Jesus is the True King: Feast of Christ the King. Reflection

Sunday Breakfast with the Word Solemnity of Christ the King

 

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17, 2, 1st  Corinthians 15:20-26, 28, Matthew 25:31-46.

 

 

 

The feast of Christ the King marks the culmination of the Church’s liturgical season and hence leads us to the beginning of another liturgical year through the advent season.

 

So, the feast of today reminds us that Jesus is the true King and our ultimate purpose. He is truly the King and at the end, everything goes to Him. Every other King we know or that exists somewhere must one day expire for nothing in the world lasts forever. Only the reign of Jesus is everlasting.

 

Historical Antecedent

 

Today’s feast has a historical antecedent which I have highlighted in my previous reflections on this feast. The feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in the year 1925 through His encyclical quas Primas at a time when people were losing faith in God, and secular Kings thought that they have the sole authority to do anything they like.

 

So, this celebration is an answer to the rise of secularism at the time and a reminder to all that every kingdom in this world must come to an end but the reign of Christ supersedes and lasts.

 

So, submitting to His reign is the best thing that can ever happen to any soul. In the readings, we see a king who serves, loves, tenders and just, which are totally different from what we see today.

 

How  to Know a True King

 

1. In Mathew 20, when the mother of Zebedee’s son takes his sons James and John to Jesus Christ that they may occupy the front seats at the kingdom of God. This created heavy chaos and confusion among the disciples and they began to quarrel among themselves.

 

The problem is that each and everyone wants to be the one to reign. Just like today, everyone wants to be the one at the top. Jesus sees this and laughs at them because they are fighting over something they know nothing of.

 

In verse 26, Jesus calls them together and advises them that whoever wants to be the first must be ready to serve. Unlike the kings of this world who lord it over themselves, what truly makes one great is service.

 

I once attended a celebration organized by a particular friend. My first observation in that celebration was how disorganised they were. Nothing was organised and people were increasingly becoming tired. I rose up to my feet and took it upon myself to push and fasten the service.

 

I took the center stage in my priestly regalia, sharing food and drinks to people. Immediately, every attention was on me. Every person was shouting “father give me, I have not gotten”. Even those who were once sharing now came to me to ask what to do and how they would share the drinks. But this was just an initiative I took there and then.

Whenever you serve the people, the grace of God will begin to flow through your path, every attention will be drawn to you. People will like to know who you are. To lead, we must be ready to serve.

 

What truly differentiates a leader from others is how he serves the people He is leading. But today, we totally neglect this.

 

I am going to Look after My Sheep; the Guideline of A True Shepherd.

 

The first reading opens with a comforting statement, full of assurance from God that He will look after His sheep. He promises to look after all that belongs to Him. 

 

In this reading, God underscores the true quality of a leader. The true leader is one who constantly looks after his people. Looking after your children, your flock, those under you etc will always set you apart.

 

The True Quality of God revealed?

 

In the first reading, God says “I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view”. “All” here is highlighted  with no exception.

This is a wonderful reminder that God thinks about All. This reveals a true and powerful quality about God. God does not think about a certain type of people and forget some.

 

We are the people that easily lose faith In God when He has not given up on us. His love for us is excess.

This is a direct advice to all those who think God has forsaken them. God has not forsaken you. 

This reading reveals actually the true quality of God. I always advise people that before we go in the presence of God, we must see, accept and believe Him as He is. 

 

 

God is not wicked. Looking after His sheep shows someone who truly cares. It reveals  God’s care and compassion for his people. He truly cares for you.

 

It reveals more of God’s loving and protective nature towards anyone who stays connected with Him.

 

This is actually what the first reading projects. Ezekiel presents to us the true Shepherd who is ready to look after His flock and take care of their needs.

 

He is ready to gather those who are scattered, provide their needs and rescue them from persecution and difficulties.

 

Therefore, the true King must be a shepherd to His people. He must look after “all” with no division or discrimination. In the first reading, God says ” I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them”.

 

Therefore, a leader should not choose those to love and those not to love. He should not choose those to visit and those not to visit. He should treat all with equal love and care.

 

Therefore, Do not visit or love only the rich but neglect the poor. Even those ones who do not agree with you are also part of your flock. Incorporate them and show them equal love. It is the spirit of Christ. This is true leadership.

 

This is what sets Jesus apart from any other earthly king.

 

 

The Carer Who Searches for the Lost.

 

In the first reading, God promises to search for those who are lost, bring back those who have strayed, and provide healing and strength to the weak and injured. 

In essence, God is still interested in those who have wandered away from Him. God is still interested in those people who have lost faith, those who have abandoned Him. 

 

Jesus is not just a king only for those who come to Him, He also wants to be the King of those who have lost faith. He is seeking them always to repent.

 

The kingship of Jesus Christ takes glory when a souls repents. He says in Luke 15:7, that there will be more joy in heaven over just one sinner who repents. Therefore, God is so much interested in our souls.

He is interested in the sinner to repent and come back to him. 

. If you have lost faith in God, He has not lost faith in you. 

 

 

2.Therefore, the true quality of a good leader is seen in His efforts to seek for the lost under His care. The implication is that a true King is one:

1. Who keeps close to those He governs, offering them comfort and assistance in the time of trouble.
2. He is one who is always there to guide, protect, and care for His people. 

 He says “As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness”.

The implication here is that if God searches for us and keeps searching for us, it means that He has never given up on us and if He has never given up on us, we do not have to give up on Him no matter the circumstances.

 

 Therefore, the kingship of Jesus is the kingship of compassion, care, love, and service. He is not a king of terror or intimidation. 

Any leader who lacks the spirit of compassion is either greedy or a tyrant. Compassion should be the guiding principle of every leader.

 

The King Who Serves.

 

The King who serves is truly the King and not the one who wants to be worshipped. Jesus is the true King. He comes to serve and not to be served.

 

He associated with all both sinners and righteous. Jesus does not move with an escort but the people He serves. He associates with the rich and the poor, big and small, sinners and righteous, Jews and gentiles.

 

In Him, there is no division, no ethnicism and no hatred. He does not rule with guns and ammunitions but with love, mercy and service.

 

3. He is not a president who instead of addressing the problems of His nation is busy arresting and suffering his children who told him to end bad governance.

 

He is not a governor, who hides palliatives given to Him to ameliorate the sufferings of the masses. The true King is not one who is interested only in His stomach and to allow the people he leads is to wander in suffering, pains and even death.

 

Today, our leaders allow those they govern to be killed and kidnapped in broad daylight and they keep their mouth shut. Many people are suffering, hence, the leaders are more interested in their pocket.

 

The only true king is Jesus, and this feast reminds that all every earthly position despite how mighty it is, one day must come to an end.

 

Hence the feast of Christ the King is a call to look up to the true king. The King whose reign has no end is the true king.

 

Everything is Under His Feet.

 

In the second reading, Saint Paul gives a profound testament about the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. 

He says “Jesus must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet. Everything is subjected to him”. 

 

Let us read that statement again when He says “that everything is to be put under His feet’ therefore, this means that nothing on earth supasses Jesus and nothing is more powerful than He, not even death, challenges and problems. 

 

Therefore, When you go to His presence with your problems, always understand that Jesus is greater than the trouble.

 

Jesus rose triumphantly from death, He established His reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, surpassing all earthly rulers and authorities. 

 

He reigns with power, grace, and unmatched glory, bringing hope to the despairing, comfort to the broken-hearted, and salvation to all who believe in Him.

 

Jesus conquered the grave, offering us the promise of eternal life and a future filled with hope.  In Romans 8:35-39: Paul asks “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Therefore, nothing is and should be more powerful to separate us from Jesus.

Jesus conquered not with sword or ammunition but with humility, service and love. His kingship teaches us the importance of humility and submission.

 

 Though He rightfully reigns over all creation, Jesus humbled Himself, even to the point of death on the cross, showing us the ultimate example of selflessness and sacrificial love.

 

As His followers, we are called to emulate His humility and serve others with love and compassion. 

 

 

What the True King wants

 

1. When we look at the gospel we can surely get a clear idea of the type of Kingdom Jesus brings on earth. We will have a glimpse on how to be like the true King.

 

In the gospel, the difference between those at the right and the left is how many people they give food, water, shelter, and provide solace.

 

Therefore, in the end, it is not how many times we pretend to pray and put it on Facebook, it is not how many times we lie and cover up our deeds. But how many souls we save.

 

2. In this country, many people are suffering and dying. But instead of finding a way to save the nation, our interests are only in covering up lies.

Power intoxicates but just one day, everything will come to an end. What the true King wants is a kingdom where everyone helps each other, a kingdom of love and peace and a kingdom where leaders know that their call is to serve.

 

3. The gospel today also reminds us that despite how mighty we think we are on earth, there is someone we are serving.

 

We are merely servants who must surely give accounts of our stewardship. There is the true King whose kingdom lasts forever.

Jesus is the only true King. His kingdom lasts forever. His Kingdom is not won with votes and violence but peace, love and submission to His will. At last, we all must return to Him.

 

3. Despite how loving and merciful Jesus is, He is also going to reward each one according to His deeds and the only way to get this reward is how we treat the people we serve. No matter how big your office looks like, you are only there to serve. One day we all must assemble before that mighty throne of the everlasting King.

 

Today, many African leaders do not want to relinquish power. Many want to stay in power until the hour of their death, but the truth there is still that one day is a day of reckoning. We should not forget that nobody lives in the world forever.

 

 

Conclusion

 

1.One thing with a King is that His words are binding. The word of a King is a law and guides the Kingdom he governs. So the question we can ask ourselves is; Is Jesus our king? If Jesus is truly the one reigning in our hearts then his words should be your guide.

 

We do not command Him rather we obey His commands. His words are binding and must guide our steps. If truly His word guides whatever we do, then there will be peace, love and unity among all.

 

2.When a  King comes to live in a place. That place becomes the King’s palace. Palaces do not make kings but a palace becomes one because of the presence of the King.

 

When we allow Jesus to reign truly in our lives, our lives change. When he becomes truly our king, He becomes in charge. We do everything only according to His ordinances. And when Jesus is in charge, victory, peace and progress is sure.

 

3.Our baptism makes us priests, prophets and Kings. Our kingship is nothing but to serve and work for the good of the other person. We also share in the kingly mission of the true King.

 

Our lives must reflect that of Jesus in being benevolent, merciful and forgiving. There is someone beside you that you can offer a helping hand. You can use the little you have and put a smile in the face of someone.

 

We do not live to intimidate or show people how powerful we are. We live only to serve one another. If a man should know how limited His life is, he must tread with caution in all he does.

 

4.Today’s feast hence reminds all earthly authority to tread with caution. We are to look up to Jesus in whatever we do. Jesus is the true king.

The feast reminds us of one thing that must surely separate us at last which is the quality of service we render and thus a reminder that nothing in this world lasts forever.

Our call is to serve and we must give an account of our stewardship at last. So remain faithful to God, be blessed and stay inspired.

 

5. There is this saying that power intoxicates. When someone rises to power, he forgets that his days are short. He feels He is now more powerful than every other person on earth. He now wants to wield power the way He wants.

So, the feast of Christ the King is a continuous reminder that Jesus Christ is the only Sovereign King.

We should not live like we are the God of the universe. The Kingdom of Jesus is supreme over every created thing, over every circumstance and every spiritual power.

He is the one who can reign perfectly in our lives. Nobody can, not even your money. For in him, everlasting life is sure. Every other thing we have in this world will fade away.

 

 

God bless you and Happy Sunday.