In today’s Gospel, Jesus is passive as soldiers jeer at him on the Cross. This comes after his silence before Pontius Pilate, who sentences him to death. As Luke Timothy Johnson notes in his commentary on the Gospel of Luke, this response could only have been “disappointing” to those in Jesus’ time, whether “Jew or Greek,” to use the New Testament distinction. For many Jews, accustomed to reading about Moses boldly standing before Pharaoh, and for many Greeks, steeped in tales of Socrates responding “stirringly” to the Athenian judges, a mute leader might have seemed an aberration at best.
And perhaps our readings for the “Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe” are disappointing to some Christians today. In recent years, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of people, at least in the United States, who proclaim either on T-shirts, social media or bumper stickers: “Christ is my king!” Well, he’s my king too of course. But the question needs to be asked: What kind of king is he to you? More importantly, what kind of king do we find in the Gospel?
Certainly not one concerned with the outward signs of power, domination or arrogance that we usually associate with earthly rulers. During the temptation in the desert, when Satan offers Jesus authority over all the world, he declines it. Later, after Jesus performs many miracles and the crowds press to make him a king, he escapes them. In time, Jesus accepts the designation of “Christ” (anointed one) when Peter identifies him as such, but he immediately reminds Peter that the Christ must suffer. And finally, in what may be his most “triumphal” moment, when he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, with the crowds receiving him rapturously, he arrives on a lowly donkey.
Our desire for a mighty king (or queen) is not surprising. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be led by a benevolent person who has our best interests in mind and who can, on his or her own, simply make life easier for all of us? But that desire, though compelling, is almost always misplaced. There are no perfect rulers and history has shown that Lord Acton was right: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That fact has been a disappointment (and a tragedy) for people for centuries.
So who is our king? It is Jesus, the Christ, who rules by way of service, poverty and humility. He says and demonstrates this truth too many times in the Gospels to even name them. He is even willing to suffer on behalf of others. Jesus is a “servant leader,” always putting the needs of others, especially those who are poor or marginalized in any way, before his own. Go and do likewise.
[Excerpt from Fr. James Martin, S.J. “Christ is my king. But what kind of king is he?” Outreach, November 2025]
