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JESUS CHRIST IS OUR KING

(A biblical reflection on the SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING, 20 November 2011)

Gospel Reading: Mt 25:31-46

First Reading: Ezek 34:11-12,15-17; Psalms: Ps 23:1-3,5-6; Second Reading: 1Cor 15:20-26,28

The Scripture Text

“When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee? Then He will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mt 25:31-46 RSV)

The Holy Scripture is rich in the imagery it uses to unveil Jesus Christ: He is Lord, Servant, Master, Friend, Teacher, Prophet, Healer, and many more. There is a wonderful depth to the Person and mission of Christ which the Holy Spirit longs to reveal to those who seek it. It is like the delight of an experienced jeweller who finds a prize diamond; like the joy of a new bride who cherishes every moment spent with her beloved. Today the Church invites us to reflect on yet another aspect of Jesus’ nature as we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. It means that today we celebrate Jesus Christ as the sovereign King enthroned at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

We also look forward to His further glorification after the Last Judgment. At that time, people from every nation under heaven will acknowledge His sovereignty and rejoice in His power. Jesus’ kingdom has no end! The whole world will be silent before Him and His judgments. He is the magnificent, unequivocal King of glory and the Ruler of all creation!

Although He is portrayed as a King, Jesus is neither haughty nor pompous. His kingship is tied intrinsically to the humble image of the Good Shepherd (see Mt 25:32). Jesus’ roles as a king ruling with great authority and a shepherd filled with gentle compassion are not contradictions or mutually exclusive. They are one and the same thing!

Throughout salvation history, YHWH revealed Himself as the faithful shepherd of His people (Gen 49:24; Ps 23:1; Is 40:11). He promised to find His lost sheep and heal them, to feed them with justice (Ezek 34:11-16). YHWH – the Father of Israel – fulfilled His promise by sending Jesus, who conquered our hearts through love, not power. Even so, the humble Christ is rightfully called KING; He defeated death, and all creation is subject to Him (1Cor 15:26,28). Jesus is King precisely because He rules with compassion. It is His very compassion and mercy that make Him King and ruler of all creation. There is no other who deserves our worship. Given these characteristics of Christ the King, what else can we do but bow down before Him? What else can we do but let Him lead us with Hir rod and His staff? Thus, together with Psalmist we gratefully declare: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23:1).

As our King, Jesus calls us to obey His law of love. Based on this law, He will require an accounting from us at the end of time: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mat 25:40). How do we fulfil this law of love? Our own standards might leave us as bewildered as the goats in the parable. We must begin by humbly asking the King to reign in our hearts. For this reason, we come to the table of the Lord confessing: “Lord, I am not worthy …… Only say the word and I shall be healed.” As we receive Jesus’ love for us into our hearts, we are empowered to serve others. If we receive openly, we can give generously.

Let us seek the green pastures of the Shepherd, and allow Him to fill our cup to overflowing. Then, at our journey’s end, when Christ reigns over all creation, He will deliver us to the Father through the Spirit. He will commend us at last into the unity of the Trinity, saying: “Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34).

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, I adore You as my King! I am thankful that You protect me, care for me, and hear me when I call You. Grant me Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life. May I dwell with You in Your Kingdom forever! Amen.

The Problem With Hippos

Pastor’s Column

Our Lord Christ the King

November 20, 2011

There was an interesting story in the paper about a man who had raised a hippo, almost from birth. Even as this wild animal grew, he fed it and cared for it, and considered it to be a “friend.” He was also warned that this animal remained wild. As it grew, it began raiding neighbors’ crops and causing mischief. Eventually, as hippos are prone to do, he turned on his “friend” and mauled him to death without any provocation.

This story is almost like a parable, isn’t it? We cannot really make friends with sin and expect to come out of the encounter alive. We may have a relationship with our “friend” for a long time; but, true to its nature, sin will eventually turn on us and destroy us if we do not deal with it adequately.

Jesus teaches us that at the last judgment, many will be caught by surprise, even those of us who hear and try to follow this gospel (Mt 25:31-46). One of the things we don’t realize is that sin comes in two forms. Sins of commission are those we do, like lying or stealing. Sins of omission are those that we ought to have done and failed to do. And this is precisely what is so startling about the last judgment: Jesus will base it on what we failed to do.

Jesus makes it so easy for us! He tells us in advance that we are in the middle of a timed test (our lifetime) and what the correct answers are. The key is that we don’t know how long our individual test will be (ending on the day of our death), nor do we know which disguises Jesus will wear today when we meet him, but we do have hints.

What hints? Jesus tells us that if you gave a coat to the coat closet, he was the recipient; if you are patient with a relative or friend over Thanksgiving, that was him too; if you ever held a door open for someone or let them go in front of you in line at the store checkout line, that was Jesus. The test of our faith and our love is precisely this: how did we treat the ordinary people in need around us? No one is expendable in God’s eyes. Every person we encounter, no matter how flawed, is Jesus in disguise. These are the components of our test and this is where the sins of omission come from!

Like the unfortunate man with the hippo, we can kid ourselves for a long time that we don’t have a potential problem in our lives. Fortunately, the Lord gives us lots of warnings about how to deal with the dangerous hippos we may be “friends” with and is always ready to forgive us when we fail.

Father Gary