Christ the King (2)

Fr. Leo Pabayo .

THE history of Israel was seen by the prophets as a preparation for the time when God would definitively established Israel as the greatest kingdom and nation on earth. Its ruler would be the greatest of all kings. He is the Messiah or the Christ that the prophets had prophesied.

The various images of this greatest of kings king as spoken of in the Psalms and other prophecies had confused many of the Jews.

Many of them thought that he would  be like the Roman Emperor who wielded power over all the known world at that time. Anyone who did not bow down to the emperor’s authority would suffer the dire consequences of their disobedience. The worst of which was the crucifixion.

When Christ came he surprised the Jews with his preaching on the meaning of this king and the kingdom of God. Only a few,namely, “the faithful remnant”, had some of the right understanding of the true meaning of the king and the kingdom of God. But even they were still short on their understanding on the true meaning of his kingship and the kingdom of God that the Messiah came to establish. . St. Peter himself whom Christ had  in mind to head the Church that he would establish fell short in his understanding. This was evident  when Christ spoke of the suffering he had to undergo in the hands of the Jewish leaders and the emperor’s man in Israel, namely, Pontius Pilate.

During the trial of Christ.the Jewish leaders were able to touch Pilate at his weakest point, namely, to be thought of as no friend of the Roman emperor who appointed him to his position as as governor of the Jewish nation. The shouting of the Jewish rabble saying “If you release him you are no friend of Caesar for everyone who sets himself as king sets himself against Caesar.” (John: 19, 12-13) sowed fear in Pontius Pilate

The Pontius Pilate of this world was Governor General in the time of Rizal. He had power over life and death of those who defiled the colonial government of Spain. In a sense he was a dictator like Marcos who had power over life and death over his political rivals who defied him.

The history of the world has shown countless leaders who had assumed power that they used to oppress those who opposed them. These kind of leaders were the offshoot of  the deception of “the father of lies” who deceived them into thinking  that they would be like God if they live by the tenet of his lies. He has been called, the Enemy of human nature, the devil, the evil spirit or Satan.

Since that fall of our first parents to the temptation of the father of lies, the kind of leaders that the people had been getting led by their this lie. They would rule without conscious that they have usurped the power of God to rule the people according to the truth. The result of their leadership would invariably be the destruction of the people and their nation. We hare familiar with these kind of leaders in history. The result of their leadership would be the destruction of the people and nation.

When Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you a king, then!”  Our Lord answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. It was for this reason I was born. It was for this that I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)

This true leadership has eluded many nations and peoples because of the worst kind of leaders that have ruled them from generation to generation.

Christ came to the true radical change on the meaning of leadership by his his example of true leadership. It was only then that true freedom that has eluded  many peoples and nations could be gained.

The father of lies have also sired many of the followers of these kinds of leaders. They have been among those who had been waiting for the day that they would be freed from the lies that characterized their lives.

Dr. Scott Peck a psychiatrist, has encountered many whom he refers in his book as “the people of the lie.” As a psychiatrist helped  many of them to regain their humanity by becoming people who live by the truth of what it means to be human.  But most of them have regained their humanity by their faith in God that their religion have helped them to gain or regain.

The epigram or motto of Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan is “Veritas Liberavit Vos” or the truth will set you free. The whole enterprise of this university has its main goal, the realization of this in its educational thrust. It hopes that the formation of its students in the various disciplines, will all ultimately gain for its students the liberation or freedom in their personal and spiritual life as well as in social, economic, political and cultural life based on the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ the King came to give witness to.