Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” Mt. 25: 40
The least of these.
Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to this same group of people as “the Least, the Last, and the Lost.”
Today’s gospel reading from Matthew gets even more specific: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner.
Ultimately, however, today’s gospel is a story about us. It’s about our ability to move – to move into a different reality called the Kingdom of God.
And the real story begins with the first word spoken by Jesus: “Repent.” It could more accurately be translated as “Change” – change your mind, change your attitude, change your direction, change your ideas about what really matters in life, change your notion of what will last forever.
Simply put, change your heart.
Today’s gospel reading focusing on the Last Judgement scene marks the end of all of Jesus’ teaching. It serves as a summary of what his “course” on discipleship ultimately amounts to. And so, notice that the greatest of all teachers is not the least bit interested in how beautifully we can speak about all that has been taught us, or how masterfully we can tell others about the glories of Jesus’ authoritative insights.
He’s not handing out A’s, or any other grades, for mere knowledge alone. Even the scribes and Pharisees “knew” all the right answers.
Instead, in this glorious depiction of Jesus gathering all the nations of the world together to receive his final teaching, Jesus emphasizes only one thing:
Action!
What have you done? What values have your behaviors demonstrated?
Are you among those who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, visited the prisoners?
Remember that Jesus himself did precisely these actions. He fed. He cured. He healed. He visited. He forgave.
Remember that His words were always followed up with his actions, and,
Remember that Jesus asks us to do as he did. To make important what he made important. To treasure what he treasured. To love what he loved.
Even though this masterful scene in Matthew’s gospel paints an image of Jesus sitting “on the throne of his glory” and gathering “all the nations” before him, Jesus totally abandons the idea of kingship and authority so often embraced by the powerful of our times.
Rather, the kingship of Jesus critiques the establishment, undermines the status quo, threatens the powers-that-be. It speaks truth to power. It challenges those who want to dominate and possess. It calls into question greed and arrogance and ambition and seeking endless pleasures.
The kind of king that Jesus presents us in the gospels is one whose only “throne” was a bare, wooden cross. His retinue of courtiers consisted of two crucified thieves, one on each side, and Jesus’ final words were not an edict pronounced with the majesty of an imperial order, but the simple words of mercy: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus was assassinated because his notion of authority and leadership threatened the powers of his time – as it does to this day.
Rather than the blind adulation and subservience required by many of those in power in this 21st century, the kingship of Jesus demands an entirely different kind of following – one that is costly on a personal level. Because, his kingship is summed up in one word: service.
Finally, perhaps what is most important about understanding the kingship of Jesus is this:
The only thing Jesus really wants is to be king of our hearts. The only thing Jesus wants is to communicate how infinitely loved and treasured we are. The only thing Jesus wants power over is our determination to escape full maturity by our refusal to leave our comfort zones and embrace “the Least, the Last, and the Lost.”
As one writer puts it, “We praise, worship and kiss the cross of Christ because in the depths of our being we feel the need to give thanks to God for his boundless love. But we can’t forget one thing: what Jesus asks of us is not to just kiss the cross, but to carry it.”
And the best way to carry it is by not allowing anything else to take Jesus’ place as the one who reigns supreme in our lives – not greed, not arrogance, not ambition, not unlimited pleasures.
That’s why Jesus chose a cross as the place where real power rules.
Because unless we die to our egos, unless we forgive as Jesus did while hanging on a cross, unless we become true servants of mercy through feeding and clothing and sheltering, by ourselves we will not find the space in our hearts for Jesus to reside as king.
The Least. The Last. The Lost.
“Whatever you did for one of …. these, you did for me.”
Ted Wolgamot, Psy.D.
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11.24.2017
