Christ the King Year B 2018
Readings: Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1.4b-8; John 18.33-37
Our bishop, Bishop Rob, never does anything by halves! I’m sure that Jordan, Anna, and Jaime will never forget last Sunday being drenched in the waters of baptism! And then, with everyone confirmed, copiously anointed with fragrant oil … Powerful symbolic actions whereby, as much as our confirmation of promises made at our baptism, God confirms our belonging, our belonging in Christ, enfolded in his unconditional love, our participation in the life of the Spirit!
And, in our belonging to God, our belonging to one another ….We take our place, the place prepared for us, around the Lord’s table – with all of Jesus’ disciples.
And so it is perhaps appropriate today that we arrive at the final and climactic Sunday of the Church year! And reflect on what it means to belong in the kingdom of Christ! as we celebrate this morning: the Feast of Christ the King!
In our day and age ‘What on earth is this kingship stuff all about?’ We don’t perceive kings, monarchs, as those who lived two thousand years ago perceived them.
Though we obviously enjoy our royalty – as those of you who came to the Spring Fair this year on the 19th of May will know – the church packed to watch a certain royal wedding on the big screen!
But of course, royal weddings are not ‘king of the world’ stuff. Revelation 11.15: The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ!” a text not infrequently seen in churches around the walls of the sanctuary – including Westminster Abbey! So is this what we celebrate today? You already know my answer to this question: a resounding No! Though perhaps for more centuries than not, the answer has been Yes! When Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, the outlook of the Church changed – some might say, became corrupted! The Church took on the mantle of monarchy for itself, for its Popes, bolstered by such texts as those from the Book of Revelation, where Jesus does indeed, become mighty fearsome warrior: astride the white horse making war on the nations. Here in the Book of Revelation, Christ rules with a rod of iron as he treads the winepress of the wrath of God!
European history is riven by the struggle for power between Church and Crown – most famously for us, in the alternating relationship between Henry II and Thomas a’Beckett, Thomas raised up by Henry to be a compliant archbishop of Canterbury, but who in the event, refused to be any such thing! And of course, Henry VIII, without whose defiance of the Pope, we should not be here this morning!
Jesus is brought before the Roman Procurator Pilate charged with claiming to be ‘King of the Jews’ – a charge of sedition, treasonous challenge to the authority of the Emperor. The gospel of John records a dance of words between Jesus and Pilate: Is he king of the Jews? Jesus’ answer ‘My kingdom is not from this world.’ Down the centuries, beyond – or perhaps below, the divinization of kingship, this pivotal statement from Jesus has been used to individualise and spiritualise Jesus’ purpose and work, removing the political from his mission. That is, removing the political from the equation in any way but, an assertion of the status quo of monarchy and empire. Precisely the reverse of what Jesus intended by kingdom and kingship! The first Christians accorded to Jesus the title ‘Son of God’ – a title incidentally, already belonging to the Roman emperor!
But Jesus’ preferred title for himself is the enigmatic phrase ‘Son of Man’, referencing the strange prophetic visions of the prophet Daniel written nearly two hundred years earlier. And sadly a title somewhat lost in our NRSV translation of the text this morning – ‘one like a human being’. Yet a title found on the lips of Jesus over seventy times through the four gospels!
Across the ancient world there was a belief that there would be four great empires, before a climactic fifth and final empire, one which would establish peace across the world.
In the Book of Daniel these empires are represented by great beasts rising from the abyss under the sea: with angels’ wings, a lion and a leopard, and a bear: the Babylonians, the Medes and the Persians. The fourth beast from the abyss, is far more terrifying, a fierce monster of great strength with iron teeth and ten horns, human eyes and an arrogant mouth – Alexander the Great, and the Hellenic world. In the mind’s eye of the prophet, these empires are brought before the ‘Ancient of Days’, God that is, who sits in judgement upon them. Then, comes one from heaven to whom will be given dominion over all, the great and final fifth empire.
Of course in the general scheme, Rome perceived itself to have achieved this climactic role! Pax Romana and all that! Certainly under Rome a level of peace prevailed – but at a price, the price of military victory followed by rigorous domination.
For the Jews Daniel’s vision is the beginning of something new: a Son of Man appears, one to whom will be given, dominion, glory and kingship, one whom all peoples and nations will serve.
But there is a sharp distinction here. This is the coming of God’s Messiah, a very different sort of king, one who will establish justice on earth; free Jerusalem from occupation and domination. And critically, will do so, by faithfulness to goodness and truth, which may indeed, lead to piercing: persecution and death.
When we herald Jesus as king, it is as this ‘Son of Man’ that we do so. We do so with reference to his life and teaching. For this is kingship turned upside down. As we heard just a few weeks ago when Jesus addressed his disciples -480following the request of James and John for top status. “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.’ As Christians we are to freely choose the lowest place, choose that is, to let go of our ego-driven need to dominate. To choose instead, to actively create space for others, empower others to come forward and shine! Trusting our Son of Man, that not only will our needs be met, we shall also be met with abundant life, set free to become the people we are.
Jesus’ disciples demonstrate our human nature which tends to gravitate towards those of higher status. Our undisciplined egos wish to bask in their glory – if not outdo them ourselves. In Jesus, whether we like it or not, our king takes the role of the lowest servant to wash the dirty soiled feet of his friends as they arrive for the party he is hosting! Our king rides into his city not on a war horse with a great retinue, pomp and ceremony, swords and banners waving to subdue an awed crowd.
Our king rides in on a lowly donkey – utterly vulnerable to any who would pull him down as palm branches strew his way! Our king will lay down his life for us, not in the midst of fighting for might and glamour, rather in the midst of accepting all the horror, terror and degradation that we, human beings, can fling at him – with no retaliation, never ceasing to love us. Never ceasing to pray for us;never ceasing to seek God’s blessing on those who torture him to death; never succumbing to the temptation to give up, seek another way out.
Jesus’ power is a power that rejects violence in all its forms: emotional, physical, structural.
It is a power that makes active non-violence possible. Non-violence which is not passivity, neutrality or the avoidance of conflict.
For non-violent conflict is essential to challenge the violence of structural superiority endemic to hierarchical societies. Nor does a commitment to non-violence involve certainty about how we would react in any given situation. It means seeking to live by a different power than the power of military force, money or manipulation. It means to be growing more like Jesus day by day, exhibiting his life in our lives: a growing compassion for those around us – and a passion for the prospering of all. We do need to get involved in politics, sign petitions, join protest marches. We need to ensure that we are accurately informed about the world we live in, where the products we consume have come from, how they have been produced.
Participation in the kingship of Christ is not to abase ourselves, but rather as we seek to serve and raise up one other, we will experience freedom, and that abundance of life, the life of overflowing water and copious fragrant oil. Amen.