HE DOES NOT SAVE HIMSELF

Feast of Christ the King

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (Lk 23, 35-43)

The people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” This is the word of the Lord
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If somebody asked me for a gospel selection to celebrate Christ as King, on a first impulse, I would probably have chosen one in which Christ is shown in his power providing for the needs of large crowds who, happy with the prospect of good times to come, would easily want to make him king. We find this story in John’s gospel (Jn 6, 1-16). When the crowd who was with Jesus on the mountain had eaten and was satisfied, they wanted to make Christ a king. He did not want this type of kingship. And isn’t it interesting that in the same chapter John recalls Jesus’ words telling the crowd: “It is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world”. The crowd then asked Him: “Sir, give us this bread always”. He answered: “I am the bread of life”.

This selection is beautiful and it somehow shows the type of Christ people would like to have and follow in our days. Are not people asking for a god who easily and always satisfies our needs? There are those who would say that if our needs are not satisfied, and if suffering is not eliminated, injustice and wars do not stop, it is because there is no God. With different words and for different reasons are we not constantly repeating the cry: “Sir, give us this bread always”? And is not Jesus telling us always: “I am the bread of life”?

Then I remembered that Jesus gave us another answer! When questioned by Pilate, Jesus answered him: “You say that I am King”, and “My kingdom is not from this world.” (Jn 18, 36-37).

The Liturgy, then, is correct in presenting us with another gospel selection in which it seems that Christ is presented in his worst moment: crucified after being tortured as only humans know how to torture, abandoned by all his friends except by a handful of them, and defended by a condemned criminal serving a death sentence. This is the gospel chosen for the feast of Christ the King. Truly, His kingdom is not of this world!

Luke gives us this story, today. There are some details we should bear in mind. The leaders, Luke tells us, scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” One of the criminals hanging on a cross joined them telling Jesus: “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” Little did both leaders and criminal consider the fact that, because He is the Messiah of God, Jesus could not save himself. A king should not save himself; he is supposed to serve his people, to save them! The Son of God, because His is the Son of God, could not save himself. He came to save us! Is it not interesting that, instead of defending himself before the Roman power, Jesus explained: “I was born for this, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”. Pilate said: “What is truth?” Pilate could not care less for truth. He understood power!

If we were to ask Jesus: “What is truth?” He will surely tell us: “Most solemnly I tell you”, truth is that “I am the bread of life”, “I am the good shepherd: [who] lays down his life for his sheep” (Jn 10, 11), “I came that [you] may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10, 10).

Another detail we should pay attention to is the reaction of the condemned criminal, whom we call the good thief, to the insults Christ was receiving. He rebuked the other criminal: “Do you not fear God … this man has done nothing wrong”. Turning to Jesus he said: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

We might ask: “What did the good thief see in order to ask to be taken to the kingdom of a dying man? A criminal, stretched on a cross was able to defend Jesus (this man has done nothing wrong), and he believed that a dying man, unrecognizable because of the violence used against him, was a king going to his kingdom”. What did this man see that made him believe in the Christ? This man surely had followed Jesus sometime, somehow, somewhere. From his cross he could easily listen to Jesus asking His Father: “Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”. Surely he had listened to Him saying: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15, 13). The good thief did not ask for signs, he just expressed his faith to the Good Shepherd! And Jesus answered: “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise”.

This dialogue between the good thief and the Good Shepherd, might seem surreal. What royalty could he see in a condemned man, who would die a few moments later? He had no royal robes, no royal crown, and no royal throne. His eyes could only see a naked man, covered in blood, with a crown of thorns stuck on his head, and who was nailed to a wooden cross. His eyes of faith saw more! Let us remember the apostle Paul telling us: “We preach Jesus Christ crucified, a scandal for the Jews, foolishness for the Greeks, and salvation for those who believe” (Cfr 1Cor 1, 23-24).

Luke points to another small detail: “The people stood by, watching!” Where they accomplices? Did they also kill Jesus?” We are not to judge. There is a Judge who knows the innermost parts of the human mind and heart, and this one Judge said: “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (Jn 12, 47).

Let us, then, ask ourselves: In view of Christ telling us “Yes, I am king”, how do we behave? Do we just watch things go by? Do we ask Him to give us “this” bread (the things we want), always”? Do we join Holy Mary to say: “I am the servant of the Lord”? Do we join the Christ in saying the prayer he taught us: “Our Father, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven … give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them those who trespass against us”?

Let our prayer be: “Jesus, lead us to your kingdom!”