FEAST OF CHRIST, THE KING
Christ sits at the right side of God. Matthew 22:41-46
INTRODUCTION
As we have reached the last Sunday of the
liturgical calendar, we are celebrating the feast of Christ the King. As
members of the church, we are in the kingdom of God initiated and headed
by Christ. The culmination of the salvation history is that Christ shall
be enthroned as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:16). Through
his dispute with the Pharisees, Jesus proved that the Messiah is more
that the “son of David.” He is the also Son of God who came to the world
as son of man. Jesus acknowledged to Pilate that he is king; but his
kingdom does not belong to this world (John 18:36). Jesus told his
disciples: “you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of
the world” (John 15:19). Let us acknowledge the great sacrifice of our
redeemer who has chosen us out of the world to be citizens of his divine
kingdom and let us be loyal to his leadership so that we later enter
into the fullness of his kingdom.
BIBLE TEXT
The Question About David’s Son.
INTERPRETATION
(41) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them,
Different groups that opposed Jesus used to
question Jesus. Most of them were to refute him rather than to
understand the divine truth from him. The context of today’s gospel
passage is that the Jewish leaders raised several questions to Jesus in
Jerusalem for which he gave appropriate answers.
1. The chief priests and elders questioned
the authority of Jesus for his teachings and his act of cleansing the
Temple. They asked: “By what authority are you doing these things? And
who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).
2. The disciples of Pharisees and Herodians
asked him: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”
(Matthew 22:17).
3. The Sadducees, who did not believe in the
resurrection, questioned him on the resurrection based on a hypothetical
story of a woman who married seven brothers one after another and died
childless. “Now at the resurrection, of the seven, whose wife will she
be? For they all had been married to her.” (Matthew 22:28).
4. A scholar of the law representing the
Pharisees asked Jesus: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the
greatest?” (Matthew 22:36).
After responding to all these difficult questions, Jesus took his turn to ask a question to the Pharisees. Now the questioned became the questioner. While the purpose of those who questioned Jesus was to make some reason to put him to death, his purpose was to prove that he was the Messiah.
(42) saying, “What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “David’s.”
The Israelites were expecting a Messiah that
God would send to deliver them from the evil. The word Messiah came from
the Hebrew word mashiach which means “anointed one” or “chosen one.” Its
Greek version is Christos and English terminology is Christ. In biblical
times, priests, prophets, and kings were anointed with oil as a sign of
God’s selection and consecration of them for a God-given role. Jews were
expecting a special Messiah, who would deliver Israel from the evil as
promised by God even from the time of Adam and renewed through other
holy men in the history of Israel.
Jesus’ question to the Pharisees was on the
sonship of the Messiah. There are seven sonship titles of the Messiah in
the Bible, out of which the Pharisees chose one.
1. The Son of God
St. Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus back
as the son of God (Luke 3:38) emphasizing the divine origin of Jesus.
Though he was born of a woman, he had no human father. Angel Gabriel
said to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be
called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). At the time of his baptism
and transfiguration, God revealed him as His Son. This divine sonship
was confirmed in the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:32-33), (Romans
1:3-4). St. Peter acknowledged Jesus as “the son of the living God”
(Matthew 16:16) and St. Thomas as ‘My Lord and my God” (John 20:28) both
affirming the divinity of Jesus. Though Adam was also a son of God
directly created by Him, Jesus was far different from Adam. Nicaean
creed states: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of
God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial of one Being
with the Father. Through him all things were made.”
2. The Son of Adam
Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus also as
the son of Adam (Luke 3:38). This title emphasizes the humanity of Jesus
as an outcome of the Adamic Covenant: “I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your
head, while you strike at their heel.” (Genesis 3:15). Thus the promised
son of Adam was to be born of a woman who would strike the head of the
serpent.
3. The Son of Man
This usage is taken in different senses. The
incarnation as son of a human being, the suffering of the Messiah like a
human (Mathew 12:40, 17:22, 20:18-19,28), the supernatural nature of
Jesus (John 1:51) and his second coming in glory (Daniel 7:13). Jesus
preferred to use “son of man” for himself out of his humility.
4. The Son of Abraham
The genealogy of Matthew traces back Jesus as
the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). This shows the relationship of the
Messiah to the Abrahamic Covenant. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth
day following this covenant. Jesus was the fulfillment of Abraham’s
words to his son Isaac: “My son, God will provide the sheep for the
burnt offering.” (Genesis 22:8). Though God saved Isaac’s life replacing
a ram, the real replacement took place with Jesus, the lamb of God, who
was sacrificed on the same mountain. All the three promises God made to
Abraham were fulfilled in Israel and continued to fulfill in Jesus.
Through Jesus also, God selected descendants of faith, promised a
perfect dwelling place for the faithful, and a blessing to all nations
through the faithful.
5. The Son of David
Mathew starts his gospel with the genealogy
of Jesus stating him also as son of David (Matthew 1:1). The emphasis
here is on the royalty or kingship of Jesus and as the fulfillment of
the Davidic Covenant. God promised to David: “when your days have been
completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your
offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his
kingdom. He it is who shall build a house for my name, and I will
establish his royal throne forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Though the
promise was partially fulfilled in David’s son Solomon who built the
Temple, the promise came to its completion only in Jesus who established
the universal kingdom and rules it forever. Jesus was a direct
descendant of David through Mary and his adopted father Joseph as per
the genealogy of Luke and Matthew.
6. The Son of Mary
Jesus was also told as son of Mary (Mark 6:3)
emphasizing his human origin from Mary. His humanity came only from Mary
who was also from Davidic line according to the genealogy given by Luke.
Jesus had the royal blood of King David through his son Nathan and his
descendants.
7. The Son of Joseph
Jesus was also considered as son of Joseph
(Matthew 13:55, John 6:42). Though Joseph was not the biological father
of Jesus, Joseph was his adopted or legal father from Davidic line. The
genealogy of Jesus that Matthew presents traces back Joseph to Solomon,
the son of David.
In answer to Jesus’ question, the Pharisees
answered that the Messiah must be the Son of David. That was a popular
expectation of the public regarding Messiah. That is clear from the fact
that many people addressed Jesus as the son of David. Some examples are
the crowds who doubted the Messiahship of Jesus (Matthew 12:23), the
Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22), the crowds that welcomed Jesus to
Jerusalem shouting hosanna (Matthew 21:9), and Bartimaeus who was a
blind beggar (Mark 10:48).
Though Pharisees’ answer was correct, Jesus challenged their response to prove that Messiah was more than a descendant of David.
(43) He said to them, “How, then, does David, inspired by the Spirit, call him ‘lord,’ saying: (44) ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet”’? (45) If David
calls him ‘lord,’ how can he be his son?”
David, inspired by the Spirit
Jesus quoted from Psalm 110: “A psalm of David. The
LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, while I make your enemies
your footstool.’” From the verse it is clear that the psalm was written
by David and that he wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord said to my lord
The ‘lord’ or the Messiah would be far higher than
an earthly king because the Messiah would rule the kingdom forever, as
God promised to David. No earthly king can rule forever. David addressed
that future son to be born in his direct lineage as ‘lord.’ Besides, the
“lord” was in existence before David. That is why David said in past
tense that “the Lord said to my lord.” No son can exist before the
father. In that sense, the ‘lord’ is not just a son of David. Instead,
this son must be of divine origin who existed with God the Father and
incarnated in the lineage of David. He is the creator of David and his
descendant, as Jesus reveled to St. John at Patmos: “I am the root and
offspring of David.” (Rev. 22:16).
Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet
(46) No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
The Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Scribes
who used to question Jesus to put him in trouble found that he was a man
of unbeatable wisdom. They could not defeat him in any Theological
disputes. So they stopped interrogating him with religious questions.
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
The concept of Jesus as king and his kingdom are
understood in a different sense from the secular world. The failure of
the Israelites was that they misunderstood Messiah as a mundane king who
would liberate Israelites from the Roman rule. They were fed up with
being under foreign monarchs one after another like Babylonians,
Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Even the disciples of Jesus asked him
before the ascension, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the
kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). However, Jesus role was to reestablish
the Kingdom of God by saving humanity from the bondage of Satan, sin,
suffering, and death that entered the world because of the fall of first
parents. That indeed is the permanent solution and establishment of the
eternal kingdom headed by Jesus the Messiah.
“By the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who are allied with him experience it." (Wisdom 2:24). This
death is physical as well as spiritual. Christ, through his death and
resurrection, broke the power of the evil and set us free from the
slavery of sin. (CCC 421). By offering himself as a ransom for many
(Mark 10:45), Jesus has regained us “the promised eternal inheritance”
(Hebrews 9:15). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.” (John 3:16). As St. Paul wrote: “He is the head of the body, the
church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all
things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was
pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross [through him], whether those on
earth or those in heaven.” (Colossians 1:18-20). At the end times, Jesus
“is Lord of lords and king of kings, and those with him are called,
chosen, and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14).
The term Christ or Messiah implied that he was
anointed. Just as kings, prophets, and priests were specially selected
by God and anointed for His service, Jesus was the Messiah in full
sense. He performed the role of prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet,
he was the Word of God and preached it to the world (Luke 24:19). As a
high priest, “passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
…he entered once for all into the sanctuary, … with his own blood, thus
obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:11-12). Jesus is “King of
kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:16). “Raising him from the dead and
seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every
principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is
named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all
things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the
church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things
in every way.” (Ephesians 1:20-23).
There are several references to the kingship of
Jesus in the Bible. At the time of annunciation, Angel Gabriel told
Mary, "the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He
will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no
end." (Luke 1:32-33). Jesus preached that the kingdom of God was at
hand. (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:43, 11:20). Nathanael
acknowledged Jesus, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of
Israel." (John 1:49). Matthew quoting from Zechariah 9:9 reported that
the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was the fulfillment of a prophesy:
“Behold, your king is coming to you.” (Matthew 21:5). People welcomed
him saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” (Matthew 21:9). The
accusation the Jews brought to Pilate against Jesus was that he claimed
to be the king of Jews because they knew that it would irritate the
Roman governor. That was why Pilate questioned Jesus asking "Are You the
King of the Jews?" to which he answered: "It is as you say." (Matthew
27:11, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3). Jesus clarified to
Pilate saying, "My kingdom does not belong to this world." (John 18:36). The soldiers of Pilate mocked Jesus based on the accusation against
Jesus claiming as temporal king. “Weaving a crown out of thorns, they
placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before
him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” (Matthew
27:29). The inscription Pilate placed on the cross of Jesus was: “Jesus
the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” (John 19:19).
Origin of the Feast Celebration of Christ the King
The Feast celebration of Christ the King is
of recent origin. The background for considering this feast was World
War I (August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918) and the lack of peace even
after the war. Pius XI, the then pope, wanted to give importance to the
kingship of Christ as “Prince of Peace.” The pope published an
encyclical Ubi arcano Dei consilio in December 1922 and another one,
Quas primas in 1925. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 and it
was celebrated on the last Sunday of October or the Sunday before All
Saint’s Day. Pope’s intention was to remind the Christians that they
should show allegiance to Christ the King rather than to the earthly
rulers.
St. Pope Paul VI moved the feast of Christ
the King to the last Sunday of the liturgical year in 1970 and renamed
the feast as “Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe.” That is
relevant because of two remembrances. It reminds Christians the second
coming of Christ when the kingdom of God will be established in its
fullness with Jesus as the King. It also leads into the season of Advent
when we prepare for Christmas, the birth of the newborn king.
MESSAGE
1. Though Jesus was born in the lineage of
David as the fulfillment of Davidic covenant, He was also Son of God.
Through baptism, we are reborn in the spiritual family of Jesus. Jesus
told of his disciples: “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is
my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:50). Let us do the will
of God and remain in the family of Jesus.
2. Jesus seated at the right hand of the
Father is indicative of how pleasing he is to the Father. At the final
judgement, the righteous will be placed on the right side of Jesus. Let
us keep the works of Christian charity based on faith in Jesus to be at
the privileged position during the final judgement.
3. Jesus Christ established the church as his
kingdom and he is its head. As Christians, we form the body of Christ in
the church with different gifts and functions to exercise in this world
(Romans 12:4-6). Are we working in unison with the church and the
representatives of Christ?
4. Jesus told that he is the vine and we are
the branches. “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it
remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” (John
15:4). Let us remain in the love of Jesus and bear fruits of Christian
love.
5. “On Judgment Day at the end of the world,
Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over
evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the
course of history.” (CCC 681). So let us continue fighting against evil
with the grace of Christ and persist in doing good awaiting the glorious
return of Jesus.
6. After the final judgement, Jesus Christ
shall be enthroned as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:16).
Let us pray and work for entry into this perfect kingdom of the Lord.