Just a word before we go...Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe November 21, 2021

It was only the Gentiles who referred to Jesus as the King of the Jews - the Magi, upon reaching the stable to pay homage; the Roman Soldiers when they taunted him; and Pontius Pilate, when he questioned Jesus. Among the three questions Pilate posed to Jesus, the first was quite direct: “Are you the King of the Jews?” This was closely followed by “What have you done?” Jesus’ response was simply that his kingdom was not of this world. To which Pilate retorts, “Then, you are a king?” Jesus, unwilling to call himself what others have named him, responds, “You say that I am a king.”

Listening to this exchange, one might wonder if Pilate and Jesus were speaking the same language, as there seem to be different understandings of the title “King” and the concept of kingdom. These two terms also might cause dissonance to modern ears, as we tend not to favor the rule of kings in this age. Perhaps the legal term “mutatis mutandis,” meaning “with all the necessary changes having been made,” might be invoked to shed some light on how we can accept and even embrace Jesus the Christ as our king.

In the days of Pilate and even up to the modern age, the idea of kingship and the power associated with it implied wealth to the detriment of subjects; determination by the crown as to freedoms allowed to others; rule by force; intolerance of difference; elimination of opponents by violence. This was Pilate’s experience as well as his understanding of the threat that anyone who carried the name king might pose to his regime.

The term kingdom, as Jesus presents it, “with all the necessary changes having been made,” is revelatory of a different sort of power, one that attracts instead of compels; one that is spiritual instead of political; one that witnesses to the truth and waits for adherents rather than enforcing compliance; one that radiates incomprehensible love, rather than political or financial power over others. The power Jesus possesses, and invites us to share, encompasses reconciling love, service to others, food for our bodies and souls, and might even entail laying down one’s life for another.

To which sort of kingdom shall we belong? Jesus says he came into the world to testify to the truth, and everyone who belongs to the truth listens to his voice. At the end of the day, we each need to choose the voice to which we will listen, and which in turn will listen to us.

And so we pray... Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.