A Kingdom Not of This World
Father Phil Paxton, CP
To All,
This Sunday marks the Feast of Christ the King. I think there is no better expression of what it means for us to understand Christ as king than our Gospel reading (John 18:33b – 37). This reading is part of the exchange between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. In answer to Pilate’s question: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus asks Pilate, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Later, Jesus says, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
Jesus is not talking about the location of kingdoms. When He says, “My kingdom does not belong to this world,” He is saying that His kingdom does not follow the ways of the kingdoms of this world. His rule, so to speak, is not about conquest, or the use of war and violence to achieve some goal of domination over one’s enemies. Rather, His power as ‘king” comes from love and sacrifice. This “King” does not try to destroy His enemies but seeks to save them!
And yet, we are tempted to try to make Jesus into a model of an earthly ruler. We want Him as King to justify our judgment and condemnation of others. We want Him to lead us in battle against the forces of evil. Personally, I have a problem with that approach. For me, the victory Jesus has won was not the elimination of those considered unworthy or even unholy (by us), but victory over sin. In our second reading from Revelation (1:5-8), it says, “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. 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 Goad and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”
We need to let go of trying to turn Jesus into a typical earthly leader, and instead be open to Jesus turning us into a different kind of kingdom, where we work for justice, strive for peace, and instead of putting others down, look for ways to lift them up.
May we honor our King’s sacrifice and participate in His victory by obeying His commandment to love and being willing to give of ourselves for the sake of the gospel.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ our King,
Phil, CP