Christ the King

Thought for the parish pew slip – 22/11/09 – Christ the King

Readings: Daniel 7: 9-10 & 13-14 Revelation 1: 4b-8 John 18: 33- 37


At the feast of Christ the King we celebrate our confidence that one day Christ will come to rule as king, with great power, glory and splendour.
Our Old Testament reading describes part of a vision of Daniel in which he sees God the father giving kingship to Jesus. Daniel experienced this vision in the 6th century BC during the Jewish exile in Babylon; a real low point in Jewish history.
The book of Revelation describes St John’s visions of the end times. These have many parallels with the visions that Daniel had had six centuries earlier. Like Daniel, John sees a king of kings, coming on the clouds with great glory and dominion.
Our gospel reading is part of the trial of Jesus in front of Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate is struggling to understand the kingship of Jesus. Later (John 18: 19-22) Pilate has an inscription displayed on Jesus’ cross. It says, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. The chief priests object to this, but Pilate refuses to change it.