Jesus Christ, Messiah "King"

The attribution of the name "Christ" to Jesus the testimony that the primitive Church recognized that in him were realized the plans of the God of the Covenant and the expectations of Israel.

That was proclaimed by Peter on the day of Pentecost "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified " (Acts 2,36).

The word "Messiah" can be understood only in connection with the anointing. In Old Covenant this anointing was received by those called by God to the office and dignity of king, priest or prophet.

The truth about the Christ-Messiah must therefore be understood in the biblical context of this threefold "office". We intend to dwell on the office and dignity of Christ as King.

The angel Gabriel announces" . . . the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end"

In the annunciation, Jesus is presented as he in whom the ancient promise is fulfilled. In this way the truth about Christ the King is situated in the biblical tradition of the "Messianic King" (of the Messiah-King).

In this form it is frequently found in the Gospels which speak to us of the mission of Jesus of Nazareth and transmit to us his teaching, for example, when Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, cries out to him for help, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mk 10,47). Jesus, to whom this title had never been attributed, accepts as addressed to himself the words spoken by Bartimaeus.

As can be seen, Jesus calls attention to the "limited" and insufficient manner of understanding the Messiah solely on the basis of the tradition of Israel, linked to the royal inheritance of David.

However, he does not reject this tradition, but he fulfills it in its full meaning, which appears already in the words spoken during the annunciation and will he manifested in his Pasch.

The decisive moment of this clarification is in Jesus' conversation with Pilate 'You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice (cf. Jn 18,33-37).

These unambiguous words of Jesus contain the clear statement that the kingly character or office, linked with the mission of the Christ-Messiah sent by God, cannot be understood in a political sense as though it were treating of an earthly power, not even in relation to the "Chosen People," Israel.

The sequel of Jesus' trial confirms the existence of the conflict between Christ's conception of himself as "Messiah-King" and the earthly and political one that was common among the people.

Jesus is condemned to death on the charge that "he claimed to be king." The inscription placed on the cross, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Jews," is a proof that for the authority this was his crime.

The very Jews who, paradoxically, aspired to the reestablishment of the "kingdom of David" in the earthly sense, at the sight of Jesus scourged and crowned with presented to them by Pilate with the words, "Behold your King!" cried out, "Crucify him . . . we have no king but Caesar" (Jn 19,15).

Against this background, we can understand better the meaning the inscription placed on Christ's cross, not without reference to definition which Jesus gave of himself during the interrogation before the Roman procurator. Only in that sense is the Christ-Messiah "the King"; only in that sense does he fulfill the tradition of the "Messianic King," present in the Old Testament and inscribed in the history of the people of the Old Covenant.

One last episode illumines the kingly messiahship of Jesus. One of the criminals crucified with Jesus manifests this truth in a penetrating way when he says, "Jesus remember me when you come in your kingly power" (Lk 23,42). Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Lk 23,43).