Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37
Our God Reigns: Let us Reign with Him in Truth!
One Christ the King Sunday, a priest preached a sermon on the need for every Christian to join the regular army of the Lord, so that the kingdom of the Lord may expand upon earth. At the end of Mass, the priest was greeting and shake hands with parishioners, when he noticed a man whom he doesn’t see regularly at Mass; so he said to him: you need to join the Lord’s regular army. The man responded, I am already in the Lord’s army, Father. The priest protested: I only see you twice a year at Mass – at Christmas and Easter. The man responded: Father, I belong to the Lord’s secret service!
There is a time for every activity under the earth: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to sow and a time to reap – today, it’s time to celebrate Christ our King, who reigns and continues to reign!
The theme of the reign of God suggests itself for this week for two reasons: 1) should we understand that the powers of evil and destruction can never topple the power of God and goodness: despite the cataclysmic and doom’s day scenario depicted last Sunday, God comes to pick up his elect; and, 2) this Sunday’s readings do not mince words but make the reign of God emphatic even now!
Yes, our God reigns! Daniel, centuries back, testifies to the kingship of God, thanks to the visions granted him,in our first reading. The same Daniel who testifies to the cataclysmic end of creation, testifies to the fact that God is more powerful than creation; he testifies too that the destiny of the human person is not destruction, but imperishability with God – a God who is imperishable.
Yes, our God reigns! The reign of God is about the reign of human beings: for God to intervene to save human beings shows a God who is not a loner but one who enjoys human fellowship and company; a God who does all that is necessary to save human beings: not even cosmic powers and phenomena can withstand him.
Yes, our God reigns! Why? because our second reading shows that he dies to make us heirs with him. He reigns to lift us up to the heavenly realms with him; he comes to earth to tell us about our dignity and citizenship, a dual citizenship: a temporary one here and now on earth, and when earth gets destroyed, we begin to enjoy our second citizenship – an eternal citizenship in heaven with God.
Yes, our God reigns! His kingship was, is and continues to be – to use a time frame language – no wonder he is the Alpha and the Omega: he has neither beginning nor end. And if time exists, it exists only to measure his/God’s activities; if we have ups and downs in life, these are just theaters for the drama of God’s power to unfold, even Jesus himself does not escape from these realities of life – he dies to save us.
Yes, our God reigns! Why? “Every eye shall see him,” says our second reading, even the eyes of “those who pierced him”: for they killed him in ignorance, so his mercy also extends to them too because he is almighty – not even sin can stand in his way of salvation, free salvation for sinners.
Yes, our God reigns! Why? The Jewish people who handed him over to Pilate for crucifixion, according to our gospel reading, are his children as well; Pilate, a Roman governor, albeit, a coward who fails to stand up for truth and justice, but blames the Jewish leadership for Jesus’ misfortune, is loved by Jesus who tells him my kingdom is not of this world; a fearful and frightful Pilate gets consolation from a prisoner/Jesus whom he thought he had powers over his life – the author of life, Jesus, becomes a victim of life and human power and domination.
Yes, our God reigns! “Am I a Jew?” Pilate asks Jesus, Jesus who makes both the Jews and the Romans children of God! “Your nation and the chief priests handed you offer to me,” says Pilate: an accusation against the bad guys, and he and the Romans are the good guys, even though he fails to mete out justice that stirs him in the face – he needs to defend Jesus, but he scapegoats others! You know what, Jesus loves him and says to him: “you say I am king,” but I am here on the side of the Truth: if I were to judge, everybody is condemned, but I bring the Truth – God reigns, and human powers and kingdoms cannot impinge on God’s reign!
The Truth is: Our God reigns: here and now because he has the whole world in his hands; he reigns here and now in our governments, should they rule in Truth; he reigns in me and in you, should we become channels of Truth and justice; he will continue to reign, for even our sins cannot bring his reign to an end – our God reigns: long live Christ our King!
Assignment for the Week
Can you tell nothing but the truth, no matter the cost, this week?
An Exegetical Homily on the Gospel (John 18:33-37) for 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B (November 22, 2015)
Step I: What does the Test Say?
John 18:33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33) Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” (John 18:34) Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” (John 18:35) Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36) Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37)
Step II: What does the Text Mean?
Jesus’ Kingdom Is Recruiting: Join to Expand his Reign!
- Today, the verbs in the present time (tense) hide the meaning of our gospel text. There are two ideas at log ahead: Pilate’s questions, which do not receive answers, and Jesus’ questions which Pilate ignores. However, Jesus teaches “truth” as what is important for human beings, not rumors.
- Pilate’s question to Jesus, “are you a king?” sets the tone for today’s exegesis. The verb being in the present – are – wants to know who Jesus is here and now. The answer to this question is quintessential because Pilate wants to satisfy a curiosity: what is Jesus’ identity.
- Jesus opts for conviction rather than curiosity: “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” In other words: Pilate, what do you believe about Jesus/me?
- Pilate plays the blame game: 1) I am not a Jew, and 2) your nation handed you over for condemnation. This means that Jesus’ identity as a king is what interests Pilate. Unfortunately, Pilate refuses to say.
- Since Pilate refuses to make up his mind and just wants a confirmation of the Jewish rumors about Jesus’ kingship, Jesus tells him – “My kingdom is not from this world.” Pilate’s curiosity returns: “So you are a king?” that is, a rival to Caesar!
- Realizing that Pilate could not go beyond the rumors of the Jewish leaders, Jesus reveals his identity to Pilate: “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). The problem here is that Pilate could not listen to Jesus to know Jesus’ identity from Jesus because he is a prisoner of rumors, and is not ready to change his mind.
- The life of Jesus is a revelation of the “truth” about his identity rather than what others concoct about him: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37).
- In conclusion, the answer to the question, “are you a king?” gets an implied answer: “My kingdom is not from this world” – your terminology of kingship is not God’s, Jesus implies. What is important, however, is that Jesus deserves hearing out – “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
Step III: Points for Homily:
- We live in a world in which people have all kinds of opinions about God and about other peoples. Often, these opinions are false, either because concocted or misguided (atheism, homophobia, racism, etc.)
- Pilate’s job, as a governor, is to defend the Roman emperor, so whatever threatens that threatens him. So, buying into a rumor is preferable to Pilate to listening to the truth or to a contrary opinion. Pilate is not alone in this kind of behavior; many of us find it inconveniencing to change our sexist, racial, holier than thou attitude, etc. in order to change for the better – we prefer lies, sometimes to God’s truth.
- Jesus, though a victim of the system of the day – receives condemnation on the basis of a rumor, stands for and campaigns for truth. The reign or kingdom of Jesus/God is to change the way the world acts and thinks, in order for it to imitate Jesus. When we are misjudged is not a reason for violence.
- If the Church celebrates Christ the King Sunday today, it is to encourage each one of us to be the face of the changes we want to see upon earth; it is to remind us that when earthly kingships fail, God’s reign continues because it is not limited by earthly structures and constraints. What helps the reign of God, though, is the ability to listen to God rather than the world and all the systems it (the world) set up: “everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). To belong to Jesus Christ, that is his kingdom, is to do his will – a life of truth.
- This kingdom of Jesus is still under construction, so he needs you to join him to build it.