Christ the King, Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr B 2024

Title

Christ is King

Outline

The world debates who rules

What country is a superpower; which ruler is more powerful; what does one need to do for or in defense of those rulers. This is a minor concern in the New Testament, for while rulers should be honored like all other people, and while they were to be paid taxes for seeing to it that justice was maintained, the Christian gave total service to another king and knew that God could crush the petty rulers of this world when they did not serve his good purposes. The true king was Jesus Christ. Let us look at two aspects of his rule.

The first is that it transcends the space-time universe

It therefore just is. Jesus could say, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” Revelation can speak of “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth,” not because he is the greatest of them but because he transcends them. Daniel can see what is: the Son of Man receiving universal eternal dominion from the Ancient of Days. This rule is, and it transcends our universe more than humans transcend ants and any disputes among ants about who rules whom.

Second, it impinges on this world in its time and with its ways and means

There was creation, of course, but the king chose to deal with human rebellion, not by annihilating them, but by entering our sphere to redeem us: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father.” Jesus shows his different ways and means when he says to Pilate, “If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.” Instead of fighting he “testified to the truth,” and he would die to destroy death. Yet he could at the same time sit as judge over Pilate, telling him whose sin was greater.

Therefore his followers who recognize his rule and are a kingdom of priests or royal priests, use his ways and means, not those of this world.

But the time will come when he will impose his rule on the earth, bring true justice, and so transform the world that it can be called a new heaven and a new earth.

Therefore, Sisters, we need to live by this vision of Christ the King

He is our Lord now, so we use his methods and fit into his plan and expect his outcome.

He is our Lord now, so we only follow the rulers of this world to the degree they do not overstep his mandate. But that does not mean we use this world’s methods to overthrow evil rulers. No, we weep for them and pray for mercy for them, for we know that the King will come either within this age or at the end of this age.

He is our Lord, so we deal with our concerns within this age by, yes, proclamation of the truth, but more by worship and acclamation, entering into the really real and letting that vision calm our souls.

And that ability to dissolve anxiety in contemplation may well be tested relatively soon.

Jesus Christ is King