We are actually proclaiming the Kingship of Christ. Stating this does not make much of a sense because we already have the Solemnity of Christ the King at the end of the liturgical year. Given the surrounding drama, the theme of Christ’s sovereignty is easy to miss. The question is how to discern the Kingship enacted through these two Gospel passages?
Palm Sunday’s liturgy feels very much like a continuation of our Christmas narrative. As Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, the 3 Synoptic Evangelists present that moment as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”. This verse is what we hear at Christmas. Now as Christ is near the end of His earthly ministry, He is presented as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9. Israel would be restored by a King, the promised son of David, who will enter Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.
Riding an ass, Christ now enters Jerusalem to reclaim the city for His own. His entrance is both a religious experience and a political manoeuvre but not in the manner we conceive politics. He was not entering to liberate Israel from Rome let alone wrest the kingdom from Herod.
The kind of kingdom brought about by Christ is both personal and social. In His person, as reflected in the 1st Reading. He will be a King treated badly. His beard will be torn because upon Him will be laid the chastisement of the world. He suffers grievously because He carries the sins of the world upon His shoulders. But that is not unexpected. The 2nd Reading provides the template to appreciate this King. “Even though His state was divine, He did not cling to His divinity but chose to enter into slavery on our behalf”. He frees us from the clutches of sin so that we can live a holier life.
To embrace sanctity, Jesus Christ cannot be only a personal Saviour. Our holiness, even though personal, has both social and political impact. The socio-political aspect of His Kingship challenges us to overcome the deep fissures caused by conflicting philosophies that currently divide society. It is easy to squeeze Christ into a smaller manageable concept in which He becomes my personal Saviour. Since no man is an island, the question that remains is “what” Christ should really be and where should He be apart from my “personal” space.
Christ as the universal King must pervade our social and political space. This is the challenge we face if He is not to be conceived narrowly as a Saviour of Christians. It does not make sense that He is simply the Saviour of Christians. Why? When God created, did He create the entire cosmos or did He create a narrow band of Christian space? The Creed clearly states that God is the Creator, presumably of all that is, which must mean He is also the Saviour of all and not just Christians. Therefore, we may have to ask ourselves if the neat notion of a personal Saviour may have reduced Jesus Christ to simply a “personal” butler, albeit, an exalted one. Perhaps it is the adorable, cute and pleasant idea of Jesus as personal Saviour that makes it so much harder for Christ to be proclaimed and accepted as the Ruler of the universe.
Many of us would know first hang what it means to be betrayed by family or friends. Palm Sunday’s liturgy with the two Gospels of triumph and tragedy illustrates for us how fickle the human heart can be. One minute Christ is exalted as King and the next, the world is ready to crucify Him. The idea of waving palms to welcome Christ and spreading cloaks for the King’s donkey to tread on should symbolise our desire that He be enthroned in our lives and more. The jarring placement of the two Gospels not only highlights the fickleness of the human heart but also a disposition towards the “pacification” of the Christ where we desire Him to be what we want but not really the universal Christ who stands for something more.
The exaltation of Christ on the Cross is not the narrative of a tragic end but rather a proclamation of Christ’s victory over all creation. Yes, the Cross may be a symbol of utter defeat for the Romans but for Christian it is the ultimate sign of victory. The King on the Cross shows that His sovereignty and His rule is achieved not through subjugation but through selfless service, not through conquest but through His crucifixion. He is truly the King of all creation which means that nothing is outside the domain of His salvation. He descends into Hell in order for man to ascend into heaven.
In summary, when the crowd shouted, “crucify Him”, it was meant to destroy Him. But we dare to acclaim “crucify Him” because we recognise the power of the Cross. From His victorious throne, grace abounds. Laws may prevent us from proclaiming Christ but cooperating with His grace our belief can blend with our behaviour, our conviction concretised through our conduct, we make His Kingdom can come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. All domains should come under the dominion or the Lordship of Jesus Christ for the only manner that Christ chooses to rule the world is through the Cross. In His flesh hanging on the Cross, disorder, sin and death come to die. Through His Cross alone, we stand a fighting chance that our travails through this world will not end in a hopeless defeat but will culminate in a glorious victory because Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat. Christ conquers, Christ reigns and Christ commands.
