Solemnity
of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
(Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37)
The Gospel today comes from one of the most dramatic scenes
in all four Gospels. Jesus, the liberator of Nazareth, faces Pontius Pilate,
the shrewd Roman governor. There are several confrontations in this Gospel
according to Saint John. As in the cases of Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and
the man born blind, it is not just a battle of wits between two characters. The
encounter also involves us.
Today’s passage begins with Pilate questioning Jesus. He has
just spoken with the Jews in the darkness of the early morning outside the
praetorium. They want Pilate to have Jesus executed. Now he goes back inside,
where the Light of the World awaits him for judgment. But who is judging whom?
In a real sense, Pilate—not Jesus—is being tried. Like Pilate, we should consult
Jesus in our trials.
As he told his disciples at the Last Supper, Jesus is our
friend with the wisdom to help us act rightly. In the Gospel, Pilate asks Jesus
if he is “the king of the Jews.” He wants to know if Jesus has the power to
disrupt the peace of Palestine, as the Jews claim. Or is it that the Jews have
a grievance with Jesus and want him removed?
Jesus engages Pilate in conversation. He
returns the question: “Do you ask this on your own, or have others told you
about me?” He wants Pilate to truly know who he is speaking to. Jesus has left
us the Gospels so that we may come to know Him and His offer to us.
The Gospels have told us that Jesus is the Son of God, who
has come to give us eternal life. The question is whether we believe this and accept his offer. Pilate seems to be interested in Jesus. He asks what He has done to raise the ire of the Jews.
Jesus clarifies the issue of His claim to be king. He
indicates that it is true He is a king, but of a different kind than the ones of the world. He has no armies or luxuries, but something far more valuable:
the truth about life. Thus, Jesus presents to us the fundamental choice of
life. Do we want to seek the power, prestige, wealth, and pleasure that the
kings of this world have? Or do we want the love and peace that characterize God,
the King?
I hope that we, gathered here for Mass, would want to follow
King God! But we know that the road is full of obstacles, especially as we feel
the euphoria of having a little power or pleasure. In the Gospel, Jesus has
made Pilate admit that He is King. Now Pilate must decide. Will he honor God,
the King, by making a true verdict and releasing Jesus, His Son? Or will he continue to seek power and
prestige, the raiment of earthly kings, as his life’s goals?
Jesus confirms that He has come to bear witness to the truth
of eternal life: love and peace. He says that, if a person is of the truth,
they will recognize His voice and follow Him. At the end of the year, we must
confirm our choice for Jesus. Once again, we have heard His story, this year
mainly through the Gospels of Saint Mark and Saint John. Can we say without
reservation that Jesus is the supreme King, whom we seek with all our being? Or
do we continue to live with fortune and pleasure as our goals? May we not be
late or reluctant in deciding for Jesus!
