Christ the King, C                November 25, 2007

Long ago, when kings held real power, their power was absolute.  Today we celebrate the absolute power of Christ our king by telling the story of his wretched death by torture.  To the Romans of Jesus’ day crucifixion as a sign of power would have been crazy and absurd.  The Romans invented crucifixion specifically to emphasize powerlessness, hopelessness, utter humiliation.  Indeed, in every instance death by crucifixion must have appeared singularly devoid of power, that is, in every instance except one, the crucifixion of our king. 

What prompted the chief of those guarding Jesus to exclaim, “Truly, this man was Son of God”?  It was a manifestation of power.   What did St. Paul mean when he wrote, “The message of the cross for us who believe is the power of God?”  How did Jesus’ last hours display the awesome power of God?

First, notice Jesus’ demeanor on the way of the cross from Gethsemane to Calvary.  Notice how he did not lower himself to the level of those around him.  Fear, jealousy, and selfish interests drove Jesus persecutors to their dirty work, lashing out in false accusation, derision, and violence.  But, Jesus did not respond in like fashion. 

Indeed, through it all Jesus was unusually quiet.  His only shout while on the cross was in prayer, quoting the psalms, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” and “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  Jesus was silent in front of king Herod, and on several occasions responded with silence to the accusations of the Jewish elders and to the questions of Pontius Pilate.  Was this stupidity?  Foolishness?  Or a display of real strength?  Quiet, even silence, left a lasting impression.  It spoke the loudest about divine power protecting, strengthening, and ultimately saving the one who trusts in it.  Even though Jesus lost the battle on the cross, he couldn’t avoid death, we are convinced he ultimately won the war against sin and death, and he won it with quiet power.

Just as with Jesus, it’s not important to win all our battles against those who are arrayed against us, who wish us ill, who try to take advantage of us, who deliberately make us suffer.  It’s enough to win the war.  Relying on ourselves, stepping down to the level of our adversaries with a defense that is as shrill and strident as their offense may give us a victory in battle but will certainly cause us to lose the war.  Absolute victory comes only by enlisting absolute power, the power of God, and such power, characterized by quiet, even silent strength, is often absent in human strategies.

Jesus displayed the awesome, absolute power of God in the quiet, silent, strength of his last hours.  Can we display this same power by remaining above the fray in quiet self-assurance, with an unwavering sense of our convictions, and with our eyes set on the goal?  Quiet strength can do for us what it did for Jesus, give us a royal victory.  Unlike human power and the victories they engineer, there is no reversing God’s victory, no undermining it, no overcoming it, no end to it.  It is the absolute unalterable triumph of love and its reward, eternal life.