Christ the King - Year B

Today is Christ the King, in the Gospel we have Jesus being questioned on his Kingship ironically by a King. Questions are answered with questions, a lovely Rabbinic evasive technique, designed to provoke thought about the question rather than give a concrete answer. When Jesus is asked if he is a King, Jesus responds by asking Pilate if he asks this question on his own, or if others have told him. Does Pilate recognise who Jesus is on his own, or is he just repeating what he is told? Pilate follows suit and answers with another question. Jesus finally answers with a statement, ‘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 from the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.' This seemingly answers the question, but Pilate seeks to qualify, ‘So you are a king?' To which Jesus answers, ‘You say that I am a king. I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.'

The question that I want to ask is who was listening? Before the scene with Jesus and Pilate, we see Peter who is traditionally depicted as the representative disciple who is denying Christ. Directly after this scene Pilate goes out and claims that he has no case against Jesus, but the crowds are determined to see Jesus crucified, they threaten Pilate saying that they will report him to the Emperor if he doesn't do as they say. ‘Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,' no one is listening and those who ‘hear' his words chose to do nothing out of fear. Jesus came to witness to the truth, but what was this truth that he witnessed to? There are two truths that I can see here; the first one is human behaviour.

Jesus says that if this were his kingdom then his followers would be fighting to keep him from being handed over. While Peter was quick to draw his sword in the garden, he soon succumbed to fear. This chapter depicts what should be a glorious occasion of the coming of the King; instead we see human behaviour at its most shameful. Mobs crying for blood, people not acting for justice but out of fear for themselves and the worst of all...........silence.

It is our human nature to feel afraid, to feel pain and suffering. We have a tendency to stand back from situations out of fear of being hurt both physically or emotionally, we justify it to ourselves by saying ‘it's none of my business,' ‘I have my life to think of' or ‘well it's the victims fault for not following the rules.' It is through this action that allows us to give consent to the act. This doesn't mean that we should police our neighbours, but to remember that freedom ceases to exist when we are held captive by another.

Is this where silence gets us? Ultimately it's a step towards betrayal, of ourselves, others and God. How often in this world does silence equal yes? It is through silence that we feel that we can evade problems, but ultimately we are giving power to those who seek to oppress and to demean. We need to consciously make decisions about our choices, actions and our beliefs, because unfortunately choosing not to choose is a choice in itself. Silence is refusing to openly make a choice, but it is a choice. By remaining silent when we see oppression, violence and degradation, we are making a choice, we are saying ‘yes.'

I know it's not easy to stand up for justice, we often hope for a hero, someone that will come in and save the day. In our own lives when we see injustice against ourselves, or to others, we wish so hard for that person with the strength to come in and fight for us, someone who has the courage to fight for the cause. But that person rarely ever comes. We are left feeling alone, abused and disappointed, seeking comfort in the eternal love of our God. On the other hand, what happens when that person does come? Someone who is a peacemaker, who has come to witness to the truth, for justice, for what is honest, respectful and good? Sadly, if no one is there to listen, this is the person who often pays the price, who gets caught in the cross fire, and ultimately crucified. How does this happen?

It is so hard to hear the truth. In the height of irrationality, how often do we figuratively ‘shoot the messenger?' Personally when I'm in the height of irrationality, I don't want to hear the voice of reason, that voice of reason can go and jump. I know that I'm not alone in this. What is worse is when there are a group of people who are in this heightened state of irrationality. We know that the voice of truth and justice, the voice of God is often the first to be quietened.

The second truth that this reading tells us is the ultimate in God's love for us. Through this scene our human frailties are exposed, the cycle of violence and silence can be broken through the courageous actions of Jesus. He doesn't want glory, possessions, a throne on high, what seems to want is for people to stand up for what is right, to have the courage of their convictions. What is amazing is that we don't have to do this to be loved by God, we are always loved, and nothing we can do will change this. Our driving motivation should be this love; our pursuit of justice should be our heartfelt response to living in God's love, our response to that grace. Through doing this we are saying that we will never let the ultimate of injustices occur again.

Jesus tells us ‘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 from the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.' What does this tell us about the kingdom of God? That last sentence, ‘but as it is my kingdom is not here.' While there is injustice and violence and those that continue to give their silent consent, God's kingdom will never be here. But we can bring about God's kingdom through saying NO to silence, through standing up for what is right, that we should never hand someone over to a world of hurt, pain and injustice.

We often say that ‘in a perfect world' these things would never happen, but why can't we strive for that perfect world? This doesn't mean remaining passive, as it also doesn't mean running out and telling our neighbours what to do. What it does mean is partiality to the victim, to the poor, the widow and the oppressed. To those who are powerless against the powerful, those who are seeking justice, integrity and for their dignity to prevail. While often there is a physical or metaphorical ‘screaming mob' calling for blood, all it takes is for one person to stand up for justice. While this is a dangerous move, it can have a snowball effect. If just one person isn't afraid, more will follow.

What's more is that we shouldn't do this for some divine reward, but rather because living in the life and love of God means living in truth. Truth demands vigilance. Truth isn't comfortable. Truth is often downright hard. But truth offers us so much in the long run. It offers us freedom in the love of God, it offers us acceptance. Truth offers us a new way of life, which breaks down barriers, that seeks to build up rather than tear down, it offers an end to violent cycles of abuse and oppression. Ultimately it is through living in this truth and really hearing it, that we can bring about God's kingdom.