The Solemnity of Christ the King, November 20, 2022

Luke 23, 35–43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.”   Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, is set on the last Sunday of the Church year.  In this way, the feast day looks forward to the new year, and back on the year about to be completed.  Thus, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is signified as on a throne that overlooks all time and all space.

The way to understand the kingship of the Lord Jesus is the same as it is to understand the Father’s fatherhood.  Jesus is THE King, as the Father is THE Father.  Those to whom kingship or fatherhood pertain only share in the Kingship of Christ or the Fatherhood of God the Father.  Jesus is not like other kings; to one extent or another they are like him.  We should, then, be prepared to see that Jesus as King far surpasses others who are kings.  Jesus, the King of the universe, possesses supreme authority so as to be the supreme servant,  As he himself said, “Even as the Son of Man is not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a redemption for many.”  

“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”  The Lord revealed himself as the King of the universe when he reigned from the throne of the Cross.  He came to earth precisely in order to lay down his life for us.  He had, quite literally, lived for this.  While the soldiers and Jewish leaders jeer at him with a title he never claimed for himself, he is the One who does not need to be redeemed, for he is God.  They also say that “He saved others” as though this work was done.  In fact, it was only beginning.  (By the way, one of the odder aspects of the mockery of the Jewish leaders is that they admit freely that Jesus did save others from their diseases and from demons, and yet they worked for his crucifixion to make him stop saving others.  It never dawns on them that if he did possess the power to save others he could save himself, but his choosing not to do so pointed to his having some greater purpose in dying).

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  This pray by the Good Thief reveals real understanding of who Jesus was.  Rejecting the idea of the Lord ruling an earthly kingdom, as the Pharisees imagined the Messiah would do, he appeals to Jesus as the King of a heavenly realm.  Not even the Apostles had shown this level of understanding.  We must suppose that as the Father had revealed the divine Sonship of Christ to St. Peter (cf. Matthew 16, 17), the Father had revealed this to the Good Thief.  The Good Thief, in agony and struggling to draw breath, prayed to Jesus, acknowledging him as his King, and the Lord made a promise we each hope one day to hear: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  We will hear this, too, if we acknowledge Jesus as our King and live by his commandments and according to his will.