WORSHIPPING CHRIST AS OUR KING. (Homily for Sunday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B.)

Bible Study:  Daniel 7, 13 to 14. Revelations 1, 5 to 8. And John 18, 33 to 37.


The fact that today is the Solemnity of Christ the King is quite instructive. From the beginning of this liturgical year which began in November 2014, we have been celebrating one solemnity after another and today being the last Sunday, we are crowning all these solemnities with the ultimate - the fact that Christ is King and Lord of heaven and earth.

Somehow, today’s solemnity does not end, it is a continuous one! Every Sunday is a day we celebrate Christ as our king and this is the very reason why we do not go to work on Sunday, the reason why we regard Sunday as a sacred day when we strive to go to church to pay allegiance to our king. Knowing that Christ is our king is the reason why put on our best dresses when coming to church, we know we are going to a Palace not just as servants or slaves of Christ’s kingdom but as Princes and Princesses. And we carry ourselves with dignity recognising our royalty. Have you ever met a real prince or princess before? Try to find out, you will realise that there are certain secrets they keep; that there are certain rules that guide them, there is a certain decorum with which they carry themselves. Isn’t it? Dear friends, the commandments of God are not just statements of religiosity, they are “kingdom rules” and we keep them not as imposed burdens but as secrets of the kingdom into which we have been grafted by virtue of our baptism.

There are many who claim to be part of this kingdom yet they disdain the rules; by their very lives they show that they are strangers to this kingdom. Their way of life shows that they serve another king, they may come out externally to sing and shout and even dance on a day like this, but the testimony of their day to day lives shows that their loyalty and obedience belongs to the world and not to Christ.

For us Christians, we know that every single day is a celebration of Christ as king. Every action, word and thought we allow or refuse is a recognition of the fact that we know Christ is our King. You cannot afford to come out today and shout “Christ is my King,” and the next moment, you are saying “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” How? Every time we choose to sin, we are saying that we do not know Christ. Every sin is a choice for Barabbas and a rejection of Christ. Every sin is a choice for Barabbas and a rejection of Christ. Every sin is a choice for Barabbas and a rejection of Christ.  

Now, you see what I mean by the fact that today’s celebration is a continuous one? For today, we shall sing and dance in public like the people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. That is what we are going to do today, shamelessly. Some of us who find it difficult even to walk for few minutes under the hot sun will not mind walking for one hour today singing and dancing because Jesus is passing through our streets. Some of us who love to drive only in A.C. Fitted Cars will have to abandon our cars today and come out on the streets like strange people, we shall kneel in public and even people passing by who are not Catholics may see us and start wondering why we are kneeling before the monstrance in public. What we are doing is exactly what the people did for Jesus, they threw off their clothes and spread it on the floor for Jesus to pass. But what happened? That same week, the same people who threw their clothes on the floor and spread palm branches shouted “Crucify Him”. Hmmmmm! How many of us are going to shout “Crucify Him” this very week? How many of us are going to deny that we ever know Christ this very week? How many of us are going to betray Jesus this very week? How many of us are going to spit on Jesus’ face and mock him by our actions?

In today’s Gospel passage this morning, our minds are drawn to that familiar scene of where Jesus was brought before Pilate. The only accusation against Jesus which seemed to ring a bell in Pilate’s head was that Jesus claimed to be a king. But then here was Jesus standing before Pilate bound in chains, calm and as weak as a lamb. Pilate was amazed! After he looked at Jesus from head to toe, he just couldn’t understand how Jesus could say he is a king. Was he in control over the people? No! Was there a large army to fight for him? No! Was he in possession of great wealth? No. Was he living in a palace of gold? No! Hence Pilate asked: Are you a King? As I see you, you are nothing but a worm, you do not have what it takes to be a king.

But Jesus knowing he was truly a king said: “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” We serve a king whose kingdom is not of this world yet we struggle with earthly powers, we want to have this and have that by all means, we want to rule in this very world where things are just passing away. We say we belong to a kingdom that is not of this world yet we want God to fight for us and kill anybody who tries to take away our material goods. We say we belong to a kingdom that is not of this world yet we are so attached to material things, our cars, our businesses, our possessions and we value these things more than we value the things of heaven. What a contradiction!

In his vision, Daniel saw Jesus in his kingly state. And the unique thing about this kingdom which Daniel notes is that it is a kingship that is far superior to all earthly kingdoms and it is everlasting. Daniel 7, verse 14:  And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Do you recognise the superiority of Christ’s kingship? Come to think of it, as at the time of Pilate, Caesar was the ultimate ruler. Infact, Pilate had no choice but to hand Jesus over because the people said “if you release this man, you are no friend of Ceaser. We have no king but Caesar!” John 19, verse 12. Pilate was so afraid of loosing his friendship with Caesar that he bowed to the pressure and handed over Jesus even though he didn’t find him guilty of any crime. But I may ask, “Where is Caesar today?” “Who is afraid of him today?” Kingdoms come and go, yet Jesus continues to reign because as Daniel noted, his kingdom can never be destroyed!

Earthly rulers are always afraid. In fact, what drives earthly kingdoms to war is fear. They know that their kingdom is always at risk of going into extinction, they know that they can be destroyed at any time by even a more powerful kingdom. At some point, the world was afraid of Iran because of their nuclear reactors, America had to go into a serious negotiation with them so that they will not turn their nuclear facilities into weapons of mass destruction. In that way, America which is today seen as world power hopes to remain so. None the less, the world as a whole is afraid of Isis. We here are managing to handle the boko boys and all of a sudden, we now hear people are seriously talking about Biafra, they want to break Nigeria apart.

Dear friends, kingdoms come and go! But Jesus is the only King that will continue to reign forever. As the book of revelations say, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. He is the supreme ruler. His kingdom is not based on fear of anything. Nothing, No weapon, no bomb, no atomic energy, no power, nothing, no one can threaten his kingdom. And that is the kingdom we belong to! We are not Nigerians, we are not Bokoians, We are not Biafrians, We are not Binis, We are not Igbos, We are not Yorubas, We are not Ijaws, We are not Hausas… what are we? We are Christians!  Did you get that? We are not Americans, We are not Syrians or French, we are Christians! Our kingdom is superior, Christ is our King! We are visitors and strangers on earth, we are not here to last forever, we are here to just watch, to spy things out and go back home. Let us come out today rejoicing, dancing, singing and praising our King, let us dance for his superiority, let us dance for his kingdom is stronger than Nigerian army, his kingdom is more powerful than Isis, more powerful than all the world powers put together, let us dance for Christ is Lord of the Universe!

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, you are Lord. I worship you as my king forever and ever. Amen.


Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday.

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