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Readings: In the passion account, the fourth gospel very strongly affirms that Jesus is “King of the Jews.” This expression appears six times, and the word “King” 12 times. All of this takes place in the context of Jesus appearing before Pilate, the representative in Palestine of Ceasar, Emperor of Rome and the King of the world. When Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king, Jesus responds without vacillation: Yes, as you say, I am King. Jesús
clearly defines his reality. First he does so negatively:
his reign is not of this world. If it were of this
world his followers would have fought to prevent his arrest.
On the other hand he also defines his reality in positive
terms. It stands in function of the testimony to the Truth.
In the fourth gospel Truth is understood as the revelation
of the Father which gives life. The world, on the other hand,
represented by Pilate, condemns Jesus, king of the Jews –
a fact made explicit in the inscription placed on the cross.
There is a radical contradiction between King Jesús and Pilate, the representative of the Emperor of Rome, the King of the world. Jesus never refers to himself as King of the Jews but simply as King. The expression, “King of the Jews” is used only by Pilate. It is interesting to ask one’s self: In this contradiction between King Jesus and Caesar, King of Rome, what option have the Jewish leaders offered Jesús? There are two phrases that for the crowd are true: “If you release him, you are no friend of Ceasar. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against Ceasar” (19:12) and “We have no king but Ceasar” (19:15). The implication is that Jesus truly is King and, as such, he represents a challenge to Ceasar. If Pilate releases Jesus, it is Pilate who becomes “no friend of Ceasar.” By rejecting Jesús, the Jewish leaders declare clearly that they have no other King than Ceasar. They have chosen King Ceasar over King Jesus. In other words, to choose Ceasar or to choose Jesus are two historically incompatible options. The conclusión that can be drawn from all of this is that Jesús is not of another world. He is not outside of this world and so can not be spiritualized. The confrontation between Jesus and Ceasar is historical. It requires that the Jewish leaders make a choice: for Jesus or for Ceasar. By rejecting Jesus, they publicly choose Ceasar. So Jesus’ reality is historical because he is in this world while at the same time making it clear that he is not of this world. We
have already seen this situation of “being in the world without
being of the world” in Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17. Jesus
does not ask the Father to remove his disciples from the world
but rather that He protect them from evil. In fact Jesus sends
them into the world and he demands that they be in the world
without being of the world. Jesus’ Reign is also in this world,
although it is not of this world. Jesus is King in this world,
however he does not belong to this world. So we too must witness
to the Truth in the world and against the truth of
this world. The world is evil, but it is in this world that
we must witness to the Truth. In fact, we today are in the world. We buy and sell. We live within the reality of the global market. We make use of the modern science and techonlogy that the market offers us. Nevertheless, we do not want to participate in the ‘spirit’ of the world which idolizes the market. We are in the world of the market, but within this world we live a cultural, ethical and spiritual resistance. We are in the world without being of the world. In this way Jesus’ reality, without being of the world is active and significant in the world. Already in our text from Daniel today, the reality of Christ is announced. In Daniel’s vision the Son of Man appears in the clouds of heaven and he receives from the Ancient One dominion, glory and kingship. All the peoples and nations adore him. His dominion is eternal and will never pass away. This human figure, known as the Son of Man, stands in opposition to the beasts. Four beasts appear who represent the four dominions or empires that have and continue to oppress the People of God (7: 1-8). If the beasts represent the empires, this human figure represents to the people the saints of the Most high. In other words, the Son of Man is a collective figure. The beasts are destroyed and the Son of Man receives all power and dominion. In the Gospel of John, Pilate represents the Roman beast, and Jesús is the Son of Man who represents all the saints, those who refuse to worship the beast. Pilate himself, referring to Jesus, says “Here is the man” (19:5). It is the Son of Man who reigns, but with a crown of thorns placed on his head by those (the soldiers) representing the beast. In
Revelation John greets the community on behalf of Jesús, “the
Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and
the ruler of the kings of the earth.” For a community that
is persecuted, it is important to confess Jesús as Christ,
as martyr (testimony), as the first to have resurrected (the
One who proclaims that all shall be resurrected), and as the
One who has power over all the kings of the earth. And the
community responds out of their experience with Jesús: the
one who loves us, who has liberated us with his blood, who
has made of us a Kingdom, priests of God. The whole People
of God participates in the reality of Jesús. It is a Nation
of Priests. Instruction
for Living If
I am a modern woman or man that does not consider him or her-self
a vassal and does not believe in monarchy -- more than Him
being King for me, could I perhaps describe Jesus using titles
like: He is my daily companion, my primary point of reference,
the light of my life, my elder brother, the source of my self-understanding,
or the One who gives direction and meaning to my existence?
What other titles can I give to Jesus that might be more meaningful
for me than the title of King? For
Consideration by the Community or Bible Study Group -Despite what Jesús said to Pilate, Jesús did not want to be King and, in fact, resisted when they wanted to name him king. Proclaiming Jesus as King has often been done as a way of proclaiming the superiority of a religión, or as a means, on the part of civil authorities, to challenge certain privileges. Worse yet, the acclamation of Christ as King on the part of those holding economic power in unjust societies has often served to legitimize injustice. Help the group deepen their understanding of this kind of negative impact that the proclamation of Christ as King has had historically. -Jesus himself went out of his way to proclaim the Reign of God and he gave himself unconditionally to its coming. However, making him King has, for many, been a way of forgetting his cause. The preacher of the Kingdom, in being himself made King, is made to forget the Kingdom of God that he had announced. Discuss this paradox. -Would
a reinterpretation of the title of today’s lesson and feast
day that we celebrate on this Sunday perhaps be appropriate?
Is it possible that a title something like “The One Who Struggles
for the Cause of the Kingdom” might be more appropriate than
the term “King”? Discuss
the pros and cons of this idea. For
the Prayers of the Faithful -For the Church of Jesus, that it may always follow in the path of the One who did not come to be served but to serve. Let us pray to the Lord: -For
all who exercise power and authority in this world, that like
Jesus they may accept power as a tool that makes possible
service that is more universal and effective. Let us pray to the Lord: -For religions that -- like catholicism in other times – still today seek to establish confessional ranks, holy crusades or religious republics in which religion imposes on a society the “reality” of an intolerant god who demands uniformity; that they may understand that God is love and plurality, a God who disavows any manipulation of his name. Let us pray to the Lord: -That Jesus might be our model, our guide, and – in this sense, yes – our King; our strength in the struggle for the Reign of God. Let us pray to the Lord: -That
Christians, and especially theologians, may enter ever more
fully into the new paradigm of inter-religious dialogue, so
that we may always be suspicious of christocentric stances
that seek to reduce themselves to ecclesiocentric stances.
Let us pray to the Lord: Community
Prayer Living God, God of all nations, You who in one way or another await Humankind – named by many names, behind all religious expressions and in all religious experiences – make us understand that Jesus never intended that our witness be one that makes others subject or that destroys cultures or religions. Rather what He desires is a dialogue that promotes love and justice, generous truth and life for all. This we ask of Jesus, your son, our elder brother. |
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