When I was a child, I attended a school called Christ the King. Despite my grade school's name, however, I can't remember spending much time in religion class talking about Christ's royal attributes; much more emphasis was placed on the idea that Jesus was our friend, or our brother, or our shepherd.
But this week's lectionary passages draw our attention to the numerous places in the scriptures where Christ or God are described in regal, noble, majestic language.
Psalm 93 emphasizes God's ancient and unsurpassable power:
"The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting." (Psalm 93:1-2)
The prophetic book of Daniel offers a startling vision of a new ruler:
"As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne, his clothing was white as snow, and the ahir of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire." (Daniel 7:9)
The vision continues, with Daniel reporting the resplendent arrival of an ostensibly human figure:
"I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
The author of Revelation, writing at least 250 years after the composition of the book of Daniel, makes reference to the prophet's words when expounding upon the glory of Jesus Christ, who he calls "the ruler of the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:5):
"To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail." (Revelation 1:5-7)
And 2 Samuel, purporting to relate the final words of King David, offers a brief reflection on the ways in which rulers can learn from God, the ruler of all:
"The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land." (2 Samuel 23:3-4)
There is clearly something to be said for describing God and Christ as kings or rulers. Such images convey the enormity of the power of the divine; they also emphasize God's ability to protect God's people, or to bring about justice and righteousness. When we see God or Jesus portrayed as a king, we are reminded of the fact that we do not rule the world, and we cannot always get our own way.
At the same time, descriptors like "king" can be problematic. We risk transforming God into a distant ruler, mighty but detached, unconcerned with human affairs. Or we may come to associate God with the world's fallible human leaders, which can be particularly destructive for those men and women who have lived under oppressive regimes. Moreover, calling God a king can serve to reify the traditional view of the divine as exclusively male.
So it's interesting to read in this week's passage from John the unique response given by Jesus to the accusation that he considers himself the King of the Jews:
"My kingdom is not from this world," he tells Pilate. "So you are a king?" Pilate presses. But Jesus only replies, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:36-37)
It almost seems as though Jesus himself is a bit uncomfortable with the notion that he is a king -- and he certainly does not consider himself a king in the same way as earthly kings. For Jesus, relationships and restoration were more important than titles and honors.
Ultimately, then, images of God and Christ as king can draw our attention to the majesty and glory of the divine, but we must take care to balance them with the other powerful images we draw from scripture: companion, redeemer, brother, and friend.
Picture credit here.
No comments:
Post a Comment