Let us begin today’s reflection with a shout-out in response to this question:
What thoughts and images readily come to your mind when I say the word “king”?
When I think of the word “king,” like some of you, I readily see in my mind’s eye
a crown --
a robe --
and a scepter --
And in my head I hear Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March no.1 --.
All these images and the music remind me what kingship is about as I understand it: power, authority, wealth, popularity. They conjure for me a picture of someone who exercises lordship and leadership over others, demanding allegiance, loyalty, obedience, or else ...
Today, to bring to an end the church calendar, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Or, as we have it in the bulletin, we celebrate the Feast of the Reign of Christ.
When we think of Christ as our King, do the images we just shared come to your mind as well? Do you see Jesus our King like this picture on the screen?
I think Jesus would be appalled if he saw this picture of himself!
In the New Testament especially in the versions of the Gospel according to Mark, Matthew and Luke, we do find Jesus proclaiming good news and saying,
15 ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ (Mark 1, NRSV).
At his trial before Pilate, and the Roman governor asked –
“Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.” - Matthew 27:11, New Living Translation (NLT)
Jesus did not confirm nor deny that he was king.
The early Christians confessed that he was. We see this in several books in the New Testament. To cite a few examples:
17 Now to the king of the ages, to the immortal, invisible, and only God, may honor and glory be given to him forever and always! Amen. - 1 Timothy 1:17, Common English Bible (CEB)
49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.” - John 1:49, Common English Bible (CEB)
5 … and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,- Rev1:5, Common English Bible (CEB)
By proclaiming and confessing Jesus as King, they were implicitly saying that the Emperor was not. And for this, many of them were persecuted and killed as Jesus was. For he, too, was killed for allegedly claiming to be the king of the Jews.
Today, Christians around the world, ourselves included, acclaim Jesus as king. We do so in one of our historic creeds ...
... He (Jesus) will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end. – The Nicene Creed, 325 A.D.
We acclaim Jesus as our king in our hymns as in ---
The king of glory comes the nation rejoices
open the gates before him lift up your voices
Who is the king of glory how shall we call him?
he is immanuel the promised of ages ...
And when we majestically sing the Hallelujah chorus from George Frideric Handel’s 1741 oratorio, Messiah--
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings,
And Lord of lords,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
we acclaim Jesus as King.
But let us be clear about this. The image of kingship and leadership Jesus embraced was not that which we usually associate kingship and leadership with. It was not the image of the Roman Emperor or even the Roman governor like Pilate, who lorded it over the subjects of the empire. Instead, Jesus took the image of the shepherd to describe who he was as leader and king.
Jesus’ choice of the shepherd as symbol of his kingship and lordship was in itself very telling, if not controversial. According to Creighton University professor of theology Bruce Malina --
“Although shepherds could be romanticized (as was king David), they were usually ranked with ass drivers, tanners, sailors, butchers, camel drivers, and other despised occupations. Being away from home at night they were unable to protect their women and were considered dishonorable. In addition, they were considered thieves because they grazed their flocks on other people’s property....”
- Bruce Malina, Creighton University professor of theology
in Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels
In the Gospel of John, we find him calling himself the Good Shepherd.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - John 10, NRSV
As the Good Shepherd he took care of the sheep whom he knew intimately and who related to him in the same way:
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep. – John 10, NRSV
By using the image of the shepherd and making it his own, Jesus honored the despised group this image represented. He gave them the dignity of humans created in the likeness and image of God the way he did the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the widows and orphans in his time. He welcomed and included them. He embraced them as God’s children like everyone is.
Jesus was not unique in his respectful regard of the lowly shepherd. In fact, his choice of the image of the shepherd for his leadership and kingship was very biblical. For in the Old Testament, as we see in the scripture passage for our reflection this morning ... in the Old Testament God portrayed himself as a shepherd of the people he has chosen as his own. Let us look at that passage again. What qualities of the shepherd do you see in it?
11 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live.14 Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice! - Ezekiel 34:11-24, New Living Translation (NLT)
Unlike earthly rulers, kings and princes, Jesus did not lord it over his followers. Instead he “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, NRSV).
For a headdress, he was made to wear a crown of thorns.
For a robe, a purple robe was laid on him in contempt.
For a scepter, he had a shepherd’s crook.
He gave of himself freely. And that gift of himself we will once again receive in Holy Communion.
As followers of our Shepherd King, we are also called to serve, to offer ourselves as Jesus did... humbly, without pomp and circumstance… ready, like our Shepherd King, to offer ourselves for God and for others, especially the least, the truly marginalized and disenfranchised around us.
Question for reflection:
With Thanksgiving Day and Christmas coming soon, how do you see yourself serving others as Jesus our Shepherd King did and as he commanded us to do?
