Friends in Christ, this Sunday we end our liturgical year celebrating Christ our King! This feast day calls us to proclaim the cosmic, eternal rule of Jesus Christ. When we picture a king, we imagine a throne, a crown of gold, and armies of might.
Yet, our Gospel reading today gives us the most shocking and paradoxical image of kingship ever conceived: a man nailed to a cross, crowned with thorns, mocked by soldiers, and his subjects being two condemned criminals.
How do we reconcile the grand, cosmic power of our faith with the terrible, lonely suffering of the cross? Our three scriptures today answer that question by showing us who Christ is, what His kingdom is, and how we are invited to enter it.
The Promise of the Righteous Shepherd (Jeremiah 23:1-6) Jeremiah establishes the deep human longing for a just ruler. The prophet condemns the corrupt leaders of Israel—the “shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep.” These leaders misused their power, cared only for themselves, and left the people vulnerable.
Jeremiah then issues a promise from God: “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
This prophecy sets the stage for Christ. It voices the desperate need for a King who is not self-serving, but righteous; a King who doesn’t scatter the sheep, but gathers them; a King whose rule is defined not by ambition, but by justice and wisdom. This promise assures us that God always intended to replace the failed kings of this world with a perfect, eternal Shepherd.
The King of the Cosmos (Colossians 1:15-20) Paul’s letter to the Colossians gives us Our King’s identity. defining Christ’s cosmic supremacy.
Paul declares that Jesus is not merely a historical figure or a great teacher; He is the Head of Creation.
- He is the Creator: “For in him all things were created… all things were created through him and for him.”
- He is the Sustainer: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
- He is the Redeemer: He is the head of the Church, the firstborn from the dead, who is reconciling “all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”
This is the solid rock of Christ’s Kingship: His authority is absolute, derived from His role as the author and sustainer of reality. His rule is not a temporary political arrangement; it is the fundamental structure of the cosmos itself. He has the power to reconcile everything—every mistake, every failure, every division—through His sacrifice.
The Throne of Grace (Luke 23:33-43) In Luke’s final Gospel for this year, we recall how Jesus the Christ is not a King on a golden throne, but on a wooden cross. Our Christ’s power is through the depth of his humility and obedience.
While Jesus hangs there, mocked by the crowds (“Save yourself!”), two thieves hang beside Him. The first thief joins the jeering crowd, but the second thief, in a single, magnificent moment of faith, turns to Jesus and utters the perfect prayer of repentance: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
This thief understood Christ the King better than the high priests and the soldiers. He saw past the humiliation, the pain, and the apparent defeat, recognizing the truth of the man next to him.
And Jesus, the King whose crown is bleeding and whose hands are nailed, grants the ultimate royal decree: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
This is the core of Christ’s Kingship. His rule is defined not by force, but by forgiveness; not by conquest, but by grace. The gate to His eternal Kingdom is opened not by a lifetime of good works, but by a single, desperate, humble prayer of faith acknowledged by the King of all Creation.
So, on this Christ the King Sunday, let us look to the cross, which is our King’s true throne.
The cross is the ultimate reassurance that the King who reigns over the cosmos is also the King who suffered for you. His power is limitless, but His love is intimate.
Our entrance into His Kingdom requires nothing more than the sincere, humble faith shown by the thief: a simple recognition of Christ’s identity and an honest cry for grace. Let us live this week not as scattered sheep, but as citizens under the rule of the Righteous Shepherd, ready to enter His Paradise through His mercy.