Who is in charge here?
If you went back to my home on the farm, we’d largely point to our dad. However, he may not have been so quick to admit being in charge. Sure he owned everything, the equipment, and he was the one with whom “the buck stopped.” However, he was always quick to notice- animals often did things they weren’t supposed to. Crops grew. Or they didn’t, depending on the weather. Often times, he probably felt like he wasn’t in charge at all.
Today, we are celebrating the solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It is a rather cumbersome title, but it likely reminds us of something we’ve known since we were in kindergarten: Jesus is the king of the universe. The earth. The seas. The land. Everything that we see around us: Jesus rules over it… however, why do we have to celebrate this year in and year out? Why all of this repetition of this one seemingly unforgettable fact? Today, as we celebrate this solemnity, perhaps, much like my dad, it’s not so much about focusing about control or about being in charge, but about seeing the one who is in charge. It can be rather easy to displace him, or to forget about what it truly means to adopt Jesus, not simply as a friend, not simply as another great person, but as the Lord and King of the universe. Perhaps there is more to the depth of our relationship with Him than we initially thought…
To begin with, the first reading comes from the book of the prophet Daniel, as did the first reading last week. Once again, we are speaking about the Son of Man- and we know that this has a particular connotation of being someone significant, but it is still worth noting here. This is because the Son of Man isn’t just like you or I but is far above each of us. In fact, this says that this one is like a Son of Man, but is notably different. This one comes on the clouds of heaven, and appears before the Ancient One- God Himself, and eventually we hear about why this exchange is so important- because this one that was like a Son of man received dominion, glory, kingship, and every people, nation, and language served Him.
Yet, there is more to this kingship, isn’t there? Every kingship that we have ever read about in any textbook is only a finite kingdom- it lasts for a time, and then eventually fades away. Kings come and go, rulers come and go, even nations and governments have come and gone, yet the one who is like the Son of Man is altogether different. Daniel says that His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, and his kingship shall not be destroyed. This clearly is no other earthly ruler- and is important because it reiterates a single fact- when Jesus Christ fulfills this role, there is something quite impressive going on. As if to remind us of this simple fact, the Responsorial Psalm says “The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.” This one is clearly very, very important.
The Second Reading takes a break from the letters of the apostles, and goes straight to the book of Revelation, the first chapter of it in fact. It seems very familiar in echoing the sentiments of the first reading, but attaching a person to that title of the one who is “like the Son of Man.” He becomes a particular person, who is the one who does something vitally important for us- He takes away the sins of us all- but then does something else. It isn’t just a kingdom here on this earth, though we do get some foretaste of it in the Eucharist and the divine aid that it pours into our hearts as we receive it, but it is something more. Returning to Jesus, though, it continues to remind us that he is coming amid the clouds and every eye will see him, and even those who pierced him. Finally, we wrap up this entire section with simple truths: Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the almighty. He has always been in the past, He is now, and will always be.
Finally, we arrive at the Gospel, and this passage should be familiar, though it is usually part of a longer narrative. It is John’s account of the passion, and it is intriguing, because this account gives us every detail that would seem to argue against the fact that Christ was a King. Kings don’t suffer. They don’t go before Pontius Pilate. They certainly aren’t handed over by their subjects, at least not normally, so what gives? Why is this accusation that Pontius Pilate so important- why is the question “Are you the King of the Jews” so prominent?
If you read into the context of it- the people are thinking of only a king in a limited sense. If He had been anything more in their minds, they wouldn’t have handed Him over, waiting for what they thought would be the actual Messiah. Jesus’s answer to Pilate indicates that Jesus is reluctant to assume that title of king- because in their understanding, it is something so far removed and so inadequate to explain who Jesus is.
That, my brothers and sisters, is the message for us today. We need obvious reminders sometimes, but every once in a while, that is because we need to understand something that should be obvious, but perhaps we have misunderstood. Jesus Christ is King- sure, and that’s great- but what does that mean exactly?
First, for us, it should in fact mean that He is more than just another religious leader. He is God Himself, and there is nothing that would ever belittle that fact. He is the one who was there before, during, and even into the future- He is the alpha and omega. We can’t just think of Him living in His own kingdom…
And that brings us to the second point- Jesus’s Kingdom has an open invitation to all of us. Yes, it is in heaven, but the work starts here. That is why Mass is important. Confession is important. Receiving all of the sacraments- they are all bringing about the Kingdom of God in some way in our lives. We can’t bring that kingdom upon ourselves, but we must be awake and aware, waiting for this kingdom to come! It isn’t just a place that we relegate to one part of our lives either- it is actually a place that we go to take in all of our life into that divine kingdom.
And that, my brothers and sisters, is where we really see the work happening with this solemnity- this great feast- this week. Jesus is King- He has a Kingdom- but the reason we need reminded so often is because it is so easy to start to settle for things ourselves- but it all should boil down to a question: who is the King of your life, right now? Who is large and in charge? Who is in control?
If you really look deep inside, we can often seek control of our lives in different ways. Sure, we might out of habit go to church on Sunday, but then, after we pay our dues, its back to getting to the schedule and routine of number one. What I want to do. What makes me look good. Whatever promotes my own kingdom. We can go even deeper and start to try to wound and hurt others when we seek control that is not ours- and we start to loose all control when that occurs! While that might seem to get us so far, there is a reality- our kingdoms are very limited. It doesn’t take much to uproot our kingdom and make it fall to nothing. A job might fall away, perhaps an unexpected accident or illness, to say nothing of natural disasters, or external events that are so far beyond our control. If we are left to our own kingdoms, we will likely find ourselves falling face first into these things- because we know we don’t have what it takes to control this world and all of its forces. We can’t change things. Sure, it may be fun to live under our reign for a while, but it will eventually reach a point where it just doesn’t cut it.
And that is where today reminds us- it is time to put Christ back in place- to give Him full dominion, not just over heaven, not just over earth, but over our hearts. Over our souls. Over our families. Even over our places of worship. And even more so, if we find ourselves in a place of authority or control- we shouldn’t be concerned about exerting our own influence or gaining control- but it should be all about putting Jesus Christ in His rightful place. Whether we are in authority, or not, we should have Jesus Christ in that place.
So, our church year is coming to a close- but we should look at Jesus, not as just another friend, a nice guy or something of that nature. He truly is King- and the one who has the Kingdom that I’d think we all would like to get to. We need to be reminded of this- just like we might need to be reminded about the lights- so that we don’t forget what a powerful influence He has, and what it takes to get into that Kingdom.
Jesus Christ is King of the Universe, but let’s make sure that, no matter what, we give Him the throne of our hearts, our minds, and our souls, as well!
