Commentary
Sunday, 11/24/2019, Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King
The Forerunner to the King of Kings
First Reading Commentary: 2 Samuel 5:1-3
The reign of David as king of the Israelites was a forerunner to the coming of Christ as the King of Kings. It is interesting to note that David was thirty years old when he became king and he ruled for forty years. The first seven years were in Hebron and the remaining thirty-three years were in Jerusalem.
Christ began His public ministry at age thirty, ended His ministry in Jerusalem when He went to the cross. Many believe that Jesus was thirty-three at the time. Christ spent forty days in the desert and forty days on earth after His Resurrection. The symbolism of these numbers is significant but today’s first reading focusses on David becoming king.
The twelve tribes of Israel came to David and said, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh.” The people did not mean that in the literal sense. They said it because David was one of them. But when we think of the Mystical Body, we see the importance of these words. Christ came to be one of us as a human and we are all a part of Him as part of His Mystical Body.
The people said, “…it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.’” They knew that God was with David when he killed Goliath and they knew that God was with David in all, of his other victories. So, the people recognized David as having come from God, a good shepherd and as a savior.
When the elders came to David, he made an agreement with them and they anointed him king of Israel. Jesus made an agreement with us giving us the Beatitudes promising us the Kingdom of Heaven.
Even though there are striking similarities between David and Jesus, we must consider the differences. God was with David but David was not divine. He committed sins just like the rest of us.
David was a servant to his people and Jesus is a servant to us but David was still a king of this world who enjoyed the royal privileges of being a king of this world. Jesus lived a humble life without any of the glitter and fanfare of earthly royalty. This, is why some people had a problem accepting who Jesus was. Again, David was a king of this world but Jesus is the King of Kings and His Kingship is in heaven.
Remember that the Israelites had asked for a king and through the prophet Samuel, God warned the Israelites against having an earthly king. But the Israelites persisted so God granted their request. First: with Saul then David and then Solomon. We can see comparisons between David and Christ but we should also bear in mind that there is no king on earth that can measure up to the King of Kings. David was a king in Jerusalem but Christ is the King in the New Jerusalem which is the true Promised Land, the Kingdom of Heaven.
A Proclamation of the King of Kings
Second Reading Commentary: Colossians 1:12-20
Paul does three things in today’s reading from his letter to the Colossians. 1-He tells us to thank the Father for sending the Son. 2-He reminds us of what the Son has done for us. 3-Paul proclaims the Son as God.
If we were to take the time to thank the Father for everything that He has given us, one-by-one, we would spend every waken moment of everyday in prayer. But we can let the Father know the gratitude that is in our hearts by the way that we live our lives. And, there is one thing that we definitely should take the time to single out. That is the sending the Son.
Without the Son coming to give His life on the cross, there would be no light for us to follow, there would be no deliverance for us into the Kingdom and there would be no salvation from our sins. All of this: because there would be no victory over death. That is one reason why Jesus Christ is the King of Kings.
We must always remember and never ignore the fact that Jesus Christ is God—the Son. When we acknowledge Christ as the King of Kings, we profess our faith in His divinity. We say, “Amen” to everything that Paul says in his letter about the Son and we join Paul in his proclamation, “For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible…all things were created through him and for him.”
Saved by the King
Gospel Commentary: Luke 23:35-43
While Jesus was on the cross, the rulers sneered at Him and said, “He saved others. Let him save himself…” The soldiers jeered and called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” There were two criminals being crucified with Jesus and one of them said, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.”
None of these people understood that Jesus did not need salvation because they did not know Him or believe in Him. It is mankind that needed the salvation and by way of the cross, Jesus was about to make that salvation possible.
The people who persecuted Jesus did not understand that in order, to have eternal life, this life and everything in it must be given up. They had no clue that Jesus was about to defeat death, not by saving His physical life, but by His Resurrection. They did not know that Jesus’ defeat over death would make eternal life possible for all of us.
Dismas, the criminal who did not persecute Jesus, rebuked the first saying, “Have you no fear of God… we have been condemned justly…but this man has done nothing criminal.” He then said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Dismas had faith. He believed in God, had remorse for his crimes, repented for his sins and asked for mercy by asking Jesus to remember him in His Kingdom. This man, who the Church would canonize a saint, also, believed in the Kingdom of Heaven. He knew that if he was to escape hell and enter the Kingdom, he had to be forgiven. And he knew that such forgiveness could only come from Jesus, the King of Heaven and the King of Kings.
St. Dismas is another great example for us to follow, not because of his crimes, but because of his faith, remorse and repentance. What Jesus said to Dismas on the cross is living witness to the fact that with those three things, we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
