Once I was reading about the solemnity of Christ the King, and the author brought up the image of King Carnival. Not that the two kings have anything in common, but exactly because they are so different. And I asked myself, but why do many people choose to follow King Carnival?
He is usually depicted in a grotesque way. He is not attractive… he is not real… he is just a structure of papier mache… and yet many follow him. For a few days many bask in his folly. If things were to stop here, there would be nothing wrong in it. The problem is that many Christians are followers of King Carnival throughout their whole life.
Let me ask you and me a question: Who are you following in your life, King Carnival or Jesus the King? What a question is this? Very probably, no one would have thought that he or she might be following the craziest of the crazy.
Let us think about it.
Jesus offers you his peace and serenity in your heart as a result of the forgiveness that you offer to whoever hurt you. And you are throwing away this peace because there is still rebellion in your heart. You are harbouring many resentments. You are one of the crazy persons following King Carnival.
Jesus is asking you to wash the feet of others as he did with you. You prefer that others will wash your feet… you prefer to be the one issuing commands and others obey you… and yet… you feel full of tension and fear. Is it perhaps because you are not obeying Him? In that case, you are one of the crazy ones.
And list continues… every time that I will not obey Him… that I will not imitate Him… I will not be following him. I will be a crazy guy following the craziest of the crazy.
But, Jesus, are you really a King? He will answer us in the same way as He answered Pilate: “You say so.”
Jesus is truly a King, but a King with a difference.
A king is usually surrounded by courtiers, servants and soldiers who are ready to defend him and to lay down their life for him. Jesus came to serve and not to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.
A king is surrounded by lavishness and lives a sheltered life. The Kingship of Jesus is like a shepherd with his sheep. He tends to his sheep… He keeps them on the right path… He is always seeking the lost, binding the injured and healing the sick… He leads his sheep to safe pastures where they find rest.
A king enforces his will on his subjects and woe to them who disobey. Jesus rules on his subjects with love. His rule is servant leadership. He came to serve… to wash the feet of others.
A king makes sure that his kingdom remains intact… that it is not invaded by others… that only a few elite ones will be part of it. Jesus announces that His Kingdom is at hand… that it is very possible to enter into this Kingdom… that we are more than welcome to be part of this Kingdom. He offered himself on the cross for us, He died and rose again so that He will make the entrance to his Kingdom attainable to all who accept him.
This is our King! A King who does not rule from a throne, but lifted up on the cross to attract everyone to Him… He himself told us: “… when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all to myself.”
This is our King! A King who expects or rather demands that his subjects serve him in others in order to spread the reign of Christ the King.
He is usually depicted in a grotesque way. He is not attractive… he is not real… he is just a structure of papier mache… and yet many follow him. For a few days many bask in his folly. If things were to stop here, there would be nothing wrong in it. The problem is that many Christians are followers of King Carnival throughout their whole life.
Let me ask you and me a question: Who are you following in your life, King Carnival or Jesus the King? What a question is this? Very probably, no one would have thought that he or she might be following the craziest of the crazy.
Let us think about it.
Jesus offers you his peace and serenity in your heart as a result of the forgiveness that you offer to whoever hurt you. And you are throwing away this peace because there is still rebellion in your heart. You are harbouring many resentments. You are one of the crazy persons following King Carnival.
Jesus is asking you to wash the feet of others as he did with you. You prefer that others will wash your feet… you prefer to be the one issuing commands and others obey you… and yet… you feel full of tension and fear. Is it perhaps because you are not obeying Him? In that case, you are one of the crazy ones.
And list continues… every time that I will not obey Him… that I will not imitate Him… I will not be following him. I will be a crazy guy following the craziest of the crazy.
But, Jesus, are you really a King? He will answer us in the same way as He answered Pilate: “You say so.”
Jesus is truly a King, but a King with a difference.
A king is usually surrounded by courtiers, servants and soldiers who are ready to defend him and to lay down their life for him. Jesus came to serve and not to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.
A king is surrounded by lavishness and lives a sheltered life. The Kingship of Jesus is like a shepherd with his sheep. He tends to his sheep… He keeps them on the right path… He is always seeking the lost, binding the injured and healing the sick… He leads his sheep to safe pastures where they find rest.
A king enforces his will on his subjects and woe to them who disobey. Jesus rules on his subjects with love. His rule is servant leadership. He came to serve… to wash the feet of others.
A king makes sure that his kingdom remains intact… that it is not invaded by others… that only a few elite ones will be part of it. Jesus announces that His Kingdom is at hand… that it is very possible to enter into this Kingdom… that we are more than welcome to be part of this Kingdom. He offered himself on the cross for us, He died and rose again so that He will make the entrance to his Kingdom attainable to all who accept him.
This is our King! A King who does not rule from a throne, but lifted up on the cross to attract everyone to Him… He himself told us: “… when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all to myself.”
This is our King! A King who expects or rather demands that his subjects serve him in others in order to spread the reign of Christ the King.
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