A friend of mine was speaking passionately about one of the presidential candidates—how his candidate was the one to bring progress, peace, unity, and accountability to the country.
I asked him why he was so sure that his preferred candidate was the best for the country. What has this candidate done in the past that warrants so much enthusiasm and hope? What are the proven values of this candidate? My friend could not answer any of these questions. He just kept harping on why everybody should vote for his candidate.
This is how we set ourselves up for disappointment. We campaign and support leaders without asking why they deserve our votes. We vote for them without considering their values and past actions, and then we wonder why they leave us disappointed and frustrated.
As we recently celebrated the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, we ought to ask ourselves why we believe that Christ is truly our king. Then we must ask ourselves if we really believe it. If we do not examine these reasons and our belief in them, we will soon become disappointed in Him because we will be expecting from Him things that He does not intend to do in our lives.
When the Israelites came to anoint David as their king in 2 Samuel 5:1-3, they had three reasons why they chose him to be their king. These are also three good reasons why we should believe that Jesus Christ is truly our king.
1. United with His People
David is anointed king because he is one like them and united to them. The Israelites said to him, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh.” David knew his people well, all that they desired and what they had been through. He was not aloof or disconnected from his people in any way.
Jesus is truly our king because, in and through the Incarnation, He has lovingly united Himself inseparably with us. He has become one like us through the human nature that He received from the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is truly one like us in all things but sin. He knows all that we are going through at any moment. He shares in all our experiences, He sympathizes with us always, and He desires to help us.
2. The Victor
David is anointed king because he is victorious in all his battles for his people. With deep gratitude, the Israelites say to him, “In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back.” David had always risked his life for his people, beginning with his courage in fighting and killing Goliath.
Jesus is also our king because He is victorious over our greatest enemies—sin and death. He fought and died for us on the cross so that we can attain divine forgiveness and peace. In the words of St. Paul, “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Because He triumphed over sin and death, He gave us peace with God and others “by the blood of His cross.”
3. The Anointed
David is anointed king because He is the Lord’s anointed. The Israelites acknowledge that David has been chosen by God already, “And the Lord said to you (David), ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.’”
Jesus is also our king because of who He is: He is God with us, the one sent and anointed by the Father, “For in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth…He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…For in Him all fullness was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:12-20).
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is not enough for us to believe that Jesus Christ is the king of the universe if we do not believe in the reasons why He is first the king of our own lives. We cannot proclaim His kingship over the universe when we doubt the many ways in which Jesus is truly our own king. We will be greatly disappointed in Him if we do not believe in the reasons why He is. We will take offense at Him and His actions when we are not firmly grounded in who He truly is, His loving presence in our lives, and what He has done for us on the cross.
When Jesus was crucified, many were disappointed in Him. The rulers saw Him as a king who proves Himself to satisfy their whims. “He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” They were greatly disappointed.
The soldiers saw Him as a king who came to save Himself, mocking, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” They, too, were greatly disappointed.
The bad thief saw Him as a king who saves us from our sufferings, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” He, too, was disappointed.
The good thief saw Him as a king who freely suffers unjustly, who is victorious over death, and whose kingdom endures beyond the grave, expressed in his words, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He was the only one not disappointed by Jesus, the King. He heard words of eternal union and consolation, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:35-43).
We encounter this immortal King in each Eucharist. This is where He is really and truly present with us. He is king whether we believe or not. Let us beg Him to deepen our faith in His kingship and also in the reasons why He is our king, so that we will never be disappointed in Him.
Glory to Jesus!!! Honor to Mary!!!
Photo by Daniel Gutko on Unsplash
