Christ the King (Proper 29), Cycle B

John 18:33-37

We have in John 18:33-37 a combination of historical recollection that the Jesus of history had been tortured and crucified by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate as a political leader, a potential “King of the Jews,” and consequently a potential threat to the Roman occupation of Galilee and Judea, and of theological reflection of the role of the Johannine Jesus within the Johannine community. In this text the Roman governor is depicted as confused and frustrated, but trying to be just and fair. The “Jews” are portrayed as the evil people and nation to whom Jesus was handed over and who in turn handed Jesus over to Pilate for condemnation and crucifixion. The Johannine writers and community have their Jesus admit finally that he had been born to be a king and that he had come as a king to testify to the truth, but that his kingdom was not derived from this world. The kingship and the kingdom of the Johannine Jesus are given to him by God, not through human earthly authority. The theological reflection and claims of the Johannine community take us far from the life of the Jesus of history.

As we celebrate Christ as the King next Sunday, it will be essential that we emphasize that having Jesus the Risen Christ as our king is as much or more our future hope than it is our present reality. We should also be aware that the Jesus of history would probably be uncomfortable with our Christ the King emphasis. The Jesus of history would most likely identify with the oppressed people of our time and die with them rather than identify with our Christ the King emphasis.

In the English language there are a variety of single syllable words such as “sing,” “cling,” “ring,” and “wing” that rhyme with “king.” This has made the use of the designation of Jesus Christ as king a favorite for writers of English language hymns, especially during the Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter seasons. It has often been observed that the hymns that we sing have as much or more impact on the thinking of many Christians than the actual biblical texts have. As a result of the rhyming of these word endings and our heavy use of these hymns, our Lord Jesus Christ is designated as king in our thinking within the English language far more frequently than Jesus is designated as “the King” in the Greek New Testament.

Revelation 1:4b-8

According to this text, oppressive people in all of the tribes of the earth (in the New Testament and especially in the book of Revelation this means within the Roman Empire) will wail and beat their breasts in grief because of the coming of Jesus the Christ in the clouds. However, by contrast, those who have remained faithful within the Johannine community are said to be loved by Jesus Christ, the Ruler over the kings of this world, i.e., over Caesar and his subordinates who rule in the provinces that Rome governs and from which it draws its economic resources. The Johannine Jesus with his divine power has freed those who have been cleansed of their sins by the blood of this Lamb of God and has provided for them a kingdom in which they will serve as priests of God, Christ’s Father. Here, as elsewhere in the Apocalypse, Jesus the Christ is said to be powerful but subordinate in power to the Lord God, the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty.

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

The attempts to interpret the symbolism inherent in the words “one like a son of man” in Daniel 7:13 are innumerable, but within the context of Daniel 7 it is most likely that the person who wrote this verse intended the words “son of man” to be a personification of the righteous people of Israel, the perfect image of the righteous people within Israel, Israel at its best, and hope for a fulfillment that will be experienced by Israel at some time in the future. All peoples, nations, and languages will some day serve this “son of man,” this righteous people so long oppressed, and by their service to this “son of man” they ultimately will serve the Lord God.

The interpretations given above, along with the concept of the “son of man” as the ideal messianic king, have remained for the most part the principal interpretations of the “son of man” symbol within Jewish use of this text. Christians, until recently becoming interested in a rediscovery of the original significance of the son of man image, have generally considered Daniel 7:13-14 to be a prediction of the visible return of Jesus to the earth as Christ the Triumphant King at the end of time. As we who are Christians serve Jesus as the Triumphant King, we also ultimately serve God. Jesus as the Christ, in this instance as Christ the King, has become for many Christians much of what Israel at its best has been for Jews. It is important for us to recognize this and to share these interpretations in the congregations within which we serve. If we do this, we can use Daniel 7:13-14 on Christ the King Sunday with an adequate awareness of what we are doing.

Psalm 93

The terminology of this psalm is obviously political, drawn from human experiences with kings, royal courts, and the exercise of political power. Many anthropomorphic terms are utilized in an effort to demonstrate that although from all appearances the world is ruled by the leaders of the great world powers who controlled the Ancient Near East, actually only the Lord God who transcends time and space in power and majesty is the King of the Universe who increasingly came to be addressed as such in Jewish prayers. We as Christians continue that practice, with some modifications caused by specifically Christian theological developments regarding Jesus as the Christ, as Christ the King, one with God perceived as Father and God perceived as Holy Spirit.

2 Samuel 23:1-7

This hymn of praise, presented in 2 Samuel 23:1 as the last words of David the king, represents poetically what David as king could and should have been and done.

Psalm 132:1-12 (13-18)

This psalm also depicts what David as king could and should have been and done rather than what David as king actually was and did. What we have here that is not in 2 Samuel 23:1-7 are the references to David as king desiring to build a house for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.