“So you are a
King?”
Today is the Feast of Christ the
King and this Gospel certainly gives us an opportunity to lay aside a lot of
cultural baggage we may have about kings, leaders and kingdoms. The Jewish
leaders want Jesus executed and so they bring him to Pilate who engages in a
debate with Jesus on ‘kingship’. Jesus is accused of claiming to be a ‘king’
and this passage plays on both the political and religious meaning of that
word. Pilate is concerned with whether or not Jesus poses a threat to Roman
rule, while the Jewish religious leaders are worried about the type of ‘Messiah
king’ Jesus claims to be. Through his ministry Jesus has shown them that His kingdom
is unlike the one that Pilate, or many other earthly leaders know. It is a
kingdom built on love, service, justice, reconciliation and peace. Few ‘kings
can measure up to this. Jesus is a servant King, a beacon light for today’s
world. Who do you know in our world today who is the more living example of this
type of kingship? When you look at the world’s political leaders, do they shine
like a beacon light striving for peace, justice and care for the earth? On this
Feast of Christ the King we celebrate a type of kingship that is a display of
radical love. What a different world we would have if all those who hold power
and authority led in such a way. Let us pray today that all leaders will be
open to listening to the Spirit and strive for a more just world.
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