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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