Christ the King, Cristo Rey

Today is Cristo Rey or Christ the King and the end of our church liturgy, which is focused on the evangelist Luke. Next year, it will be focused on Matthew. Years ago, in the ‘50s we’d join in one of the largest processions by the Catholic Church. I don’t know if this is still happening at this time. Today’s gospel reading is on the Crucifixion in Luke 23:35-43.

“35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

“38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom]” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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I’m sure you’d like to know why the Catholic Church chose the crucifixion as the reading for Christ the King. If we focus solely on today’s gospel, there are two items that speak only the truth about our Lord, first is what is written on top of the cross, which we know is “INRI” in Latin which says 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum' or Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Of course, the people who placed that sign there didn’t realize Jesus was truly not just King of the Jews, but of the entire human race for his kingdom didn’t have political boundaries like all the kingdoms on earth.

In the final paragraph of today’s gospel we read, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom]” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Only our Lord would use the word “paradise” which as we all know was very well written in the first story of the Old Testament in Genesis. God created the world and all living things, and later he created man, then later woman from Adam’s rib. Woman means “helper”. So when the Lord replied to Dimas, that he would be with him to Paradise, it meant the place God created before the fall of Adam and Eve. Paradise is another word for heaven!

Finally in order to show that Jesus was God, let’s read in John 18:36-37, when Pontius Pilate interrogated the lord for he felt that Jesus was not guilty of anything. It was when Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Our Lord replied, “36 Jesus said to Pilate, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. After Jesus replied, Pilate asked again, “So you are a king, are you?” This put Jesus on the spot: he is a king, but his kingdom is not of this world. 'Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth'.”

All Christians believe our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth and the life, therefore he cannot lie and certainly he didn’t lie when Pontius Pilate asked him if he was a King. But we must understand what Matthew wrote when our Lord said, “28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as “a ransom for many.” This is why today’s gospel on Cristo Rey is about the Crucifixion.