Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
Rv 1:5-8
Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions
His Kingdom is not of this World But in this World
Brethren, we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King of the whole universe on this Sunday. This feast marks the last Sunday of the liturgical year and opens the way for the Advent season. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. This last Sunday also invites us to think of the Last Day, the final judgement day, when Christ will take his seat and judge all people according to how we have lived in this world. We will be judged according to our actions, whether they are fit for the Kingdom or not. On this Sunday, Christ, through the readings, makes it clear that he is the King, but his kingdom is not of this world, but this world was significant for his mission.
The kingship of Jesus is so radically different from the worldly understanding of kingship that this is probably why Jesus slipped away whenever people tried to forcibly declare him king. God at first did not want to give his people Israel a king. Why? Because God alone was their King and they needed no other. Nonetheless, God relented and promised his people that through David's line, he would establish a Ruler and a Kingdom that would last for eternity (Psalm 89:29). The Jews understood that the Messiah ("Anointed One") would come as God's anointed King to restore paradise and establish God's reign of everlasting peace for them. They wanted a Messianic King who would free them from strife and division and from foreign oppression. Many had high hopes that Jesus would be the Messiah and Ruler for Israel. Little did they understand what kind of kingship Jesus claimed to possess. His kingdom is not of this world, that is to say, it is not the kingdom according to worldly understanding, but he is a King as he confirms in front of Pilate, the pericope we read in today's gospel.
Jesus does not deny his royal mission, but he disassociates it from the political form of government that concerns Pilate. He thus turns the focus toward heaven, where he will be crowned not with gold but with glory and honour (Hebrews 2:9) and where homage is paid to him not in taxes but in worship (John 9:38) and allegiance to the truth (John 8:31-32). The coronation of Jesus begins with his Passion and culminates with his Ascension (Ephesians 1:20-23), from which time his dominion extends over the earth through the preaching and sacramental ministry of the Church (Matthew 28:18-20)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 196).
If Jesus' kingship is not of this world, then why did Jesus come to the world? For Jesus to accomplish his mission, the world was very significant to him, and the world is also very significant for the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to deliver his people and the whole world (like a rescue mission) from the worst kind of tyranny possible—from bondage to sin, condemnation, and death—and to free us from Satan's kingdom of deception, oppression, and destruction. Jesus came to conquer hearts and souls for an unshakeable kingdom—a kingdom ruled not by force or fear but by the power of God's righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). As the new representative of humanity (acquired through his incarnation), Jesus undid the failure of our first representative Adam to lead us from death to new life: adoption as sons and daughters of God. This is why Jesus came to this world, though his Kingdom was not of this World. He wanted to open for us a way to enter his kingdom after we leave this world.
The world still is more important for Jesus' mission and the proclamation of his kingdom because we who are to belong to his Kingdom are taken from this world. Because entering his kingdom has some demands, Jesus came to this world to make known these demands. Entering the kingdom where Jesus is King requires that our lives be based and clothed with love and charity and on what we do to alleviate hunger, thirst, exile, nakedness, disease, prison, saving the poor, and many others. Jesus tells us that our religion is summed up in the diligence and zeal with which we fight against these situations. These are what he will be looking for on the last day. To drive home this truth even more, he uses many images of the final judgement, not to show us what will happen at the end of the world but to teach us what should really count in our lives.
Though his kingdom is not of this world, it influences this world, and his kingdom is in this world. St Augustine says that the kingdom of Christ is simply those who believe in him, those to whom he said, 'You are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.' He willed, nevertheless, that they should be in the world, which is why he prayed to the Father, 'I ask you not to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one' (John 17:15-16). So here also he did not say, 'My kingdom is not' in this world but 'is not of this world.' And when he went on to prove this by declaring, 'If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought to save me from being handed over to the Jews,' he concluded by saying not 'my kingdom is not here' but 'my kingdom is not from here.' The Kingdom of God is here on earth, and we should live in it. St Augustine continues to say that it is in this world but in exile in this world.
We are all waiting for the last day when the Son of Man will come in clouds with his angels, as we see in today's first reading, and take us from this world to live with him in eternity. Christ destroys enemies of his kingdom in this world, and on the last day, the last enemy to be destroyed is death, and from then we shall see death no more and live in eternity with him as our king. As we wait for this final day, Christ is aware of the kingdom of Satan on this earth, which is always opposing his Kingdom. That's why he prays for us to his father to keep us safe from Satan's kingdom. However, to belong to Jesus' Kingdom or Satan's kingdom remains our choice. Today examine yourself in which kingdom you belong. To come to the kingdom that is not of this world, the kingdom of God, we should not be enraged by fear, as we fear earthly rulers, but come by faith.
Today's solemnity reminds all the rulers and kings of the world that we all have one king, Jesus, and all authority and power come from him. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," Mt 28:18. Therefore, in whatever they should do, they should do it according to the will of God, making sure that all people are led to Jesus. No antichrist characters like corruption, bribery, embezzlement of funds, no regard for the poor, widows, and orphans, and all bad rules. Today let us pray for our leaders that they may follow Christ's footsteps in ruling God's people so that in the end we all become one family around our Lord and King Jesus Christ.
Reflect today on Jesus' Kingdom, the kingdom that is not of this world but is in this world. Jesus wishes to establish his Kingdom in our hearts and here on earth, and this is done only when we accept him and be his sheep and He our shepherd. This can also be realised in the whole world when we become the instruments of his love and justice as Christians in civil society. We become His instruments to help convert the world by seeing and making sure that His truth and law are respected within civil society. It’s Christ’s authority as King that gives us the authority and duty as Christians to do all we can to fight civil injustices and bring about respect for every human person. All civil law ultimately gains its authority from Christ alone since He is the one and only Universal King. When we allow Jesus to be the king of our hearts, he will too be the king of our civil society and everyone.
Let us Pray
Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son, Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you. Be the Lord and Master of my heart, mind, body, and soul. May I always seek to do your will and to serve your kingdom above all else. Amen
Be blessed
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