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Today it seems that since monarchies have rather 'gone out of style' many would rather just pass over the monarchial nature of Christ as well and ignore the fact that Christ is not just a king, but is Christ THE King. This is very much in keeping with the New Age, "Spirit of Vatican II", anything goes mentality. The modern world would rather see Christ as some philosopher who gives good advice when called upon, who can be taken or left depending on how you like the actual message. This is the world which trashed the Papal Tiara, kneeling before communion, pretty much all the coronations of the few remaining monarchies in the world and who profess their "sincere admiration" for His Holiness the Pope while openly admitting they have never obeyed a single word the Pope ever said on subjects like premarital sex, birth control or abortion.
Yet, the undeniable truth is that Christ is not just a friendly counselor (though He is that), nor is He simply someone you can just as easily take as leave (though you do have the right). He is Christ the King, the supreme figure of authority to whom all people owe their ultimate and absolute allegiance without restraint or hesitation. His kingship is not just one of the aspects of Christ, it is absolutely one of the most central aspects of His entire being. The legitimacy of His |
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role as the Messiah was proven through his royal blood line in the sacred Davidic Dynasty. It was how people recognized Him, when the crowds cheered they cheered Him as the "Son of David", the heir to their greatest king from their sacred royal family.
Jesus came into this world as a King, through royal parents, greeted by the magi from the foreign courts of the world and hunted and persecuted as a legitimist claimant to Herod's throne. It was also as a king that He left this world and sacrificed Himself in the most vital aspect of the Christian religion. It was as a king, not a religious leader, that He was turned over to the Romans for execution. His royal blood was the damning piece of evidence against Him and a chief cause of His misery.
The symbols of kingship totally surround the passion of Christ. He was enrobed with the royal purple, crowned with a cap of thorns and given a reed as a scepter as the Romans paid Him mocking homage crying "All hail, King of the Jews". Finally, when He was put to death, his final epitaph was a royal one as the Romans nailed above the cross on which He hung in agony a sign which read in three languages so that all could see: 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews'. |
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It is also significant that when Christ the King went into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He made no provisions for the apostles to hold church elections after He was gone but rather chose His successors and passed His power and authority to them directly through imparting the Holy Spirit. With the assumption and coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Christ also kept in place the ancient tradition to glorify the Queen Mother above all others after the King and to have the place of honour at His side in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through His revelation to St John He also showed us all how He would return in the full glory of His kingship to judge and rule all of God's creation. As important as the kingship of Christ was in the first coming, it will be even more emphasized in the second, to the greater glory of many and to the great terror of many more.
The Apocalypse can, perhaps, be viewed as a great royal audience. Since all Christians are called to share in the priesthood and kingship of Christ, we will be called to account for how we used the great gifts and dignity which God gave to us. Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords, will in His infinite justice reward the good with a crown of gold and a place in His eternal kingdom while the wicked will be cast out of His presence for all time. |
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Finally, it was this kingly role which was at the heart of Jesus' ministry, and the most noble aspects of the Christian faith. Just as we are all to be members of Christ's priesthood by spreading the Gospel to those around us, we are also to share in the kingship of Christ by recognizing the great dignity of humanity. That we are all "Sons of the Most High" is the principle at the heart of the Christian ideals of treating everyone with respect and dignity, knowing that all are made in the image of God and that we must also carry ourselves as Christians, fully aware of the awesome position we are in, of the sacrifice that Christ made for each of us individually and and the great honour we must strive to live up to in being allowed to share in the kingship of Christ.
Every Christian in the world is called by God to be three things for Him: a prophet, a priest, and a king. We are a prophet when we carry God's message to others in need of it, we are a priest when we pray for others and try to put ourselves in the place of Christ and we are a king when we recognize the majestic dignity we have been given through Christ and the royal power and authority which His grace gives us over all that would stand in our way, the knowledge that with Him, even the wind and water will obey our every command. |
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