"FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE -C-
November 23, 2025
2 Samuel 5: 1-3; Psalm
122;
Colossians 1: 12-20; Luke 23: 35-43
By: Jude Siciliano, OP
Dear Preachers:
Today’s first reading recalls the moment when the twelve tribes of Israel gathered at Hebron to recognize David as their king and pledge allegiance to him. Centuries later, in Jesus’ time, the Jews lived under King Herod and the Roman Empire. They were in a miserable, seemingly hopeless state and longed for the past glory of their united kingdom under David – the “Shepherd King.” David had his faults, but the people were one with him. As the tribes said to him, “Here we are, your bone and your flesh.” Despite his all-too-human weaknesses, God used David to unite the twelve tribes into a single, powerful nation.
Under Herod and Roman occupation, the suffering people not only looked back to that golden age, but also forward to a messianic, David-like king who would deliver them. They believed God would again raise up a ruler to free them from oppression. But where was this long-awaited king? And how would they recognize him when he came? In the gospel, the answer is shocking he hangs on a cross. Pilate, in mockery, had placed above him the inscription, “This is the King of the Jews.” How did this king end up in such a crushing place of defeat?
Earlier in Luke, we read that Jesus “firmly resolved to proceed to Jerusalem” (9:51). From that moment, we have been traveling with him and his disciples toward the Holy City. Along the way – the “Journey Narrative” that runs from 9:51 to 19:28 – Luke reminds us again and again that Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem. During that journey, Jesus performs miracles, teaches about prayer and the cost of discipleship, sends his followers on mission, meets resistance from religious leaders, predicts his passion, warns of coming trials, and exhorts perseverance in faith until the Son of Man returns. Still, when they finally reach Jerusalem and everything he foretold comes true – his arrest and crucifixion – the disciples are devastated. Shocked and disillusioned, they scatter.
In Luke’s account of the crucifixion, those who remain are few: onlookers, mocking soldiers, sneering religious leaders, and, at a distance, “his friends and the women who had followed him from Galilee” (23:49). Beside him hang two condemned criminals. It is a lonely throne and a powerless crown for this so-called “King of the Jews.” Yet, ironically, it is one of those criminals who has the faith to ask, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Kings and queens – those with real authority – exercise “top-down” power over their subjects, much like the control we exert over things, animals, or subordinates. I once witnessed this kind of power at a Marine base in South Carolina: when a drill sergeant barked, “Attention!” his recruits instantly stiffened, eyes fixed straight ahead. Some imagine Jesus’ kingship in that way – as the ability to command instant obedience or crush opposition at will.
But on the cross, where is that power? Why doesn’t he use it to descend, destroy his enemies, and establish his reign? Instead, to see our King, we must look upon the terrible sight of the cross, where he is pinned and powerless. What kind of kingship is this?
From the cross, Jesus reveals a different kind of power. St. Paul tells us in Philippians that Jesus “emptied himself,” setting aside divine privilege and humbling himself, even to death on a cross. His power is not the power of force, but of self-giving love. He invites us into union with him – a relationship that appears weak yet is stronger than any earthly rule. In that union, we share in his power: the power to heal, to forgive, and to serve as agents of reconciliation. Through our relationship with Christ, we become strong – not by dominating others, but by sharing his life and love with them.
In accepting the cross, Jesus entered into solidarity with the lowest in society. Who could be lower than a condemned criminal? The crucified Christ shows that he gives himself to all, especially the least and the lost – not by imposing himself, but by offering himself in apparent defeat. Earthly rulers, and at times even religious authorities, assert power to achieve their own ends. Jesus, by contrast, exercises power through service – laying down his life for us.
We are free to accept or reject his rule. He will not compel us. He seeks not subservient subjects, but friends: “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends…” (John 15:15). Those who accept his reign live as brothers and sisters in his kingdom, already present among us.
Yet the world daily tempts us to follow other rulers – greed, violence, indifference, cruelty, aggression. Accepting Jesus’ kingship, then, is not a one-time act; it must be renewed each day through deliberate choices. Living under his reign can sometimes feel discouraging, since his kingdom often appears incomplete or fragile in our world. A glance at the day’s headlines confirms that! There is still much to do to make Jesus’ “peaceable kingdom” visible – not only in the world around us and within the Christian community, but within each of our hearts.
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings: