The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, November 22nd: Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37)

THE KING OF KINGS DEMONSTRATES POWER IN WEAKNESS

This week we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is the last week of the official Church year, which means next week a new Church year begins with the first Sunday of Advent. (Advent?! So soon? How can it be Christmas season again? Wasn’t it just Christmas, like, three months ago?!! Man, time is flying by WAY too fast these days.)

The theme this week is that Jesus the Christ is indeed the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In the first reading, the prophet Daniel described a vision he had. “I saw one like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven….[he] received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.”

In the responsorial psalm this week, from Psalm 93, we proclaim, “The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.” One of the other verses says, “Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O Lord.”

In the second reading, from Revelation, St. John wrote, “Jesus Christ is…ruler of the kings of the earth….he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him.” Then Jesus Himself is quoted as saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

So there is no doubt in all of these verses from Scripture, quite powerful imagery is employed to portray Jesus as an omnipotent ruler coming in glory and majesty, to rule the entire universe forever and ever.

Now that’s my idea of a king. Power, majesty, glory, splendidly robed, having an eternal dominion over “all peoples, nations, and languages,” the Alpha and the Omega—which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, indicating that Jesus is the beginning and the end.

So, after these three different sections of Scripture, taken from three very diverse books in the Bible, all proclaiming Jesus’ royal power and glory, we’re ready for the climax, the reading from the gospel. This week, to commemorate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the gospel reading if from the 18th chapter of John’s gospel.

In this reading, our King of kings, our Lord of lord, is splendidly robed in…a simple, dusty tunic. He stands majestically with…chains on his wrists and a rope around his neck. His glory is displayed by the…blood trickling from his lip and the swelling around his eye, from the punches recently thrown at Him from sadistic guards. His power and dominion are evident in the fact that…all His followers abandoned Him.

To top it all off, our King of kings and Lord of lords, the ruler of the universe, who reigns over kings of the earth forever and ever, demonstrates His omnipotence by standing before a two-bit politician who sneers at Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

How odd is this? We celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King by reading about the time when Jesus was weak and powerless, scorned and humiliated, mocked by a bunch of self-serving religious leaders and spineless politicians? That’s being a king? What gives?

The key to this puzzle is the statement Jesus made to Pontius Pilate in the middle of the gospel reading. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

If you think this earthly life is the only realm of existence we will experience, as my mother used to say, boy, have you got another think coming. Our natural life here on earth—with all it’s selfishness, materialism, lust, and frantic quests for power and prestige—is really just a brief shadow of our true, eternal existence: life in the spiritual world.

In Jesus’ eternal spiritual world, the kingdom which is “not of this world,” the dominate attitudes are humility, not ambition; sacrificial giving, not greed; love, not lust; and serene joy, not the nagging, unfulfilled emptiness that defines our current secular culture.

In Jesus’ kingdom, the almighty ruler Himself willingly lays down His life for His subjects. He willingly strips away all His power and majesty, and lowers Himself to stand before a sneering weasel of a politician—a guy who by comparison makes even Chris Dodd look halfway decent.

In Jesus’ kingdom, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, willingly allows Himself to be tortured and beaten and nailed to a cross.

This is true kingship. This is the ruler being more concerned about the wellbeing of His subjects rather than His own wellbeing. This is the exact opposite of earthly rulers, who throughout history have always indulged their own desires before giving any thought to the needs of their subjects.

Jesus’ kingdom is definitely not of this world. Right now each of us lives between two worlds: the selfish, earthly world (where we often devote 99% of our attention), and the eternal, spiritual world. Sooner or later, each of us will make the final passage from this earthly existence to the spiritual world. (And much sooner than expected for some of us.)

When that inevitable time comes, will we recognize our humble King of kings? Will He recognize us?

Jesus clearly tells us throughout the gospels how we can enter into the eternal joy of His kingdom. If we focus all our time and effort on worldly pursuits, we not only will endure nagging, unfulfilled emptiness right here and now, we also will forfeit our chance at peace and joy then.

Don’t make that fatal mistake. Embrace the King of kings and Lord of lords, and His counter-culture values, right here and now. You’ll never regret it.

©2009