Knowing Christ the King Helps Us Live Better
Some of my meditation on Christ the King:
- Nativity of Christ
- Baptism of the Lord Jesus
- Temptation of the Lord
- The King rides into Jerusalem on a donkey
- The King who washes the feet of His disciples
- “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 15:12)
- Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world.” Pilate asked Jesus, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18:28, 31, 32)
- Christ the king was Crowned with thorns
- Crucifixion of Christ
- Risen from the dead
- Ascended into heaven
- Will come to judge the living and the dead
- His Kingdom has no end
- Nativity of Christ
Kings are usually born in a palace?
Why is this king born in a manger?
Then the poor can visit, as well as Kings and the Magi, they too, if they so choose can visit the newborn King in a stable and lying in a manger, whereas shepherds are not likely allowed into a palace.
The king and priest did not go, even when God sent the wise men from the East to notify them.
The Nativity of Christ tells us that this is a humble King who comes to serve and not to be served, and Who allows all to come close to Him.
- Baptism of the Lord Jesus
Christ asked to be baptized by John, though He is sinless, He came as a sinner and was baptized with the baptism of repentance. His repentance is on behalf of all sinners, coming to the waters of Jordon as a sinner, a suffering servant, Who took upon Himself all the sins of the world. This then is the King who came as a suffering servant on behalf of humanity to offer Himself to God the Father. This King became the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.
- Temptation of the Lord.
In overcoming temptation, He is a King Who conquered evil. A King who ruled over Himself completely. We too need to be a person who can rule over himself/herself with Christ completely and always fulfilling the Will of our Father in heaven. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- The king rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.
This is a King who comes in humility, “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (Jn 12:15) Do we come to serve our neighbors with humility? “The greatest among you should be the servant of all.” (Mt 23:11)
- The King who washes the feet of His disciples.
“If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (Jn 13:15)
- “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34)
This is said at the Last Supper and the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This is a King who laid down His life for His subjects on the cross, from which the sacrament of the Eucharist came, and asked us to love one another as He loved us. So too, having received the Eucharist, we too need to lay down our life for one another. May not be dying for others but spend an hour accompanying someone in mourning, helping someone who is sick, visiting the prisoners or feeding the hungry.
- Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world.” Pilate asked Jesus, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18:33-37)
Do I listen to the truth? Do I seek the truth? Do I seek to follow Christ the way, the truth, and life? In Taoism 老子said this about “Tao 道.”I do not know what to call this Ultimate truth終極真理, so I choose the word “Tao道”. The ultimate and absolute truth if not God, who is? Even Shakespeare wrote, “To thy own self be true.” Meaning no insincerity or hypocrisy.
- Christ the king was Crowned with thorns
This is a king who was crowned with thorns as an insult to Him. After crowning Him with thorns and hailing Him as King, the soldiers spat on Him and slapped Him. I too called Christ my Lord, my God, my King, my all, but then whenever I sinned, I was like the soldiers who slapped Him and spat on Him. The soldiers do not know that He is the Son of God, but I do know that He is the Son of God. What then am I, if not a hypocrite?
- Crucifixion of Christ
The throne of Christ on earth is the cross. Therefore, those who hope to rule with Christ must also love the cross. Like St. Paul said, “I will boast only in the cross of Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” (Ga 6:14) Should we not take up our cross daily, deny ourselves, and follow Christ our King?
“Remember me, Lord Jesus, when you come into Your kingdom.” (Lk 23:42)
- Risen from the dead
The Resurrected Christ the King is the foundation of our faith. He now dies no more and so has an everlasting Kingdom.
- Ascended into heaven
Jesus our King now sits at the right Hand of Our Father to intercede for us. What would you ask Him to pray for you? To pray that we can love God with our whole heart, whole soul, whole mind, whole strength, and whole will and above all things; to love our neighbor as much as Christ loves us, to love ourselves according to the Will of God Our Father? Shall we ask Christ to pray for us to become the person God the Father wants us to be? To live in such a way that every day is a perfect day in the sight of Our Father? To Go wherever and whenever God the Father wants us to go, to give up all God the Father wants us to give up, to say and do, to think and write, to pray and plan everything and only what God the Father wants us to say and do, to think and write, to pray and plan.
- Will come to judge the living and the dead
Yes, while I live, Jesus comes to judge me as a doctor who makes judgments on his patients to heal, to bring me to repentance. After I die, may Jesus also judge me mercifully, and may I be merciful to others all my life.
- His Kingdom has no end.
How do we get into this eternal Kingdom? By being poor in spirit, by being meek, by being merciful, by being pure in heart. We mourn over injustice and sinfulness in our community and try to use our energy born out of our mournfulness and anger over injustice, to make our community holier, more just, more peaceful. By being willing to suffer persecution for the sake of Christ, for our neighbour, and for the Gospel of Jesus, by hunger and thirst for holiness, by being peacemakers. Yes, the eight beatitudes, the eight paths Christ told us. Each time you see one of the beatitudes you put your name on it, meaning Paul is poor in Spirit, Peter is pure in heart, Mary is meek, Francis is a peacemaker, Margaret hunger and thirst for holiness, etc. Just like the First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13. Love is patient, love is kind, every time you see the word love put your name there instead, meaning John is patient, Theresa is kind, Joseph rejoices in truth, etc. Christ's kingdom has no end, and love has no end for God is love, and therefore Love has no end.
- Conclusion:
God gives each one of us a talent. The first talent is life itself. Do we use our lives to make the world better, and glorify God in our lives? Do we use this one talent called “life” to make ten more talents, or five more, or one more? Meaning do I bring someone else to Christ? One more, ten more?
God gives some five talents, some two talents, some one talent. We need to imitate the one with the two talents, who does not get jealous of the one who has five talents nor become proud and despise the one with only one talent, but just mind his master’s business and use the talents he has as best as he can.
May you all live out your life as well as you can, and as holy as God wants you to be and may you at the end of your life hear Christ the King say to you, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into Your Master’s Kingdom.” (Mt 25:21) “For you were merciful to the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely, and whatever you did for them you did for me, Your God, and Your King.” (cf. Mt 25:40)