Christ the King
(Free Version)- Last Sunday After Pentecost- 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37
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This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the year and the Sunday before the beginning of Advent. This week, we are reminded that kingdom of God looks radically different from the kingdoms of this world. As Christians, we have the opportunity to be a people of this different kingdom, this different story, a people of self-giving love.
Unfortunately, in many places, Christians have become the coercers, the dominators. Faced with the ways that our story has been warped in its telling, our temptation is then to shrink back from our story. But, that will not do because the only narrative that stands true in world like ours is the story of the God who chose self-giving over domination, who chose love over fear, who chose laying our life down over self-preservation.
Self-giving love is not the same as weakness. It does not mean lying down in the face of injustice. It is quite the opposite. When we yield authority, when we trust in Christ’s authority, we gradually learn that true justice only happens under his reign; and, we get to join in! He is making the world right and he invites us to participate! We do this empty-handed, fully dependent on him. Like Jesus himself, we stand silent before our accusers, ready to live out true love.
In his farewell address before his death (2 Samuel 23:1-7), David stands as an emblem of Israel’s power: his triumphs, his failure, and his repentance. In the Old Testament, David is described as faithful, as trusting God. But, when we really read about the choices which led to David’s downfall, we might wonder why the Bible still describes him as faithful. In this passage, we are reminded that it is God who is the hero of David’s story. David’s sin was not strong enough to stop God’s covenant. David was only true and just when he remembered that he was dependent on God. David was king, but David points us to the only one who really “rules over people justly.”
The enigmatic book of Revelation begins (Revelation 1:4b-8) with praise for the Triune God and all that has been accomplished in Jesus Christ. The true reign of Christ stands in contrast to all of the parodies and false kingdoms. In him is true freedom and everything finds its beginning and its end in Him.
In our gospel text (John 18:33-37), Pilate is confused by Jesus because he’s never seen anything like him. He is a king whose authority comes from elsewhere. He is a king who is about to be crucified by the empire and who refuses to fight back. He embodies a specific kind of truth.
When we use words like “king,” we are engaging in human analogy. We have never seen a king like this one! What kind of king establishes their rule on the relinquishment of their power? What kind of Lord ascends to the throne by giving himself for the whole world? This is precisely the kind of reign that might be expressed by turning the other cheek and loving your enemies.