Scripture Reflection, November 25: Christ the King

Scripture Readings:
2 Samuel 5: 1-3
Psalm 122
Colossians 1: 12-20
Luke 23: 35-43

Almost every day we listen to political rhetoric about who would be the best leader for our nation. The ongoing debates between Republican and Democratic candidates for President repeatedly raise questions about aptitude for leadership. News commentators and political pundits speculate about which candidates have the power base to “go all the way” in the campaign. Sometimes it seems that this contentious conversation will never end.

As I was listening to a news report about the presidential campaign this week, I remembered watching television coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York in 2001. The parade took place, of course, just a couple of months after the terrible tragedy of 9/11, not very far from the site of the twin towers. It featured the presence of New York City firefighters, police officers and rescue workers, many of whom had responded to the bombings. The response of the crowds to these special parade participants was overwhelming. In the wake of that tragedy, it seems that we took notice of heroes in our midst other than those who usually grab the headlines – politicians, athletes, and movie stars. We began to pay more attention to people who serve the community day in and day out, often in very selfless ways. We began to reflect on the courage and heroism of firefighters who rush into burning buildings, police officers who face danger daily in trying to protect the community, paramedics and other medical personnel who offer emergency care. The tragedy of 9/11, as well as other events since then, helped us to become more aware of the presence of ordinary people who exhibit greatness through service. These people exercise a quiet but very essential form of leadership in our world.

This coming Sunday, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. In this celebration we say something very important. We proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord; he is the Risen One who is victorious over the powers of evil and death. In the beautiful hymn from Colossians that will be read, we hear that through Christ God has brought about reconciliation on a cosmic scale. We conclude our liturgical year by professing that it is Jesus Christ who will have the final word in our individual lives and in human history. We also say something about ourselves. We proclaim that by calling ourselves Christians we are those who strive to allow Christ to lead us, to guide our lives. We invite Christ to be the leader of our lives.

But what kind of leader is Jesus? What kind of hero is he? What kind of power does he exercise? The Scripture readings for this Sunday speak to us about Christ’s leadership and power in a most compelling way. They depict Jesus as the descendant of Israel’s revered king David. David was remembered among the people as a leader who governed with compassion and wisdom, as someone who genuinely cared about the people. Many of the Jewish people longed for a Messiah who would be like David.

In the stunning scene of the crucifixion from Luke’s gospel, the identity of Jesus is put in question. The rulers ironically refer to him as the Messiah, “the Christ of God.” The inscription placed on the cross is apparently put there as a form of mockery: “This is the King of the Jews.” But what is said in mockery and in sardonic tones turns out to be the truth. This is indeed the Christ, the King of the Jews. We learn something about the meaning of these titles through what transpires at this moment. The leaders and the unrepentant criminal incite Jesus to save himself. That must have been a very tempting thought – to do something, to do anything, to save himself. To these goading words the response of Jesus is silence. But when the other criminal, the one we know as “the Good Thief,” acknowledges the innocence of Jesus and asks Jesus to remember him, Jesus does respond. In his own hour of greatest personal need, Jesus exercises his leadership by responding to someone else’s need. He responds with a generosity that far exceeds anything this condemned criminal could have imagined. Jesus promises this man that he will be with him. And to be with Jesus, to be in his presence, is to be in paradise.

This is the power of Jesus at its most evident. It is a power displayed in the midst of his own suffering, his giving of his life for others -- for you and for me. It is a power that effects forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a power which heals and grants life to someone who seemed to be completely deprived of life. It is a power that does not overwhelm or dominate but which lifts up and ennobles.

Each one of us has power. Each one of us exercises leadership, even if we may not think that we do. We may not feel very powerful in life. We may not hold any notable position of leadership in our work or society. But each one of us is a person with significant power and each of us leads others, even if only through the example of our lives. Our celebration of the Feast of Christ the King is an invitation to look upon the cross of Christ in order to discover our true leader. We must ask him to help us lead as he led, to be powerful in the way that he was powerful. Christ challenges us to lead through service to others. He summons us to be powerful by working for reconciliation in our homes and families, our communities and Church. Christ invites us to exercise our power not by dominating or overpowering others but by lifting them up, by giving life, by restoring dignity to those who may have lost their sense of dignity.

Jesus, we remember you in this Eucharist. We remember your life, death and resurrection. We remember the words you spoke to the Good Thief, words spoken in the midst of your own agony, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” And so, like him, we say to you, “Jesus, remember me; remember us.” Remember us when we feel that we have lost you, that we cannot find you. Remember us and bring us into your presence in those times. And Jesus, remember us when we are tempted to use our power, our leadership, in the wrong ways. Remember us and place before our minds the image of your cross, the image of the One who gave life from the cross. Remember us and continue to teach us how to use our power to lift up others. Jesus, remember us.

Robin Ryan, CP