Christ, the Prince of Peace

Jesus comes with many titles, such as: Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6).

On Sunday November 21st the Church will be celebrating the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Universal King. This Solemnity marks the end of the liturgical year and is the culmination of all the events of a year which begins with Advent (when we prepare for the coming of the Saviour), moves through Christmas (when we celebrate the arrival of Jesus), then into Lent (the lead up to the death of Jesus) which we remember at Easter. The rest of the year is ‘Ordinary Time’, when we have the opportunity to look at the person of Jesus outside these very specific seasons.

When a child thinks of royalty he thinks of kings, queens, princes and princesses dripping with gold, a crown on their heads, with great authority and power over their people. Royal leaders haven't always been popular, in fact, many have exacted not only awe but also fear from their people and their kingdoms have been full of strife, their people divided and at war.

Jesus' Kingship goes against everything that this world thinks of as being worthy of the term 'king'. He came unannounced except to a few poor uneducated shepherds; he was born into very meagre circumstances; he became a refugee; he grew up in anonymity; he never had any money and finally died a humiliating death on a cross, accompanied by criminals. Jesus' kingship is so radical it could be hard to see him as a king. But a King he is.

Jesus of Nazareth is a King because in his love for his people, a love transcending any love this world has ever seen or will ever see again, he gave his life for his people. Indeed, not just for his people – the Jewish community – but for the whole of humanity. His resurrection and therefore authority of Life over death is ample demonstration that there is no higher authority. Jesus' kingdom transcends race, culture, border and status. It is a kingdom united, a kingdom of selfless love. It is a kingdom of mercy, peace and reconciliation, of healing and fulfilment. It is a kingdom where all are equal and equally loved. It is a kingdom where the only currency is love. It is a kingdom where everyone will find a home that acknowledges that the little boy born to a young virgin girl in a smelly, dirty, cold stable in Bethlehem is truly the Son of God and the long awaited Saviour of the entire human race.

One could be tempted to ask: if Jesus is such a great King, why is there still so much strife, terrorism and cruelty between people in the world? Has he no control over us?

Well, who are his people? His subjects are all the baptised. But the true knights of his Kingdom are those who know him as their King and who co-operate with him. Whilst his authority has been established in heaven and the power of Life has for ever overcome the power of death, his kingdom has yet to be established here, on earth, and he is looking for us to help him to achieve this. One of his gifts to mankind was that of freedom of choice. I have the choice, today, to accept Jesus as my King and to be his true and loyal subject by treating all people as my beloved brothers and sisters and worthy of the loving kindness which Jesus demands of me. These lines from the Our Father remind us of our own role in helping Jesus to create his Kingdom here on earth:

Thy Kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In other words, “May your Kingdom come to us, here on earth, soon; help me to carry out your will just as your will is carried out in heaven … then shall your kingdom be established upon our earth”.

We all know Holman Hunt’s picture of Jesus, standing and knocking at the door. This is a beautiful illustration of the nature of his kingship. He is not powering his way in and bludgeoning the inhabitants into accepting him. He is gently knocking at the door, asking permission to be given entry. His kingship therefore is as his birth: humble and gentle, and it is as he comes to us still: quietly and humbly in the form of bread and wine every time we celebrate the Eucharist. His kingship remains radical but compelling.

Whilst Jesus’ kingdom – heaven – is one of unadulterated peace and joy, earth is still a planet of unbridled division. “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:52) is the surprising and confusing assertion given by the Prince of Peace!

It is precisely because Jesus is the ‘Prince of Peace’ that there is such division in the world, because Jesus’ way of dealing with a quarrel or squabble was to offer the other cheek and this is something which, in our flawed humanity, we find so difficult. His way of establishing and bringing about peace is not our human way. We look to settle the score, to get our pound of flesh, to be ‘quits’ with our enemy.

So, is Christ such a great king? Yes he is, because he is the King over that which has no end and which, in the end, will prevail: Truth, Justice, Peace, Love, Joy, Patience, Wisdom and Goodness. He is the One to whom we can turn and rely upon in our every difficulty. His strength upholds us and his wisdom guides us. Despite being great and high above all things, he makes himself our best and most intimate of friends. As a people, though, we are still at odds with our King’s way of doing things, especially his way of bringing peace, and until all of humanity can look to Jesus as their King and to follow his lead, we shall remain a people divided and at war.