Dear
friends in Christ, subjects of Christ the King,
Would you recognize a king were you to see
one? In order for us to make that identification, the one we lay our eyes upon
would need to display kingly qualities. No wonder so few recognized that Jesus
of Nazareth is a king. From birth to death, Mary’s son manifested little of a
regal nature. Nor was anyone able to identify any boundaries of the kingdom of
Jesus on a map.
Jesus nailed the hidden nature of his
kingship and his kingdom when he told the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation, nor will
people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is, because the kingdom of God is within
you.” [Lk 17:20, 21]
Things will be quite the opposite when Jesus
comes again at the end of time in all his glory as Christ the King. Through
Isaiah, God says, “Before me every knee
will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, “In the LORD
alone are righteousness and strength.’ All who have raged against me will come
to him and be put to shame. But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel
(church) will be found righteous and will exult.”[45:23]
This universal worship of Christ the King is
coming. The LORD gave the prophet Daniel during Israel’s exile A Vision of Christ the King. We share
Daniel’s vision today and see that first, his vision shows the king’s unique
qualities; second, his vision shows the kingdom’s unlimited boundaries.
God sent Daniel a vision six centuries prior
to Jesus’ birth. Such visions were one
way the writer to the Hebrews says, “God
spoke to our forefathers in the past at many times and in a variety of ways.”[1:1]
Daniel’s vision was about earthly kings and temporary kingdoms. There were
four of them; the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and finally, the
Romans. It also included a vision of the Savior-King to come, the Messiah,
during the Roman period. Daniel applied his vision to Jesus first advent. We
apply it to Jesus’ coming again.
Christ the King Sunday is the vital link
between Saints Triumphant Sunday and the first Sunday in Advent. When Jesus
came into Bethlehem, he came to rule in lowliness as he lived and died on the
cross to pay for our sins. He called souls into his kingdom of grace through
the gospel. When Jesus comes again, he will come with all his glory in his
kingdom of power. As we heard last week, he will gather his saints living and
dead into one triumphant church.
Consider this king’s unique qualities as he
rules in grace, in power, and in glory. He appears as a man. He remains God.
The apostle John shared a similar revelation. Both men saw Jesus “coming with the clouds of heaven.” This
is exactly the way Jesus told the Sanhedrin on Maundy Thursday night it would
be the next time they saw him. He comes with strength, power, and splendor. He
is coming again not to save the world this time but to judge the world as the
Father has appointed him to do.
So also, the Savior received his ruling
authority from “the Ancient of Days.”
This unique name for our God defines his eternal and unchanging nature. He
entrusted his Son with those unique qualities that identify Jesus as the one
Daniel saw in his vision who “was one
like a son of man coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Christ the King not only reveals his kingly
qualities. Daniel also saw his kingdom’s unlimited boundaries.
All human and earthly kingdoms have
boundaries. We think of the terrible fighting in the Middle East over the
boundaries and the land they divide.
When our president visits another country, he has no authority or power
in that country. Nor does any other country’s ruler have power in the United
States.
Christ the King has authority over the people
of all nations. He has subjects who submit to his rule in every land and
climate. They worship Christ their king in a multitude of languages with a wide
variety of customs. The Hebrew word for worship means to pay homage to and
render service to the one and only God. When Christ the King returns every knee
in those countries will bow to him; believers in their salvation, unbelievers
in their condemnation.
The kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and
Rome lie in ruins and decay. Not so the kingdom of our God and his Christ. It
is eternal. It remains vast in scope. It continues to expand as Christians
herald the good news of Christ’s cross and empty tomb to the nations. Over the
centuries, many national rulers have pounded their chests and used their
weapons against their neighbors. They are all gone and mostly forgotten. Christ
kingdom, the ruling activity of Jesus Christ in sinners’ hearts through faith,
continues and will never end.
What a good way to end the church year. Jesus
came. He came into Bethlehem so he could die, rise again and ascend into heaven
to reign over all things for the sake of the church. Jesus comes. He continues
to establish his kingdom into unbelieving hearts and strengthen the faith of
believers through the gospel in Word and sacrament. Jesus will come again. We
look to the clouds in eager anticipation of his Parousia, his appearing. We
believe and confess the forgiveness of our sins, the resurrection of our
bodies, and life everlasting with Jesus in heaven.
During this time between Jesus nativity and
his appearance as Christ the King, we his subjects live under the Prince of
Peace in his peaceable kingdom. We invite our neighbors and friends with the
gospel to live with us under Christ’s righteous rule and then serve him in his
kingdom.
John Lennon, the songwriter, once penned the
words, “There ain’t no Jesus gonna come from the sky.” Sadly, many share
that view. On the other hand, we live with one eye out for ways to serve Christ
our King, and with the other eye on the sky certain he will return. “For the
kingdom, and the power and the glory are yours, and through you, ours, now and
forever.” Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.” <SDG>