Christ the King

What do we mean when we say that Jesus Christ is our King?

The true concept of a “King” is more difficult for us to understand because we live at a time when kings are mostly figureheads with little or no power. In our modern democracies and republics, the power to rule has been given to the majority or to representative governments. So if we want to get the accurate meaning of what it means to call Christ our King we have to look at what being a “king” actually means.

  The dictionary defines “King” as: The male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth. Some synonyms are: ruler, sovereign, crowned head, royal personage, emperor, prince, lord, leader, chief.

  “Christ the King” refers to the Kingdom of God where Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God the Father. The titles of “Christ” and “king” are not used together in the gospels, but “Christ” is in itself a royal title “the anointed” (king). In the Greek text, Christ is explicitly identified as king several times. Where is the newborn king of the Jews? Matthew 2:2. In John 18, Pilate asks Jesus if he claims to be the “King of the Jews” to which Jesus replies that He is indeed a King, but not of this world. In John 1:49, a follower addresses Jesus as “the King of Israel”. Outside of the gospels, the First Epistle to Timothy (6:15) states that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords….

   The concept of Christ as King is not a new idea. Around 314 it was the subject of an address given by Eusebius, Bishop and historian. Depictions of the imperial Christ arise in the later part of the fourth century. Pope Pius XI said in 1922 that true peace in the world can only be found under the Kingship of Christ as “Prince of Peace”, “For Jesus Christ reigns over the minds of individuals by His teachings, in their hearts by His love, in each one’s life by living according to His law and imitating His example.”  Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly rulers.

  So what does it mean to call Jesus Christ our King? It means He is our ruler, our boss, the one who guides our lives. We are His servants; He is our Master. We live our lives according to His teachings, according to His law and imitating His example. We are not slaves because we freely and willingly submit ourselves to His authority. And in return we have His undying love and eternal life in the world to come.