THE CROSS OF CHRIST THE KING WHO BEARS THE SIGN OF TRIUMPH ON HIS SHOULDERS

Christ carried the cross for himself, and for the wicked it was a great ridicule but for the faithful a great mystery. Christ carries the cross as a king carries his scepter, as a sign of his glory, of his universal sovereignty over all. He carries it as a victorious warrior carries the trophy of his victory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

PDF print format article

 

 

If last Sunday the announcement of the second coming of Christ "in the clouds with great power and glory" was proclaimed (MC 13, 26), today, on the last Sunday of this Liturgical Year, we reopen the Gospel according to John at the point where a peculiar quality of the coming Lord is revealed, his royalty. The singular context, the passion of the Lord, and the interlocutor, an imperial official, make the understanding of the kingship that Jesus embodies particularly intriguing.

What the world represented by Pilate he cannot understand, However, those who open themselves with faith to an unusual and surprising revelation understand it. Let's read the passage.

"During that time, Pilate said to Jesus: “You are the king of the Jews?”. Jesus replied: “You say this for yourself, or have others told you about me?”. Pilate said: “Maybe I am a Jew? Your people and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?”. Jesus answered: “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews; but my kingdom is not from here ". Then Pilate said to him: “So you are king?”. Jesus answered: “You say it: I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Whoever it belongs to the truth, listen to my voice" (GV 18,33-37).

It is described here is the first of the two confrontations that Pilate had with Jesus inside the Praetorium. They will culminate in that central scene of the entire narrative of the passion according to St. John, occurred on Litòstroto, where Pilate spoke the words: «Behold your King» (GV 19,14). To highlight the importance of the scene and the depth of meaning of the words spoken, John will note that at that same time the Passover lambs were being prepared, on the day of Preparation.

In this Sunday's evangelical passage Pilate, without wasting time, he immediately gets to the point and the crucial question that interests him most: «You are the king of the Jews?». For the Roman Prefect, representative of imperial power, this question highlights a concern about the governance of its territories. On the occasion of Jewish Passover, indeed, the Prefect moved, troops following, from Caesarea to Jerusalem, precisely to prevent a riot from destabilizing order and security pax romana. Ma, as several commentators point out, the expression "King of the Jews" that Pilate uses can be understood, in our song, in at least two other ways, different from what he probably means. The Jews, with that expression, they meant the messiah king awaited since the time of David for the time of salvation, invested with both a religious and political-national mission. The term Re has here, therefore, in this context, an earthly and historical meaning, with also an allusion to a theological content. In biblical history, both are closely linked and employed for each other; so much so that the two meanings will play a decisive role in the accusation made against Jesus.

But we must take into account of the meaning that the words must have had for Jesus, particularly indicative for understanding today's celebration. In the mouth of Jesus this title reveals a new meaning, which only Saint John highlights and makes stand out. Jesus accepting the title and responding: "You say: I am king", at the same time it denies the meaning that Pilate wants to attribute to it, to insist instead on his special kingship. Jesus refuses to embody an earthly messianism, like the one already evoked in the temptations in the desert, in particular in the Lucanian version of the test: «The devil led him up and, showing him in an instant all the kingdoms of the earth, he told him: «I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, because it has been placed in my hands and I give it to whoever I want. If you bow down before me everything will be yours" (LC 4,5-7). «The whole world belongs to Satan, who is willing to give Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the earth. But Jesus, from the beginning of his public life, radically refuses to found an earthly kingdom" (cf.. Ignace de La Potterie, The passion of Jesus according to the Gospel of John, 1993). If the kingship of Christ is to be understood in another way, this should not lead us to the opposite idea, that is, to imagine a Messiah estranged from the world. The text of this Sunday's gospel must be read carefully. In greco, the words of Jesus to v. 36 I'm, verbatim: «My kingdom is not «from» this world». What a difference compared to the apocrypha. «In certain Gnostic writings inspired by the fourth gospel, for example the Acts of Pilate, the following small change is introduced in this text: «My kingdom is not «in» this world"; which evidently has a completely different meaning and leads to a separation between the world and the kingdom of God". The words of Jesus instead mean that «the kingship of Christ is not based on the powers of this world and is not in the least inspired by these. It is a sovereignty in the World, but which is realized in a different way from earthly power and draws its inspiration from another source" (cf.. Ignace de La Potterie).

Pilate was an experienced official, concrete and, as needed, violent and ruthless. According to Saint John to the words of Jesus, almost surprised, he could only ask: "So you are a king?». Jesus answered:

"You say: I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Whoever it belongs to the truth, hears my voice ".

It is here that the Lord specifies the profound meaning of his kingship and where it comes from. Its source is in the Father who sent it, to become the way of truth and life. John states in the Prologue:

«And the Word became flesh and came to live among us; and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten Son who comes from the Father, full of the grace of truth" (GV 1, 14).

San Giovanni then continues urgently:

"From his fullness we have all received: grace upon grace. Because the Law was given through Moses, the grace of truth came through Jesus Christ. It gave, no one has seen him: the only Son, who is God and is at the Father, it is he who has made him known " (GV 1, 16-18).

The truth therefore that Jesus brings to humanity as a grace, a gift and a mission from the Father, it is his revelation. Not a simple abstract and aseptic truth, but life, the word, the entire existence of the Lord Jesus, in the inexhaustible fullness of its meaning of love, of salvation and life in the Father, for every person who opens up to it and adheres to it with faith. In every man or woman who welcomes the truth of Christ He reigns in peace. And this despite the fact that the kingship of the Lord had to pass through the crucible of passion, of which this Sunday's evangelical scene is the precursor. But for San Giovanni, and only for him, precisely the passion will be the manifestation of the kingship of Jesus: Christ reigns from the Cross.

Giovanni, as he recounts the passion of Christ, it does not deny the reality or materiality of the events that were painful. However, it highlights, unlike the Synoptics, the appearance of royalty and triumph, of victory over evil and the salvific value, which is inherent in the passion and death suffered by Jesus Christ: while the narration also gives us the meaning of the events. These aspects emerge already during the trial and then at the crucifixion of Jesus. At the end of the Roman trial Pilate brings Jesus in front of the crowd and says: «Here is a man, Here's the man." (GV 19,5). At that moment Jesus is wearing the symbols of royalty and in addition to the crown of thorns he still has his cloak. While the Synoptic Gospels say that the purple was taken from him causing him pain, in the Fourth Gospel we even have the impression that Jesus goes towards the cross still wearing both the purple and the crown. And there is a striking parallel, also literary, between the scene that took place in the praetorium, in the place called Gabbatà (GV 19, 13-16), and what happens at the foot of the cross, on Golgotha (GV 19, 17-22). In both cases John places the emphasis on the theme of kingship and in both cases it is Pilate, that is, the holder of the highest civil power, who honors Jesus. «Here is your king» he says to the crowd gathered in front of the praetorium (GV 19,14); then over the cross he has it written: «The king of the Jews» (GV 19,19). This is it, in front of the world, a proclamation of the kingship of Christ made in three languages: in Hebrew, the language of Israel, in Greek, the language of culture; and in Latin, the language of civil power. The episode, Once again, it is told only by Saint John. And it is no coincidence that in the Christian tradition the Way of the cross, mainly inspired by Giovani's story, it will become a triumphal path. Likewise quite a few painted crosses, like the famous Crucifix of San Damiano in Assisi which spoke to Saint Francis, they depict Jesus according to the typology of Christ triumphant. John writes that Jesus leaves the city: «And bearing the cross to himself». It is usually translated: «Carrying the cross himself». Actually the correct translation is: «Carrying the cross for himself», that is, bringing it as an instrument of his victory. Saint Thomas Aquinas confirms this translation and says: «Christ carried the cross for himself, and for the wicked it was a great ridicule but for the faithful a great mystery. Christ carries the cross as a king carries his scepter, as a sign of his glory, of his universal sovereignty over all. He carries it as a victorious warrior carries the trophy of his victory.". And in the first centuries Saint John Chrysostom had already used a similar expression: «He carried the sign of triumph on his shoulders».

From the Hermitage, 24 November 2024

.

.

 

.

Visit the pages of our book shop WHO and support our editions by purchasing and distributing our books.

.

______________________

Dear Readers,
this magazine requires management costs that we have always faced only with your free offers. Those who wish to support our apostolic work can send us their contribution through the convenient and safe way PayPal by clicking below:

Or if you prefer you can use our
Bank account in the name of:
Editions The island of Patmos

n Agency. 59 From Rome
Iban code:
IT74R0503403259000000301118
For international bank transfers:
Codice SWIFT:
BAPPIT21D21

If you make a bank transfer, send an email to the editorial staff, the bank does not provide your email and we will not be able to send you a thank you message:
isoladipatmos@gmail.com

We thank you for the support you wish to offer to our apostolic service.

The Fathers of the Island of Patmos

.

.

.

.

.