November 20, 2022: Feast of Christ the King

Constructed by the King of Kings

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:13-20; Luke 23:35-43

Bishop Ariel P. Santos

God is good. He is faithful. And Jesus has been installed as King on His holy mountain. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Do you know what’s engraved on the top part of Jesus’ cross? It’s the acronym “INRI” which, in Latin, stands for “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” and is translated in English as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” It was written by Pontius Pilate to mock Jesus as He was labeled a criminal back then. Moreover, it served as a dreadful warning to everyone who would mess with Rome: “This is where you will end up [crucified on the cross].” However, what used to be a form of mockery has become a form of evangelism that lives on up to this day - “Jesus is King”. And we must understand that He is not just King of the Jews; rather, He is King of ALL. Again, He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. When we proclaim Him as King, we proclaim that He reigns in our hearts and in our lives; that He has changed us.

Jesus is not only a Spiritual King but more so a human King. The One Who sits on the throne as the King of the universe is a human being; Incarnate. Furthermore, He is a political King. He came to establish His Kingdom - His government - here. He is even way better as a ruler than any other leader or political figure that we can ever think of. One day, His kingdom will be fully established and enforced on earth; and all the kingdoms of this world will bow before Him. There will be a one-world government on earth, led by none other than Jesus - a human King who will implement His agenda, His policies and laws.

We love, forgive, humble ourselves, unite with one another, commit to the local church, serve, tithe and give, and uphold justice because fulfillment of these is what the coming kingdom is all about. Time will come that these are the ones which shall remain; while corruption and all other forms of inequity will cease. Hence we, as early as now, are called to submit to these standards. When we die and become resurrected, we are welcomed by the governance that is in accordance with God's ways. As Christians, therefore, we must get used to that kind of governance even while on earthly pilgrimage.

Remember that we are the church - the new Israel. If you have read about how the new Israel was before, you would know that they have a government and laws on earth. That is the very intention of the Lord for us. Israel has failed before, hence Jesus has established the church; and the church will therefore help establish His kingdom with a definite agenda - to love and worship God with all our being and to love one’s neighbor. Such are reflected in the Ten Commandments. Such also guides our mission statement, “To Know God And Make Him Known.”

However, we must understand that God’s kingdom is not of this world. God is not a ruler who exercises power over others; rather, He exercises power under them. He does not overpower them; instead, He undergirds them - especially the poor, the meek and the needy.

To believe is not just to agree mentally with a beautiful gospel story but to live according to its message. Hence, for us, the meaning of the word “believer” is someone who embraces this Kingdom. It is not limited to, for example, believing with our minds that Christ died and rose again no matter how impossible it may seem. Rather, to believe means to submit to the Kingship of Jesus. Therefore it says in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (to rule the world as King), you will be saved.”

During the first century, Israel was under Roman rule. The Roman empire back then was so big that it is equivalent to the area occupied by 40 countries in the present. Moreover, people within the empire usually greet one another with, “Cesar is lord” or “Hail, Cesar”. And when one does not reply or acknowledge, he will be arrested for treason. Nowadays we proudly proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!” but, in the old times, the message of the Gospel was considered foolishness. The Gospel says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you will be saved.” However, society back then says, “If you confess that Jesus is Lord, you will be burned! You will be crucified! Because in this empire, Cesar is lord.” Can you imagine the difference of the old times to our present situation? Today, we can openly proclaim Christ’s lordship without the danger of being persecuted. We can openly say that the devil does not rule the world; that Jesus is Lord here.

Our calling remains the same - we are to die to ourselves today. We must die to our conveniences. We sometimes fail to participate in the mass or get involved with the ministry because we are either too lazy, or we easily give in to inconvenient situations, or we are so preoccupied with other trivial matters. If we truly acknowledge Jesus as King, He must be number one. Love of self is worship of Cesar; because that’s how Cesar is - selfish. Remember, Jesus also said that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot have a form of godliness and proclaim that Jesus is Lord while worshiping Caesar at the same time.

In the commemoration of Advent, we will again hear John the Baptist preach, “Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand.” To repent doesn’t just mean to stop doing vices. Repenting means changing our ways in accordance with the new government and the new ruler. Take for example the changes in the traffic rules and road instructions, as well as other policies in our country that occur with a new administration; and we have to submit to these changes. Going back to what John the Baptist said, “There is a new King now. The Kingdom of God has come.” And His governance is different from the standards of this world. Jesus does not threaten. He uses all means, except force, to inspire and influence us. He serves as an example for us to follow. Hence, we are to change as well. Behold, all things are new. If we acknowledge Jesus as King and Lord, we will follow His way.

One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It shall happen. He has been reaching out to us for more than 2000 years now. Some of us have already responded but, admittedly, there are times when we still do not follow. But someday, truly, every knee will bow to Jesus. To bow means to obey and follow His will; the world will bow down to Jesus through us - the church. Time will come that Isaiah’s vision will happen. It says in Isaiah 2:2-3, “Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many people will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”///

When we reach a certain age, we realize that it is not worth hating people. When we get mad at someone, it is actually us who suffer, right? One day, people will get tired of the ways of the world - in which the powerful abuse the weak; the rich become even richer and the poor become even poorer. People will get tired of anger and of division and they will begin to seek peace. Time will come that they will come to church out of curiosity. They will begin to ask why we, people in church, live differently - always smiling, stress-free, able to forgive and love even those who persecute us. They will tell us, “Teach us the Lord’s ways because we are tired of the world’s systems.”

Nations will not rise up against nations anymore. It says in Isaiah 2:4, “He will settle disputes (arguments) between people and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” Battle weapons will be converted into instruments for agriculture. Things that used to be destructive will now become constructive. The King of kings and the Lord of lords will settle disputes.

Now, remember this: If we are stubborn and harbor hatred and grudges in our heart, we are not submitting to the King. Bear in mind that His kingdom is all about reconciliation of the world to His Father; God, Himself, through Christ the King. So If we do not obey, we do not really consider Him as king, even if we proclaim with our mouths that Jesus is Lord.

In Colossians 1:19-20, “It is God the Father’s will to reconcile all things to Himself through His Son; things in heaven and on earth.” He makes us one with Himself and each other. Again, as mentioned before, if we are holding a grudge against anyone and are not willing to settle our dispute and to forgive, we are not really submitted to the King. The Lord’s prayer talks about honoring God and asking Him for His kingdom to come on earth. It says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It is true that we need help in submitting to our God. It truly is difficult to forgive, after all. It is easier to seek revenge, instead.

Furthermore, the Lord’s prayer goes, “Give us this day our daily bread”. We need spiritual nourishment. We need the Holy Spirit so that the kingdom may come. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The kingdom of God is about forgiveness. Recall Jesus’ first words to the disciples after His resurrection: “Peace be with you… Forgive the sins of any.” That is what the kingdom of God is all about and that is what will bring about his kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is here; and the Cathedral of the King is a satellite [an embassy] of that Kingdom. As such, our goal is to introduce to the people around us the Kingdom of God. “The blind will see, the deaf will hear.” We will begin to see the importance of forgiveness; to listen and to understand the importance of changing our ways; and to walk in the Spirit and His will - being actively involved in Kingdom work.

Let us then go forth and proclaim to the whole world the way it is in the Kingdom of our God. Amen.