By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Luke 23:38-42
This Sunday brings us to the end of the Liturgical Church Calendar year – this is the last Sunday in the Season of Pentecost. In the Roman Church and Anglican Church tradition it is called Christ the King Sunday, while the Protestant calls it the Reign of Christ Sunday. Though worded or expressed differently – it means the same thing. It tells us about the primacy of our Lord Jesus in this world and the next.
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The past weeks and days have brought us face to face with several bad, frightful and ugly things around us. Catastrophes are all over the world: wildfires in North America, Australia and other continents; earthquakes in Mindanao, series of typhoons that brought torrential rains resulting to ruinous floods in Cagayan Valley and part of the Cordillera Administrative Region. And our lessons last week tells us of similar things, of calamities and wars and revolutions and fearful events and signs in the heavens. These are bad and frightful things. Then we are confronted daily dosages of news of criminal acts, extra judicial killings, daily apprehension of people involved in illegal drugs, of corruption and other ugly things happening in our society; accusation of bribery, of graft, of too much politicking to the detriment of delivery of social services particularly to the least of our bretheren… and yes, the Caldero or Cauldron of the SEA Games. Bad, ugly, and frightful things.
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Amidst all these frightful, bad and ugly things that surround and engulf us, comes a fitting message this morning: Jesus Christ is King and he reigns in this world and in the next. The bad, the ugly, and frightful things are the antagonists that challenges and prevents the full reign of Christ today. Similarly, Jesus in his dying moments were challenged and questioned by three antagonists (enemies): the rulers that sneered at him saying, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Messiah, the Son of God (vs. 35).” The soldiers that mocked him, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” (v.36); the criminal hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (v.39).
It is ironic that the same kind of people and attitude that prevent the full realization of Christ’s kingdom in this world. The same kind of people who executed him in the cross continue to kill him in the cross of the suffering people of today.
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Nearly three thousand years after his crucifixion, we gather in worship to affirm and to celebrate his sovereignty. But still questions remain: How does Jesus reign? What are the substance and realm of the rule of Christ? While earthly kings rule from palaces, Christ the King reigns from the cross. His kingdom is not a place, but a people who give their hearts lovingly to him by shaping their lives according to his will. Jesus Christ the King holds no scepter for recognition but a towel for service. Rather than demanding that people bow before him, Jesus stoops before people in order to wash their feet, cool their fevered brows, touch their sores, and ease their pains. Instead of commanding a well-armed militia to advance his cause by force, Jesus commissions a straggly group of common people gratified by his love to spread the gospel of peace respecting people’s freedom. Jesus prefers giving away everything that he has to the poor rather than collecting taxes. And the only throne from which he reigns is the cross.
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The kingship of Christ is made real by allowing God to do his work in us and through us. It is a life-long process involving a daily invitation to transformation and conversion. He calls us, who are his subjects, to take his side in the struggle of furthering the growth of his kingdom. The rule of Jesus occurs within the hearts and minds of all who follow him. The kingdom is within. Repeatedly Jesus described a realm of rule dramatically different from a realm controlled by the powers of the world. He spoke of people’s inability to define the location of the realm of his rule, explaining that the dominion of God’s rule is within a person.
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We live in a hateful world where vengeance and violence rule. What do we Christians do to counter this violence-filled world? We are to be more visible witnesses to Jesus’ reign. In order to do this, we must be willing to be humane in an environment of vulnerability; that is, to understand that when we are in relationships with others our humanity is bound up in the other’s humanity.
Desmond Tutu illustrates this by describing a light bulb that shone brightly and proudly. “[It] began to strut about arrogantly, quite unmindful of how it could shine so brilliantly, thinking that it was all due to its own merit and skill.” One day the light bulb is taken out of the socket and placed on a table. “Try as hard as it could, the light bulb could bring forth no light and brilliance. . . . It had never known that its light came from the power station and that it had been connected to the dynamo by little wires and flexes that lay hidden and unseen and totally unsung.”
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This Christ the King Sunday let us proclaim the reign of Jesus through these lyrics of an 1800 hymn written by Matthew Bridges:
“Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne; Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own; Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee; And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity!”
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords; Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
