On the Back Porch
The Solemnity of Christ the King, Year A
What We Celebrate
You might think that this Solemnity would celebrate the enthronement of Jesus as King of Heaven, but the last several Sunday gospels have all been building toward “the end days” when Jesus, on that heavenly throne, will judge the flock, separating the goats (not the greatest of all time) from the sheep. And so the gospel for this final Sunday of Ordinary Time is the great judgment scene from Matthew 25. And it is not an easy gospel.
The gospel seems to make charitable works the requirement for being saved by God. There is no mention of faith or justification or forgiveness or the cross — the acts of God that bring us salvation. Rather, the text is all about human actions. It is as though it hints at heresy of Pelagianism, a late 4th century heresy that, in its most ardent forms, taught man is capable of saving himself through free will and doing what God asks while avoiding that which is forbidden. This salvation was apart from the grace of God, the merits of Christ, and the attending faith in Jesus. And yet the whole of the gospel is filled with Jesus telling us to “to do.” Of course, why we “do” matters.
The gospel is filled with Old Testament imagery and reference that St. Matthew draws upon to show Jesus has fulfilled all the Old Testament promises, satisfied the Law, and more – He is the promised King and Messiah.
There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
Image credit: Jacob Adriaensz Backer: Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-33), National Museum in Warsaw, PD-US
King and Priest
Many of the images of Christ the King actually portray Jesus, not only as King, but also as Priest. Most often you’ll not see a crown, but the traditional headgear of the High Priest of the Jerusalem Temple. Think of the two roles: ruling and blessing – which is exactly the roles given to Adam and Eve in the garden. They were royal priests of Eden. After humanity’s failure as the royal priests of Eden, God promises that one of their descendants will intervene on their behalf to restore the blessings of Eden. Throughout Israel’s story, God raises up leaders to be this royal priest, but they all fall short. But their stories point forward to the ultimate royal priest, Jesus. In this video, we explore how Jesus is the ultimate king and priest who invites humans back into Eden so that we can once again take up our calling as God’s royal priests.
Take a few moments to watch this overview video: