in translation.
(Remember that the Bible was not written in English!)

The real way that Pilate asks this question is sort of mockingly,
Like, “What? YOU? a king?!?”

How can this homeless man:
Not even a citizen:
Claim to be a king, when we have the great Caesar?

And yet:
This is still:
Even in its mocking scorn:
A matter of life and death.

To claim kingship contra Caesar:
Was to invite the death penalty.

And here’s another contrast between Caesar and Christ as king.

Caesar only has power at the expense of other people.
Jesus, though:
Is so powerful that we are invited to become more and more like him:
Drawing us closer to him:
Rather than making the separation greater.

But back to the story:
After Pilate asks the question:
Jesus answers, not directly, but affirmatively.

“My kingdom is not from this world”
Now again: There’s some translation issues here.
Some translations say “My kingdom is not OF this world”

OF or FROM:
Both are possible from the original Greek:
But saying “My kingdom is not of this world”
Gives the sense of it being otherworldly:
Not impacting our lives now:
Only dealing with an inner spirituals state or time after death.

But this is not what Jesus is saying.
The Kingdom of God is always crashing into our current reality:
Challenging and superseding it.

What Jesus is saying:
Is that his kingdom is based on:

Gets its power an authority from something higher.

His point is that he does not need violence to establish or maintain his
kingdom.
It is based in power far greater than that.

As we will see:
It is based in the sort of power that can conquer the seeming weakness
and failure: and suffering death on a cross.

Jesus then affirms his kingdom is rooted in truth:
Which is met by Pilates famous response:
Just after what we read today.
Pilate says:
“What is truth?”

But this isn’t a philosophical question (even if it seems that way)
Its again the mocking scorn of one who is power hungry and power
poisoned.

It’s more like he’s saying:
“what even is truth? And who even cares?
Truth doesn’t move the world:
Power does.”

And this gives us the final significant distinction:
Between the Kingship of Christ:

And the Kingship of earthly powers:

Christ’s kingdom is rooted in truth:
In speaking the truth:
And in seeking the truth.

In a world where power is built through misinformation:
This is a radical affirmation.

And we know:
That Christ will:
In his resurrection:
Become the king enthroned above:

But not before he is first enthroned on the cross:
A feat that no other earthly power is willing to experience.

The takeaway for all of us:
Is that Christ the King:
Is our ultimate power and authority.

We are under his dominion,
And we are called to follow our allegiance to him and no one else.

We are called to live lives of peace:
To be rooted in truth:
And to seek out that truth and follow it:

Even when it’s inconvenient and difficult:
Even when it goes contrary to our comfort.

And ultimately:
We are to become more and more like our king:
Recognizing that we too may be called to follow the way of the cross:
In witness against the powers of this world:
And in witness to our only true king.

Amen.