Season of
Dedication of the Church
Fourth Sunday: Matthew 22:41-46
CHRIST SITS AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF GOD
THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE
KING
CHRIST SITS AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF GOD
INTRODUCTION
On 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 started and headed by Christ.
The salvation history will culminate when the Father will enthrone Jesus
as the “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
the 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 glorious sacrifice of
our redeemer who has chosen us out of the world to be the citizens of
his divine kingdom. We must be loyal to his leadership, so we later
enter the fullness of his kingdom.
BIBLE TEXT
The Question About David’s Son
(Matthew 22:41) As the Pharisees were
gathered there, Jesus asked them, (42) “What do you think of the Christ?
Whose son is he?” They answered, “David’s.” (43) Jesus then asked, “Why
then did David, inspired by the Spirit, call him Lord? For he says in a
psalm: (44) The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right until I put your
enemies under your feet. (45) If David calls him Lord, how can the
Christ be his son?” (46) No one could answer him, not even a word. From
that day on, no one dared question him anymore.
INTERPRETATION
(Matthew 22:41) As the Pharisees were
gathered there, Jesus asked them…
Diverse groups that opposed Jesus used to
question him. Most of the queries were to refute him rather than to
understand the divine truth from him. The context of this gospel passage
is the Jewish leaders’ questioning of Jesus in Jerusalem for which he
gave proper answers.
1. The chief priests and elders questioned
the authority of Jesus for his teachings and his act of cleansing the
Temple. They asked: “What authority have you to do all this? Who gave
you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).
2. The disciples of Pharisees and Herodians
asked him: “Is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay
them or not?” (Matthew 22:17).
3. The Sadducees, who did not believe in the
life after death, questioned Jesus on the resurrection based on the
fictional story of a woman who married seven brothers one after another
and died childless. “Now, in the resurrection of the dead, which of the
seven will have her as wife, for all of them had married her?” (Matthew
22:28).
4. A scholar of the Law representing the
Pharisees asked Jesus: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment
in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36).
After responding to all these problematic
questions, Jesus took his turn to ask a question to the Pharisees. Then
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) “What do you think of the Christ?
Whose son is he?” They answered, “David’s.”
The Israelites were expecting a Messiah that
God would send to deliver them from their bondage. The word Messiah came
from the Hebrew word mashiach which means “anointed one” or “chosen
one.” Its Greek version is Christos and English term 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.
The Jews were expecting a special Messiah, who would deliver Israel from
the evil as God promised even from the time of Adam and renewed through
other holy men in Israel’s history.
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
2. The Son of Adam
3. The Son of Man
4. The Son of Abraham
5. The Son of David
6. The Son of Mary
7. The Son of Joseph
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 many
people’s address of 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 the Messiah was more than
David’s descendant.
(43) Jesus then asked, “Why then did
David, inspired by the Spirit, call him Lord? For he says in a psalm:
(44) The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right until I put your enemies
under your feet. (45) If David calls him Lord, how can the Christ be his
son?” (46) No one could answer him, not even a word. From that day on,
no one dared question him anymore.
David, inspired by the Spirit
Call him Lord
Sit at my right.
Until I put 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.
THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
The kingship of Jesus differs from the
concept of kingship in the world. The Jews misunderstood Messiah as a
secular king who would liberate them from foreign rulers. The alien
monarchs one after another like Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians,
Greeks, and Romans ruled the Israelites, and that frustrated them. Even
the disciples asked Jesus before the ascension, “Lord, is it now that
you will 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 the first parents. That is the permanent solution
that God had offered to Adam.
“The envy of the devil brought death to the
world, and those who take his side shall experience death.” (Wisdom
2:24). This death is physical and 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). “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that
whoever believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.”
(John 3:16). As St. Paul wrote: “He is the head of the body, the church;
he is also the first, the firstborn from the dead, that he may be the
first in everything, for God was pleased to let all fullness dwell in
him. Through him God willed to reconcile all things to himself, whether
things on earth or things in heaven, by establishing peace through his
blood shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:18-20). At the end times, Jesus
“is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with him are
called, chosen and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14).
The term Christ or Messiah implied that God
anointed him. Just as God selected and anointed the kings, prophets, and
priests for His service, He sent Jesus as the Messiah in all the three
roles. He performed the role of the 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). “He revealed his
almighty power in Christ when he raised him from the dead and had him
sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, power,
authority, dominion, or any other supernatural force that could be
named, not only in this world but also in the world to come. Thus has
God put all things under the feet of Christ and set him as head over all
things for the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
everything 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 kingdom of David, his ancestor; he
will rule over the people of Jacob forever and his reign shall 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, “Master, 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 prophecy: “Behold, your
king is coming to you.” (Matthew 21:5). The people welcomed him saying,
“Hosanna to the Son of David.” (Matthew 21:9). The accusation Jews
brought to Pilate against Jesus was that he claimed to be the king of
Jews because they knew that it would aggravate the Roman governor.
Hence, Pilate questioned Jesus by 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, “My
kingship does not come from this world.” (John 18:36). The soldiers
of Pilate mocked Jesus based on the accusation against his claiming as
king. “Then, twisting a crown of thorns, they forced it onto his head,
and placed a reed in his right hand. They knelt before Jesus and mocked
him, saying, ‘Long live the King of the Jews!’” (Matthew 27:29). The
inscription Pilate placed on Jesus’ cross 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 the
church celebrated it 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 of the
second coming of Christ when he will establish God’s kingdom 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 the Davidic covenant, He was also the 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 Father in
heaven is my brother, my sister, and my 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 shows how pleasing he is to the Father. At the last judgement,
Jesus will place the righteous on his right side. Let us keep the works
of Christian charity based on faith in Jesus to be at the privileged
position during the last 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 diverse 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. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it has to remain part
of the vine; so neither can you bear fruit if you do not live 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 last judgment, the Father will
enthrone Jesus Christ 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.