NOVEMBER 25^th. FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

Gospel: John 18:33-37

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

____________________________________________________________________________________

In his interchange with Pilate, Jesus speaks about the nature of his Kingdom. We are all surrounded by various structures of power and influence. These “kingdoms” promise much, but are transitory, and always disappoint us in the end. Unlike the kingdoms of this world, the Kingdom of Jesus is not to be defended with aggression, force or intolerance. It is to be defended by listening to the voice of Jesus and putting his truth into practice in our daily lives. A married couple defends the Kingdom by listening to Jesus’ voice and following him in the living out of their matrimony. The truth inherent in the Kingdom of Jesus becomes self-evident once it is put into practice.

Pilate begins the interrogation with a surprising question

As the liturgical year draws to a close, let us bow before the only true King! In this passage, Pilate represents the Roman Empire and he is interrogating Christ. The interrogation begins, strangely, with the question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” What is striking about this question is that in the Gospel of John prior to this event no-one had ever used the term “King” in reference to Jesus. Pilate was a man who would have direct personal experience with the temporal powers of this world. He had come from Rome, and we can only imagine the power struggles he would have had to engage in to reach the prestigious position he now held. It is interesting that his first question to Jesus regards his kingship. Jesus notes the strangeness of the question and replies, “Are you asking this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?” Jesus’ question puts Pilate in difficulty and the Roman procurator replies defensively, “Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me! What have you done?” The roles have been reversed and it is Jesus who is examining the heart of Pilate. Jesus, being Jesus, does not look at people in a distracted way but looks at them to the depths of their being. He is looking at Pilate now and knows that the Jewish leaders had only described him as being a trouble-maker, not a king. During his interrogation before the Jewish leaders, Jesus had refused to speak openly. Here before Pilate he reveals exactly who he is. “My Kingdom is not of this world,” he says, “If it were, my servants would have fought to prevent me from being arrested.” The Kingdom that Jesus is referring to is of a completely different type to the kingdoms that prevail on the earth.

Jesus’ Kingdom is not to be defended with violence, intolerance or aggression

It is not a kingdom that is to be defended with violence. At the beginning of the Passion, Peter takes out his sword and tries to defend Jesus by force. In doing so, Peter ceases to be a true disciple of Jesus, and, in fact, a short time later he will assert three times that he is not a follower of Jesus. In taking out his sword, Peter shows that he has completely misunderstood the nature of the man that he purports to defend. The servants of Jesus do not use force. Soon, the true disciples of Jesus will appear at the foot of the Cross, the Virgin Mary and the beloved disciple, John. Jesus entrusts one to the other. This communion of giving is the real Kingdom that Jesus has come to establish. The true servants of the Kingdom are not interested in power but in entering into the life of Jesus.

All of us, even Pilate, have an inner longing for the eternal Kingdom

While Jesus is saying these things, Pilate remarks, “So you are a King then.” Jesus replies, “It is you who say it.” This reply of Jesus is not just a figure of speech. Jesus is affirming that Pilate has realized that he is indeed a king. A number of times during the Passion, Pilate recognizes the true nature of Jesus. In the end he even does so in a written inscription hung on the Cross that asserts that this man is “King of the Jews”. How has Pilate managed to understand something of the nature of Jesus? Jesus goes on, “I am a King and I have come to bear testimony to the truth. He who is of the truth, listens to my voice.” The one who is listening to his voice at this moment is Pilate. Pilate has simply enquired as to the royal status of Jesus, has listened to Jesus’ reply, and has now recognized that he is indeed a king. Every man has an inner longing for a Kingdom that is not of this world, even a cynical man like Pilate, who has probably jostled his way to temporal power and cares little about the plight of those under his power.

What is the “truth” that Jesus makes a central aspect of his Kingdom? It is not an abstract thing but is manifested by living a life in conformity to Christ

All of us have had experience of various powers and kingdoms, and all of them have disappointed us. Only Christ brings the true Kingdom that does not delude or disappoint us. We must open ourselves to him and allow his voice to enter into us. That voice prompts us to ask, “What is it that matters in life? Where is the true Kingdom that deserves to be defended?” We must defend that which is authentic, that which is true, not that which is transitory. We are all caught up in the transitory kingdoms of this world, but we are called to live in the truth. It is important that this “truth” that Jesus speaks of is not understood in an abstract way. The truth of matrimony, for example, is that which is not transitory and which truly counts. When two spouses are united in Christ, God reproduces his very image in them. The God who is communion itself enables the couple to be fertile and establish a family. This is what truly counts in marriage, but how many other things interfere to obscure the nature of the union! This is the Kingdom that must be defended, and it defended by listening to Jesus’ voice and following him.

It is not necessary to be aggressive or forceful in defending the faith. We must just live it, and then its truth become evident by itself.

It is not necessary to be anxious in the defence of the faith. Jesus is the truth, and the truth is able to stand by itself without defence. We often witness antagonism and aggression within the Church that is incompatible with the Kingdom of Christ. We see people trying to impose their views on others in a forcible or intolerant way. But trying to change people’s hearts by force is fallacious from the beginning. What must be done instead is to listen to Jesus’ voice, a voice that penetrates the Roman Procurator and is capable of eliciting a response. Jesus is the truth. Everything else is transitory and will pass away. Jesus says to Marta that one thing only is necessary. To be in the Kingdom means to adhere to that one thing. The kingdoms of this world fight, kill and hate each other for things that do not matter at all. Their very violence stems from their fear of losing the things that they cling to. The goods of the Kingdom of Jesus, by contrast, cannot be taken away from us and we have no need of violence to defend them. That the Lord might grant us, at the end of the liturgical year, to become true subjects of this King!