Christ the King Sunday November 25, 2007

Reading 1, 2 Samuel 5:1-3  David (see 2 Sam 5:4-5), now thirty seven years old, had already been king of Judah for seven and a half years. Here representatives from Israel come to anoint him as their king as well. David’s capital was at Hebron about 20 miles south of Jerusalem which he did not yet control. He proceeded to take Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:6-8) as the new capital for the United Kingdom. It was near the border between Israel and Judah and was a neutral city, having belonged to neither country previously. For most of their reigns, Saul, David and Solomon ruled both countries at the same time as many centuries later Spain and Portugal would share the same king. After Solomon, however, the two no longer had a king in common. Sometimes they worked together as allies, while at other times they battled one another.

Reading II, Colossians 1:12-20  For centuries, most of the world had been subject to frequent warfare and transfer of areas from one kingdom to another, usually at the cost of many lives, destruction of property, and the exacting of high taxes by conquering kings. By Paul’s time, however, the entire Mediterranean world had been brought into the peace of the Roman Empire. The Romans were generally good rulers. Understanding that commerce with open borders and safe travel brought more return than anything gained in war, they established peace throughout the empire. They systematically eliminated piracy on the seas and banditry on their famous system of highways which spanned the entire empire. The ease of travel greatly benefited Paul and other evangelizers as they traveled throughout the empire. In their proclamation of Jesus as “King”, they were careful to preach that his kingdom “is not of this world” and to pray for government authorities. Nevertheless, opponents to Christianity would use more commonly held concepts of “king” and “kingdom” to fuel antagonism against Christians.

Luke 23:35-43  The coming of God’s Kingdom had been a central theme in Jesus’ preaching…“the kingdom is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). Jesus visited village after village “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1). He began many parables with the words “the kingdom of heaven is like…” and spoke frequently regarding who would enter that kingdom. It is very possible that the criminal who made his famous appeal to Jesus had heard him preach or, at least, was familiar with the preaching. He may have sensed the truth of Jesus’ message, even felt a hunger for the peace it could bring him, but found himself too entangled in a way of life which eventually led to his death. Many people today share a similar experience. May the strength of conviction he mustered while on the cross be an encouragement for them to do so far in advance of their final hour.