Our Servant King

Christ the King
21 November 2010


Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

First reading 2 Samuel 5:1-3
All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron. ‘Look’ they said ‘we are your own flesh and blood. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel in all their exploits; and the Lord said to you, “You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord, and they anointed David king of Israel.

Psalm: Psalm 121:1-5

Second reading Colossians 1:12-20
We give thanks to the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.
Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
He is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –
all things were created through him and for him.
Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.
As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross.

Gospel Luke 23:35-43
The people stayed there before the cross watching Jesus. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’

Reflection
By Jeanne Therese Hilario-Andres

When my son was a toddler, he used to be intensely frightened of crucifixes. He loved Jesus and thought of Him as his special friend, but on Sundays, he would insist on sitting as far away as possible from the altar in churches which had lifelike figures of Jesus on a cross. At first, it exasperated me, but as I thought about it from his perspective, I totally began to get it. After all, what child would want to see Jesus like this: Dead or dying, His face beaten, His wounds open, His blood flowing, His hands and feet nailed to a rough wooden cross? This was Jesus, his friend whom he chatted with every bedtime, and some people had tortured and killed Him! It was all too brutal and violent for his young mind then.

Come to think of it, how could this “disturbing” image be a symbol of God’s saving love for us? And how can the crucifix be an illustration of Jesus’ Kingship? If we want to depict Jesus as King, why not simply show Him robed in kingly garments, with magnificent robes and a bejeweled crown? Why present Him as one disgraced and crucified as a criminal, an excruciating execution reserved only for the worst lawbreakers?

Jesus was sentenced to die a criminal’s death for declaring that He was King, which was tantamount to treason in those days. He was mocked and ridiculed, but He never retaliated, never lashed out, never defended Himself. Despite the jeers and insults, He remained loving and forgiving, generous and considerate, tranquil and lucid until the very painful end.

Instead of swearing allegiance, they betrayed Him. Instead of worship, they brought Him insults.

Instead of a throne, they gave Him a cross. And yet, in truth, He truly was and is King, not only of the Jews, but of the entire Universe.

What King would lay down his life for His subjects? A modern king or government leader would have secret service agents preceding them, guarding them, protecting them. Sometimes these bodyguards would even give their lives for their king or president. But here we have a King Who goes ahead of His people, bearing the brunt of their guilt, beating a safe path through the darkness so they can be free to finally come home.

By embracing and accepting death, even a humiliating death on a cross, Jesus is saying to each one of us, “I am not a king who rules and judges from afar. I am not a king who sits in his palace, waiting to be served. I am one of you. I bear your load so you won’t have to. I pave the way so you need no longer be lost. I sacrifice my life that you might live.”

Come see His hands and His feet
The scars that speak of sacrifice
Hands that flung stars into space
To cruel nails surrendered

This is our God, the Servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the Servant King

- From Graham Kendrick’s song, “The Servant King”

In each of our hearts, there is a throne. Who sits on the throne of your heart? Is it you? Your plans, dreams and ambitions? Your desires, worries and concerns? Your attachments and affections? Whose kingdom do you belong to? Who is your king?

Jesus is the all-powerful King of the Universe, but because of His vast love, He will never impose Himself on us by force. He gives us the power, the free will, to choose to love Him back and have Him as our king, or to rule our own lives and reject His kingship over us. Jesus can only be king of your heart if you let Him. Will you enthrone Him in your heart today?

Jesus, You came down from Your heavenly throne to save me, forsaking everything to be one of my race, emptying Yourself out so I may have fullness of life. I offer you the throne of my heart, worn out and battered as it is. You are my King and for me there is none other. Yet even so, it is often difficult for me to let go and give you full control over my life, in big things and in small. Teach me to truly make You king of my heart every day. May I look to You for strength and humility, as my model of perfect, unconditional, servant love. Amen.


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