1. Andrew Greeley:
Background:
This is a medieval feast which uses the metaphor of “king” -- a powerful one in those days – to describe the role of Jesus. Today the implications of such a metaphor are harder for us to comprehend, though the fascination with the late Princess of Wales suggests that we still like royalty and royal families – though perhaps we don’t quite understand any more the tragedy that is inherent in royal leadership.
Story:
Once upon a time a young man grew up bitterly angry at the girl down the street. He was bright enough but slow spoken and shy. She was quick-witted and funny. He said and did stupid things, he was tongue tied in class and stumbled on the playground. She made fun of him. He was terrible in sports. She laughed at him. He resented her popularity and her intelligence and her success.
It was not right that she was so good at everything and he was so bad. Then the boys noticed how pretty she was and they all chased after her. The girls sort of like him, but she said he was a nerd and they all agreed.
Then his family moved away. He was glad to leave the neighborhood. He hated everyone in it and especially he hated her. In his new neighborhood he was treated like everyone else. He stopped stumbling, he thought more quickly. He got good marks in class, he became popular. It was all her fault that he had not been popular in the old neighborhood. She had ruined the early part of his life. Someday he’d get even.
But he turned his back on her and ignored her.
****Fr. Jude Botelho:
In the first reading from the Book of Samuel we hear that though David was anointed King, the northern tribes later acknowledged him as their king. Thus David became king of a united country. His kingship prefigured the universal kingship of Christ. The Church chose this passage not to let us know of a historical event, how David became king, but to stress two important qualities of Christ the King: Firstly, that Jesus our King is “one of us.” We are “your flesh and blood.” Secondly, that Christ is king not of just two of the twelve tribes, not of one nation but of all mankind.
Brothers and Sisters of the King
Sometimes Americans wonder why the English bother with the monarchy, since the Queen is little more than a figurehead with no authority. Yet within most people there is a wish for a person whom we can look up to, someone who personifies dignity and wins our respect, a person who makes us feel better about ourselves. Many Americans found that kind of a person in the election of John F. Kennedy as President of the United States. He was young, handsome, intelligent and articulate. He was married to a beautiful woman who, it seemed to us, had become his Queen. The White House became known as Camelot. The United States had a family to whom many Americans attributed royalty. But on Friday Nov. 22, 1963 the dream was shattered with the President assassinated. The dream of Camelot was gone and the illusion of royalty was dimmed. All along we had been looking in the wrong direction towards the White House as if it were a palace. We should have been looking back to Calvary because the cross is truly the throne of Christ the King. We do not need an earthly sovereign to give us self-respect. Our King is truly royal. His kingdom is not an imaginary Camelot. It is an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice love and peace. Our King is Christ the Lord.
Charles Miller in ‘Sunday preaching’
Today’s gospel scene that proclaims the kingship of Jesus is, surprisingly, the crucifixion. Only on the cross is Jesus proclaimed king. There is high drama here, and a remarkable paradox. Those in authority jeer at the notion of the crucified Jesus being God’s Chosen One or the King of the Jews. It is in utter helplessness that Jesus is recognized as king. There could not be a better picture of the kind of king Jesus is than the one pictured in today’s gospel: Luke shows Jesus on the cross surrounded by various people – By Jewish leaders and soldiers who mock him, by thieves crucified on either side of him. Jesus is also surrounded by his friends and his mother who in sorrow watch him from a distance. On the cross Jesus showed the kind of king he would be: One who distributes his gifts generously. He gives and gives without counting the cost. On the cross Jesus showed himself as a king who saves: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” One of those crucified with him demands what he clearly regards as impossible –that Jesus saves himself and those with him. The other thief is the only one who adopts the attitude proper in the presence of a king -to make supplication. He is rewarded with a promise that consoles and strengthens believers down the ages. To be part of his kingdom we have to submit to His loving rule which leads to true freedom. Baptism introduced us to His kingdom; we must see that we are faithful citizens by following in His footsteps, working for the spread of his kingdom by leading loving lives in the service of his people.
Though crucified, Jesus was still king
During a cruel war, a commander took an oath in the presence of his troops that he would slaughter the entire population of a certain town, and in due course the bloodhounds of war were let loose on the defenceless people. Now it happened that a fugitive, seeking shelter, saw a sight which was indirectly the means of saving his life and the lives of others. He spied a number of soldiers as they broke into a house, the inmates of which they had put to the sword. On leaving they fastened up the place again and one of them dipping a cloth in a pool of blood, splashed it on the door as a token to any who might follow, of what had taken place. Quick as his feet could carry him, the fugitive sped away to a large house in the centre of the town where a number of his friends were concealed and breathlessly told them what he had seen. It at once flashed upon them how to act. A goat was in the yard. It was immediately killed and its blood splashed on the door, scarcely could they close the door again when a band of soldiers rushed into the street and began to slay right and left. But when they came to the blood marked door they made no attempt to enter. The sword –or so they thought- had already entered and performed its work in that house. Thus, while many around were put to death, all inside the blood sprinkled door were saved. -Do we find joy in serving a crucified Lord and King?
Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for all Seasons’
Stumbling block or stepping stone
Once, two travelers were going through a forest when night came upon them. In a matter of minutes, the path they were following became invisible. In the darkness terror lurked everywhere. To make matters worse, a violent storm broke over the forest. Terrifying flashes of lightning were followed by loud peals of thunder that shook the ground under their feet. Torrents of rain poured down upon them. The trees swayed dangerously. The first man looked on the storm as a calamity. Every time there was a flash of lightning, he looked up at the sky and cursed. The result was that he strayed from the path and got lost in the forest. The second man looked on the storm as a blessing in disguise. Each flash of lightning lit up a bit of the path ahead of him and thus he was able to take a step forward. By keeping his head down he succeeded in staying on the path. And so, step by step he made his way out of the forest. Sometimes that’s the way it is in life, there is just enough light to take the next step, and just enough strength to do the present task. The thunderstorm was the exact same for both travelers. Yet for one it proved to be a stumbling block, while for the other it proved to be a stepping stone. – In today’s gospel one of the thieves cursed the darkness, the other saw a gleam of light through it. The light came from the person of Christ and he decided to appeal to Jesus. “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus moved with compassion said to him in that memorable reply that has brought hope to millions: “This day you will be with me in Paradise.”
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
Won’t you come down, King?
A king once fell in love with a poor girl. At first he thought of simply bringing her to the palace and marrying her, but he realized this wouldn’t work since she would soon realize the immense difference in their backgrounds and not be happy. After much reflection, he decided to renounce his kingdom and go and live near her so that she’d realize how deeply he loved her. Shocking one and all, he left the palace. This story –adapted from philosopher Kierkegaard’s original –somehow reveals to us the great love of our king Jesus Christ, who ‘comes down’ that we might be raised up.
Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’
The Compassionate King
In one of his homilies Fr. William Bausch gives us the following insight:
Jesus did not have a sceptre but he did have a towel.
He did not have people bowing backwards from his presence but he himself bowed instead and washed their feet. He had no army but He did have disciples. He sat on no throne but rather on a donkey’s back. He wore no crown of gold but of thorns.
He did not take life but gave it. He did not set boundaries but included prostitutes, tax collectors, foreigners and good thieves in his kingdom. He did not exploit people but spoke sympathetically of widow’s mites, prodigal sons, good Samaritans, and poor farmers. He did not wield the sword but mercy. He said: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus is a compassionate King. Shouldn’t we be compassionate?
John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’
Living like an animal but dying like an angel
Mother Teresa told how one day in Calcutta she picked a man out of the gutter and brought him to the home for the dying. Before he died he said to her, “I have lived like an animal but dying like an angel, loved and cared for.” Mother Teresa remarked on the greatness of a man who could speak like that and who could die without blaming anyone or cursing anyone. She felt privileged to have been able to help him to live out his last hours feeling loved and cherished. Here is a man who had lived through a life of hell who had a luminous death.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
If there is one thing that the world makes much of today it is power. We
find that it motivates so many of our relationships. From the time we are
children right through our youthful days, teenage, our life as young adults,
till we grow as senior citizens, life is about taking control. We manipulate
others and influence them in subtle or overt ways. We want to have our say,
we want others to notice us, to follow us, to listen to us and do as we tell
them. However right through the Gospels Jesus has revealed to us that His
values are different and today's feast once again emphasizes a totally
different type of lifestyle one that surrenders power and serves rather than
dominates. May His Word and life challenge us!
This is the Gospel image of royalty totally different from what the world
holds. His is a total reversal of roles usually assigned to royalty and
servitude. He refuses to be master of the world, the mighty monarch, the
spiller of blood. His reign subverts our notion of kingship. He is a king
who serves others. He is the king who dies for others. He is the king who is
ridiculed, scorned and mocked. "He saved other" they said "Let him save
himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen one." Most insufferable, most
repugnant of all, is the fact that he is a powerless sovereign. On the cross
he is not respected as a King but ridiculed by the soldiers. "If you are the
King of the Jews, save yourself" The crucified king is also the secret key
to Christ's uniqueness, there is none other like him.
I have nothing more to give:
Some years ago divers located a 400-year-old sunken ship off the coast of
Northern Ireland. Among the treasures they found on the ship was a man's
wedding ring. When they cleaned it up, they noticed that it had an
inscription on it. Etched on the wide band was a hand holding a heart. Under
the etching were these words: "I have nothing more to give you." Of all the
treasures found on that sunken ship, none moved the divers more than that
ring and its beautiful inscription. The etching on that ring and its
inscription "I have noting more to give" -could have been placed on the
cross of Christ.
- Mark Link
"In celebrating Christ the King at the end of the church year, we force
ourselves to remember the appalling fact of our salvation. Our hunger for
being above the rest, our desire to dominate, which may well motivate our
every action, is spurned by this king. Rene Girard, a professor of language
and culture at Stanford University, is a rare contemporary thinker who
confronts the implications of the Christian faith. In his book 'Things
Hidden Since the Foundation of the World', Girard shows how Christ
dismantles the triangle of desire, violence and retribution. In Christ there
is no envy, greed, or lust for power. He, the innocent king who executes
none, is executed. He seeks no vengeance. Christ the king is the only
sovereign to embody such principles."
- John Kavanaugh
Saved by the blood of the Lamb:
During a cruel and bloody war a commander took an oath in the presence of
his troops that he would slaughter the entire population of a certain town,
and during the course the bloodhounds of war were let loose on the
defenseless people. Now it so happened that a fugitive seeking shelter, saw
a sight, which was indirectly the means of saving both his own life and the
lives of others. He spied a number of soldiers as they broke into a house,
the inmates of which were put to the sword. On leaving it, they fastened up
the place again, and one of them dipping a cloth in a pool of blood splashed
it on the door as a token to any who might follow, of what had taken place
inside.
As quickly as his feet could carry him, the poor fugitive sped away to a
large house in the centre of the town where a large number of his friends
were concealed, and breathlessly told them what he had seen. At once it
flashed upon them how to act. A goat was in the yard. It was immediately
killed, and its blood splashed upon the door. Scarcely could they close the
door again when a band of soldiers rushed into the street and began to slay
right and left. But when they came to the blood-marked door, they made no
attempt to enter. The sword, so they thought, had already entered and
performed its work in that house. Thus, while many around were put to death,
all inside the blood-sprinkled door were saved.
-Anthony P. Castle
Throughout the entire Gospel we have seen Jesus seeking out and saving the
lost one: the lost coin, the lost sheep, the two lost sons, the woman of
ill-repute who anointed him, the tax collectors, the Samaritans, and Sunday
after Sunday our readings have reminded us of Jesus' mission to the lost
one. Now that Jesus has been lifted up on the cross as King, a further 'lost
one' comes to life. Recognizing Jesus' innocence a criminal asks his
new-found King: "Remember me when you come into your kingdom" and he is told
"Today you will be with me in Paradise."
We all wish to be remembered and remembering is the foundation of any
relationship. We nourish our relationships through remembering. Remembrance
renews relationships between separated or absent friends. Without it there
is no hope. We are so grateful for being remembered and it is a blessing
that we treasure and draw upon in darker moments. This is just as true of
human love and friendship as it is of our relationship with Jesus. Just as
the good thief's prayer brought an instant guaranteed promise of everlasting
friendship, today's gospel assures us of a similar outcome when we make this
prayer our own. It can be in our hearts and on our lips every day of our
life. It has the power to unite us to Jesus unceasingly, a prayer for sinner
and saint.
Jesus, remember me in your kingdom!
****
From Father Tony Kadavil’s Collection:
1. A Man for All Seasons:
There is a great scene in the play that fits very well with today’s feast of Christ the King. You might remember that the play was about the determination of St. Thomas More to stand for the faith against the persuasion and eventually persecution of Henry VIII of England. In the scene I’m referring to, Henry VIII is trying to coax his second-in-charge, Thomas More, to agree with him that it is proper for him, the King, to divorce his wife Catherine since she was also his sister-in-law and since she had not given birth to a male heir to the Kingdom. After the King made all his arguments, Thomas More said that he himself was unfit to meddle in this argument and the King should take it to Rome. Henry VIII retorted that he didn’t need a pope to tell him what he could or couldn’t do. Then we come to the center point. Thomas More asked the King, “Why do you need my support?” Henry VIII replied with words we would all love to hear said about each of us, “Because, Thomas, you are honest. And what is more to the point, you are known to be honest. There are plenty in the Kingdom who support me, but some do so only out of fear and others only out of what they can get for their support. But you are different. And people know it. That is why I need your support.” In the presence of integrity, Henry VIII knew who was King and who was subject.
2. The shivering and hungry king:
There is a story about an Irish king. He had no children to succeed him on the throne. So he decided to choose his successor from among the people. The only condition set by the king, as announced throughout his kingdom, was that the candidate must have a deep love for God and neighbor. In a remote village of the kingdom lived a poor but gentle youth who was noted for his kindness and helpfulness to all his neighbors. The villagers encouraged him to enter the contest for kingship. They took up a collection for him so that he could make the long journey to the royal palace. After giving him the necessary food and a good overcoat, they sent him on his way. As the young man neared the castle, he noticed a beggar sitting on a bench in the royal park, wearing torn clothes. He was shivering in the cold while begging for food. Moved with compassion, the young man gave the beggar his new overcoat and the food he had saved for his return journey. After waiting for a long time in the parlor of the royal palace, the youth was admitted for an interview with the king. As he raised his eyes after prostrating before the king, he was amazed to find the king wearing the overcoat he had given to the beggar at the park, and greeting him as the new king of the country. When he comes in glory, Christ the King is going to judge us on the basis of our corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
3. Christ is in charge:
Susan C. Kimber, in a book called Christian Woman, shares a funny piece of advice she received from her little son: "Tired of struggling with my strong-willed little son, Thomas, I looked him in the eye and asked a question I felt sure would bring him in line: 'Thomas, who is in charge here?' Not missing a beat, he replied, ‘Jesus is, and not you mom.’ "
4. “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!”
Of thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces and others in high office, who distinguished themselves by their fanatical zeal and bitterness in persecuting the early Christians, one became mentally deranged; another was slain by his own son. One of them became blind; another was drowned. One was strangled; another died in miserable captivity. One of them died of so loathsome a disease that several of his physicians were put to death because they could not abide the stench that filled his room. Two committed suicide; another attempted it but had to call for help to finish the work. Five were assassinated by their own people or servants, five others died the most miserable and excruciating deaths and eight were killed in battle, or after being taken prisoners. Among those who died in battle was Julian the Apostate. In the days of his prosperity he is said to have pointed his dagger to heaven, defying the Son of God whom he commonly called the Galilean. But when he was wounded in battle and saw that all was over with him, he gathered up his clotted blood and threw it into the air, exclaiming, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!” (Boise)
"I hope you didn't take it personally, Father," an embarrassed woman said to her pastor after the Holy Mass, "when my husband walked out during your sermon on Christ the King." "I did find it rather disconcerting," the pastor replied. "It's not a reflection on you, Father," she insisted. "Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child."
6. Co-pilot Christ the king:
Many people love bumper sticker theology. Bumper stickers may not always have the soundest theological statements, but they generally at least have the ability to make us think. One such, “God is my Co-pilot," has also been found on church signs, where the theology is just as much fun and sometimes sounder. In this case, the Church sign says, "If Christ the King is your Co-Pilot, change seats."
7. Long live Christ the King!
In the 1920s a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey" “Long live Christ the King!” At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture. (Fr. Phil Bloom)
8. On His Majesty’s Service:
Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was arrested and brought before the Roman authorities. He was told if he cursed Christ, he would be released. He replied, "Eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my king Jesus Christ who saved me?" The Roman officer replied, "Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt." But Polycarp said, "You threaten a fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the ungodly. Do what you wish."
9. Desperate deaths of autocratic kings & dictators:
The death of Josef Stalin (1879-1953), the Communist dictator was described by his daughter as difficult and terrible. Silenced by a stroke shortly before he died, Stalin’s “last words” were more visual than audible. Newsweek magazine quoted Svetlana Stalin who said, “At what seemed the very last moment, he cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane, angry and full of fear of death. With one final menacing gesture, he lifted his left hand as if he were bringing down a curse on us all.” Philip III of Spain (1578-1621), who proved an unfit king, indifferent to the plight of his people, breathed his last, wishing, “Would to God that I had never reigned. What does all my glory profit, but that I have so much the more torment in my death?” Charles IX, who in 1572 had ordered the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of the Huguenots throughout France met death with despair, “What blood! What murders! I am lost forever. I know it.” When she lay dying, Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) was said to have offered, “All my possessions for a moment of time.” Today’s gospel challenges us to compare to these deaths Christ the King’s death on the cross, offering his life to God his Father in all serenity and elegance. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez)
10. “Honey, take a long, long look”:
As the body of Abraham Lincoln’s body lay in state for a few hours in Cleveland, Ohio for mourners to pay their tribute, a black woman in the long queue lifted up her little son and said in a hushed voice: “Honey, take a long, long look. He died for us, to give us freedom from slavery.” Today’s gospel gives us the same advice, presenting the crucifixion scene of Christ our king who redeemed us from Satan’s slavery by his death on the cross.
***********
1. Background:
A new boy moved into the neighborhood just before he football season began. He was a little guy, thin and scrawny and clumsy. He went out for the football team and made a fool out of himself against the big kids. The coach, who had a kind heart, did not cut him from the team. However, he came home from every practice bruised and battered. Most of the kids made fun of him at school. However, he would not quit. He was quiet but he was also stubborn. One of the girls, who knew more about football than any of the boys and even the coach, kept muttering that the new kid was really quick. Fastest boy on the team she told everyone. No one, however, listened to her.
Finally there came the season opener against the “next parish down the road” which almost always won the historic contest between these old rivals (well, it went back to 1975). The next parish was bigger and always had better football teams. This year was no exception. They held our heroes scoreless and with only five minutes left in the game our guys were down thirteen to nothing. Knowing that they would never catch up, Coach sent in our little friend to play safety. On the next play, the quarterback for “next parish” through a pass which was tipped by one of our lineman. The little guy dashed across the field, intercepted it and scampered towards the goal line. See, said the girl, I told you. (Which is what a girl would say). The other team caught up with him as he crossed the goal line, knocked him to the ground, and piled all over him.
At first he lay flat on the ground, Then his face covered with mud, one of his eyes black, he staggered to his feet. The coach called a two point conversion. The quarterback, no dummy either, saw our runt standing dazed behind him – the coach had forgot to take him out – and threw him a lateral. Our guy ran through the opposing team like a knife cuts threw butter. Again they piled all over him in the end zone, but the refs didn’t call any penalty. He was carried off the field. After his team got the ball back with only thirty seconds to play, the coach took a deep breath and sent him back in. The QB through him a screen pass and . . . . . well, you know the rest. After the game he was hailed as the new leader of the team. Like one of the big kids said, he’s earned it. He’s learned how to take the worst and still win.
3. What Pilate Believes
In some ways, this is another wrong question. Jesus turns it around: "You are saying that I am a king." With that statement is Jesus again putting Pilate on trial: "You have said it, but is it what you believe?"
8. Prose
9. Freedom Riders
For a while it seemed to work. Their spirits were drained and discouraged, but never broken. It happened more than once and in more than one jail. Eventually the jail would begin to rock and swing to sounds of gospel singing. What began as a few weak voices would grow into a thundering and defiant chorus. The Freedom Riders would sing of their faith and their freedom. Sometimes they would even press their remaining mattresses out of their cells between the bars as they shouted, "You can take our mattresses, but you can't take our souls!"
I say ironic because John's gospel does not feature the kingdom of God; nor does he focus upon Christ's claim to be the coming king—until chapter 18. Whereas Matthew, Mark and Luke from the very beginning of their gospels describe Jesus proclaiming the imminence of the kingdom of heaven—the miracles of Christ as signs of the kingdom breaking-in to history—the parables (which are completely absent from John's gospel)—as parables of the kingdom, John only mentions the words "king" and "kingdom" six times prior to chapter 18…
------
12. Man for All Seasons:
14. Long live Christ the King!
In the 1920s, a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey" “Long live Christ the King!” At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture. (Fr. Phil Bloom).
16. On His Majesty’s Service:
17. Christ is in charge:
1. Background:
It is fascinating to compare the vision of Daniel with the image of Jesus before Pilate. In both the Lord of Creation is depicted in a moment of triumph. Daniel has no sense of the paradox of that Lord being treated like a common criminal.
There was of course no reason why he should, though the author of the section of Isaiah dimly saw that reality. At the heart of the paradox, however, is the insight that Jesus is the Lord of Creation, the king who triumphs, the leader whom we follow precisely because he suffers with and for us and goes down with us into the valley of death.
That’s why He is not only the Lord of creation but Our Lord too.
A new boy moved into the neighborhood just before he football season began. He was a little guy, thin and scrawny and clumsy. He went out for the football team and made a fool out of himself against the big kids. The coach, who had a kind heart, did not cut him from the team. However, he came home from every practice bruised and battered. Most of the kids made fun of him at school. However, he would not quit. He was quiet but he was also stubborn. One of the girls, who knew more about football than any of the boys and even the coach, kept muttering that the new kid was really quick. Fastest boy on the team she told everyone. No one, however, listened to her.
Finally there came the season opener against the “next parish down the road” which almost always won the historic contest between these old rivals (well, it went back to 1975). The next parish was bigger and always had better football teams. This year was no exception. They held our heroes scoreless and with only five minutes left in the game our guys were down thirteen to nothing. Knowing that they would never catch up, Coach sent in our little friend to play safety. On the next play, the quarterback for “next parish” through a pass which was tipped by one of our lineman. The little guy dashed across the field, intercepted it and scampered towards the goal line. See, said the girl, I told you. (Which is what a girl would say). The other team caught up with him as he crossed the goal line, knocked him to the ground, and piled all over him.
------------------------
2. “Who’s on first?”
2. “Who’s on first?”
That was the opening line of a classic baseball sketch acted out in 1945 by the vaudeville comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The big joke was that the ball players’ last name were “Who” (first base), “What” (second base), “I Don’t Know” (third base), “Why” (left field), “Tomorrow” (pitcher) “Today” (catcher), etc. Any conversation about “Who was on first?” was a question that involved both identity and physical position. But for the person “in the know,” those who knew “Who” was the name of the first baseman, it was simply the affirmation of a fact. “Who” WAS, in fact, on first base.
Pontius Pilate, the local governor, a kind of “Chief of Police” for the Roman Empire in Jerusalem, was caught in a similar situation. The powerful members of the Sanhedrin (think your locally elected city council representatives) brought Pilate a prisoner, a man they accused of endangering Roman rule, by proclaiming himself to be some sort of ruler and so outside of Roman law. The Sanhedrin accused Jesus of proclaiming himself “King.” Politically that was treason — a flagrant flaunting of Caesar’s rights and rule. To declare himself “King of the Jews” not only disregarded the ruling power of Rome. It provided potential fodder for the local rebellion and even violent, militant reactions of the Jewish population in Jerusalem and beyond.
But in today’s text Jesus puts forth a “Who’s on first” kind of question to Pilate…
__________________________3. What Pilate Believes
In the NIV, the first part of v. 37 is a declaration by Pilate: "You are a king, then!" In the NRSV (and my Greek text) it is a question: "So you are a king?"
Here is a story that illustrates what is going on in this dialogue between Jesus and Pilate:
An Amish man was once asked by an enthusiastic young evangelist whether he had been saved, and whether he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior?
The gentleman replied, "Why do you ask me such a thing? I could tell you anything. Here are the names of my banker, my grocer, and my farm hands. Ask them if I've been saved."
Jesus could tell Pilate anything. What is important is what Pilate believes.
Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
__________________
4. Ordinary People
4. Ordinary People
In the story of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus we do not have a rascally, villainous cast of characters. We have ordinary soldiers, policemen, officials, priests, magistrates, and citizens - all doing what soldiers, police, officials, priests, and zealous citizens do every day. It is the usual "morality play," with a suspected criminal, arresting officers, prosecutors, a trial, and sentencing. With the exception of Jesus, none of the actors appear to be sterling characters. They are ordinary human beings, with a fair measure of hypocrisy and callousness. But each carries out with fidelity the role that society has assigned to him or her.
"The fundamental reason why Jesus has to die makes the question of responsibility for his assassination pointless. Every society, Jewish or Gentile, that is founded on money, power, and law, condemns him. He puts people first, making economics and politics less important than men and women. In contrast, society, even when it says the opposite, deceiving others as well as itself, considers individuals simply as a means." (Sulivan, Morning Light, p. 75)
John C. Purdy, God with a Human Face
"The fundamental reason why Jesus has to die makes the question of responsibility for his assassination pointless. Every society, Jewish or Gentile, that is founded on money, power, and law, condemns him. He puts people first, making economics and politics less important than men and women. In contrast, society, even when it says the opposite, deceiving others as well as itself, considers individuals simply as a means." (Sulivan, Morning Light, p. 75)
John C. Purdy, God with a Human Face
_____________________________
5. Part of the Ritual
The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the rite, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. Why did you suffer this pain in silence, the Saint wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."
I am here to tell you that your king was stabbed in the foot . . . and the hand, and the side and the head and that WAS part of the ritual. And, you and I are the ones who held the staff. I ask you. Will you beg the King's forgiveness?
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com
_______________
6. Jesus Wins
George III of England, America's enemy in the Revolutionary War, felt terrible about the loss of the colonies. It was said, in fact, that for the rest of his life, he could not say the word "independence" without tripping over it. He was an odd duck in many ways, but he had good insights. When the fighting in America stopped, King George and all his royal cronies in Europe were sure that George Washington would have himself crowned "Emperor of the New World." That's what they would have done. When he was told, on the contrary, that Washington planned to surrender his military commission and return to farming at Mt. Vernon, George III said, "Well, if he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." There is power in giving up power, in emptying oneself. Jesus knew it, Pilate didn't.
Jesus wins, Pilate loses.
William R. Boyer, A Confusion of the Heart
_________________
7. They Write Better Than They Know
It is the accepted wisdom of priests and soldiers alike that one who possesses power always uses it for his own advantage. Why be a king if you cannot prove it by spectacular demonstrations of force and might? For Jesus these mocking words must bring back the echo of an earlier time when he is standing on the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem and hears the voice of the Tempter: "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here" (Luke 4:9). He resists such a temptation then, and resists it yet again. But the criminal evidently sees in Jesus' refusal to bend to the demands of his powerful tormentors an authority which is not compelled to prove itself. Is there a greater act of authority, courage, and dignity than to refuse to save oneself in order to save others? The criminal, with great effort, turns his head and looks again at the inscription on the central cross. "This is the King of the Jews." Perhaps he thinks, "They write better than they know."
J. Will Ormond, Good News among the Rubble, CSS Publishing
____________________8. Prose
What kind of a Kingdom has Jesus? No castle nor palace has he. No congress nor parliament sitting, deciding what laws there will be. Perhaps he has need of but two laws: Love God and your neighbor as well. To obey them is all that is needed, as all of the saintly can tell.
He has neither army nor navy, no air force to guard the frontiers to keep out the strangers unwanted and maintain the enemy’s fears. Immigration he seems to encourage, of some quite disreputable, like fishermen, publicans, sinners. To such he is hospitable.
It seems there’s no revenue service or taxes we must calculate. He surely cannot run a kingdom on what we put into the plate! No 1040 form comes in April to fill out before the fifteenth, with penalties charged for nonpayment, beginning upon the sixteenth.
No currency’s here with his picture, no coinage engraved with his name. And where are the posters and slogans proclaiming his power and fame? And I see no trappings of kingship, no robes made of velvet and fur, no crown made of gold set with diamonds, to befit our supreme arbiter.
Jesus said that his kingdom was really not what Pilate had thought it had been. It was not of this world. And its glory was not of the kind to be seen. For those of us here in his kingdom, there is one other thing we have known: of the kingdoms around in his lifetime, it’s the only one left with a throne.
Andrew Daughters, The Kingdom of Jesus, CSS Publishing.
______________________9. Freedom Riders
Recently I heard someone tell a story about the experiences of the Freedom Riders in the American South during the '50s and '60s and their struggle for civil rights. The story was a vivid illustration of how life changes when Jesus has the last word, when Jesus is King.
When the Freedom Riders traveled through the South staging their sit-ins and marches and protests, they were often arrested and jailed. The guardians of racial segregation and the status quo were not going to let them have the last word. While in jail the Freedom Riders were often treated poorly and brutally in order to break their spirits. They were deprived of food or given lousy food. Noise was blasted and lights were flashed all day and night to keep them from resting. Sometimes even some of their mattresses were removed in order that all would not have a place to sleep.
The Freedom Riders were behind bars in jail, but they were really free. They were supposed to be guilty, but they were really innocent. They were supposedly suffering, but they were actually having a great time. They were supposedly defeated but they were actually victorious.
Why? They may not have said it, but they could have: because Jesus has the last word, because Christ is King!
Steven E. Albertin, Against the Grain -- Words for a Politically Incorrect Church, CSS Publishing
_____________________
10. Gandhi's Strength
In the published diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi Propagandist, there are two or three references to Mahatma Gandhi. Goebbels believed that Gandhi was a fool and a fanatic. If Gandhi had the sense to organize militarily, Goebbels thought, he might hope to win the freedom of India. He was certain that Gandhi couldn’t succeed following a path of non-resistance and peaceful revolution. Yet as history played itself out, India peacefully won her independence while the Nazi military machine was destroyed. What Goebbels regarded as weakness actually turned out to be strength. What he thought of as strength turned out to be weakness.
Kevin M. Pleas, Sufficient Grace
______________________
11. King and Kingdom
Ironically, it is not so much the priestly or prophetic aspect of the work of Christ which John highlights in his narrative of the crucifixion. Rather it is the kingly role of Christ as the dying Savior which dominates John's account of our Lord's final hours.
------
12. Man for All Seasons:
There is a great scene in the play A Man for All Seasons that fits so well here. You might remember that the play was about the determination of St. Thomas More to stand for the faith against the persuasion and eventually persecution of Henry VIII of England. In the scene I’m referring to, Henry VIII is trying to coax his second in charge, Thomas More, to agree with him that it is proper for him, the King, to divorce his wife Catherine since she was his sister-in-law and since she did not give birth to a male heir to the Kingdom. After the King made all his arguments, Thomas More said that he himself was unfit to meddle in this argument and the King should take it to Rome. Henry VIII retorted that he didn’t need a pope to tell him what he could or couldn’t do. Then we come to the center point. Thomas More asks the King, “Why do you need my support?” Henry VIII replies with words we would all love to hear said about each of us, “Because, Thomas, you are honest. And what is more to the point, you are known to be honest. There are plenty in the Kingdom who support me, but some do so only out of fear and others only out of what they can get for their support. But you are different. And people know it. That is why I need your support.”
In the presence of integrity, Henry VIII knew who was King and who was subject.
----------
13. St. Ignatius of Antioch
The patron of our parish, St. Ignatius of Antioch, was the second most powerful Christian in the Roman Empire, second only to the Bishop of Rome. He had written letters to Christians to stand up for the faith in the face of persecution. And then he, as a venerable old man, was arrested. He was put on a ship that would eventually end up sending its cargo to Rome. There he would be fed to the lions in the Colosseum. Many early Christians could not bear the thought of losing Ignatius. He was too important, too needed in the Church. They plotted to raise money to bribe the sailors in one of the ports the ship would stop before reaching Rome. They had plenty of time to do so, the trip would take two to three years. Evidently they also had plenty of money. Wealthy Christians were determined to save Ignatius. They just didn’t understand Ignatius’ integrity. He was not going to buy his way out of a fate that he had encouraged others to have the courage to accept. Nor was he going to use some sort of skillful legalese to save his skin. So he walked into the Colosseum with the other Christians in control of the direction of his life. He was a frail old man; yet, he was more powerful than the lions who would destroy him or the Romans who did not have the courage to stop the absurd spectacle. Ignatius was a man of integrity.
Ignatius of Antioch and Thomas More and so many others followed Jesus Christ in being people of integrity. The powerful Pilate could have Jesus tortured and killed, and he did, but Pilate himself remained a prisoner because he lived a lie. And Jesus remained a King because he testified to the truth to his last breath.
-----------------14. Long live Christ the King!
In the 1920s, a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey" “Long live Christ the King!” At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture. (Fr. Phil Bloom).
----------------
15. “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
St Thomas More is the patron saint of politicians. He was a brilliant lawyer and diplomat in 16th century England. His patriotism and loyalty to the throne attracted the attention of King Henry VIII who made him Lord Chancellor of England. What Henry VIII did not know was that Thomas More’s first loyalty was to Christ, the King of kings. When Henry VIII, decided to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn, and make himself head of the Church of England, More thought this was not right. Rather than approve what he believed to be against the divine will, he resigned from his prestigious and wealthy position as Lord Chancellor and lived a life of poverty. Since he would not give his support to the king, More was arrested, convicted of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 and beheaded in July of the following year. On his way to public execution, More encouraged the people to remain steadfast in the faith. His last recorded words were: “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” For More, it was not simply enough to confess Christ privately in the safety of one’s heart and home; one must also confess him in one’s business and professional life as well as in the laws and policies that govern society. (Fr. Munacci).
16. On His Majesty’s Service:
Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was brought before the Roman authorities and told to curse Christ and he would be released. He replied, "Eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong: how then can I blaspheme my king Jesus Christ who saved me?" The Roman officer replied, "Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt." But Polycarp said, "You threaten a fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the ungodly. Do what you wish." (L/12)
----17. Christ is in charge:
Susan C. Kimber, in a book called Christian Woman, shares a funny piece of advice she received from her little son: "Tired of struggling with my strong-willed little son, Thomas, I looked him in the eye and asked a question I felt sure would bring him in line: 'Thomas, who is in charge here?' Not missing a beat, he replied, ‘Jesus is, and not you mom.’ "
----------------
18. Co-pilot Christ the king:
Many people love bumper sticker theology. Bumper stickers may not always have the soundest theological statements, but they generally at least have the ability to make you think. One such, “God is my Co-pilot," has also been found on church signs, where the theology is just as much fun and sometimes sounder. In this case, the Church sign says, "If Christ the King is your Co-Pilot, change seats."
