Christ the King

For 11/25/2012

This Sunday is celebrated in many traditions as Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the church year (Advent begins next week). In the Catholic tradition Christ the King Sunday celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of the cosmos.


• What do we know about Christ that would cause him to be given the title – King? The title was usually something attributed to Jesus, the much more common form of address or characterization was Lord.

Early Christians viewed Jesus as "the Lord" and the Greek word Kyrios which may mean God, lord or master appears over 700 times in the New Testament, referring to him. In Romans 10:9-13 Paul emphasized the salvific value of the title, and stated that confessing by mouth that Jesus is Lord leads to salvation. The high frequency of the use of the term Kyrios in the Acts of the Apostles indicates how natural it was for early Christians to refer to Jesus in this way. This title persisted among Christians as the predominant perception of Jesus for a number of centuries.

The use of the Kyrios title for Jesus is central to the development of New Testament Christology, for the early Christians placed it at the center of their understanding and from that center attempted to understand the other issues related to the Christian mysteries. The question of the deity of Christ in the New Testament is inherently related to the Kyrios title of Jesus used in the early Christian writings and its implications for the absolute lordship of Jesus. In early Christian belief, the concept of Kyrios included the Pre-existence of Christ for they believed that if Christ is one with God, he must have been united with God from the very beginning.
                                                                                                      From Wikipedia
• Is the title King or Lord meaningful to you? What might be some alternative contemporary descriptors for him that conveys the same imagery?

• What forms of address or titles do you use for Jesus?

Pilate and Jesus

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governor of Jerusalem and Judea with headquarters on Caesarea and came to Jerusalem during times like Jewish festivals when large, potentially riotous crowds might be present. Pilate brutally crushed three large riots during his tenure (26-36 CE) but had to deal with many smaller uprisings during his tenure. He had come to Jerusalem for this Passover with a large cohort of armed soldiers. For the Romans duty in Judea was a hardship post because of the constant problems with the Jews. For their part the Jews hated the Romans for their taxes, religious insensitivity and of course being occupiers.

Jesus Accused (from John 18)

12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year… 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest… 28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this man… 31Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.’ The Jews replied, ‘We are not permitted to put anyone to death.’

• What do the actions of the Jewish leaders (they had responsibility for day to day governing) says about their attitudes toward Jesus and their relationship with Pilate? Why would they go to all this trouble for a nobody from the hills during this important religious celebration?

• If you were Pilate, given the history of the constant problems governing the Jews, how would you have felt when they showed up “early in the morning’ demanding that he take action against Jesus? What do you think was the tone of his conversation with them?

• What would his mood have been as he turned to Jesus to question him as John's Gospel continues:

18:33 Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?” 35 Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?” 36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.” 37 Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?” Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.” 38-39 Pilate said, “What is truth?”

• What is the issue that Pilate seems most concerned about? Why would it be something that the Romans would concern themselves?

• What seems to be Jesus’ attitude and demeanor as he answers Pilate’s questions? What do you think his mental condition was at the time?

• What would Pilate’s understanding of king and kingdom be? What would a king expect that others would see as his role, responsibilities? How would Pilate expect those in the kingdom to behave in his presence? Do you think that Jesus’ words reassured him?

• How would you describe God’s kingdom? How does it differ from Pilate’s? Review the contrasts made below in What is the Kingdom of God.

• What does Jesus say he was born for? How would you describe the truth or wisdom that he brought to us?

• What do you think was Pilate’s attitude as he asked Jesus the question, “what is truth?” John begins his gospel with words about Jesus as God’s wisdom:

1:14 The Word (Divine Wisdom) became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish

How would you answer Pilate’s question?

• How does the truth Jesus brought to us contrast with the conventional wisdom of our culture today? Do you think that it is significantly different than during the rule of the Roman Empire?

• Why do you think that this scripture was chosen for Christ the King Sunday?

Closing Prayer

Holy God, your reign is justice and love, grace and truth, wisdom and compassion. Help us to find our place in your kingdom that we might bear witness to it with the whole of our lives. Amen.

Next Week’s Scriptures: Luke 21:25-36, Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

What is the Kingdom of God?

From Wikipedia:

The kingdom of God or kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Interpretations of the phrase range from the restoration of the Land of Israel to a world-wide kingdom, from a theocratic monarchy to an egalitarian utopia, and from an earthly kingdom to one in the afterlife.

The term "kingdom of God" is found in all four Christian canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles. The Gospel of Matthew uses the phrase "kingdom of Heaven" more often, perhaps to avoid offending Jews in the early church or perhaps simply a translation of the rabbinical expression "Malkut Shamayim".

From http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/kingdom-of-god-4.htm:

In the simplest terms, the Kingdom of God is the rule of God. Thus, it can be said that wherever the Lord Jesus Christ reigns, there you have the Kingdom of God. This is true whether Jesus rules in an individual life or over a group of people.

God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and therefore His Kingdom exists in the spiritual realm — a realm which is presently invisible to our natural eyes. Someday, God's Kingdom will come in all its fullness, but it is now "at hand" for us to enter into by faith. God writes the laws of His Kingdom on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33-34) and calls us to walk in obedience to His commandments. Through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we can experience the reign of God in our daily lives.

It is the Spirit of God Who reveals the ways of God to the children of God (see John 14:26). The Bible says in I Corinthians 2:9-10, "But as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.' But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." The rule and reign of God within the hearts of men, women, boys and girls is the reality of the Kingdom of God on earth!

Here are seven biblical truths to help us further understand what God's Kingdom is:

The Kingdom of God is both a present reality and a future certainty.

The Kingdom of God is opposite to our human reasoning.

The Kingdom of God is revealed in the ministry of Jesus.

The Kingdom of God is revealed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy.

The Kingdom of God is entered only on God's terms.

The Kingdom of God is inaccessible to the wicked.