THE IRONY IN CHRIST’S KINGSHIP

 

                                                                                  

  Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

In Africa especially in Nigeria, kingship is a familiar and celebrated concept. As is the case elsewhere, in Nigeria too, kingship denotes royalty, fame, honour, power, authority, influence and affluence. To be a king is to occupy an exalted position. That is why in most places, the choice of a king is always a fierce battle, a deadly contest between the contesting parties. People kill and commit other sorts of atrocities in order to be crowned as kings. So, to an extent, our culture already equips us with a lot of notions about kingship.

On the last Sunday of every liturgical year, the Catholic Church celebrates Christ as the King of the universe. However, unlike the earthly kingship, Christ’s kingship is ironic and replete with contradictions. Christ never contested for any kingly position nor led a life like a king. Yet, He was and still is a King, and it was at the very point of His crucifixion that He was shown as king. That is the irony. We will unfold the irony of Christ’s kingship by taking a look at our own notion of kingship in this part of the world together with the processes involved in the choice and the life of a king.

Investiture: Before a king takes over his kingly office, the first ritual is usually the investiture with the kingly apparels. Kings are dressed in magnificent dresses befitting their kingly office. But in the case of Christ, He wore no special dresses. Bruises and gaping wounds sustained from the scourging by the Roman soldiers were the clothes that covered his body. Even when he was later vested with a purple cloak, it was only in an attempt to further make mockery of his royalty (Matt. 27:28, Luke 23:11-12). As if that was not enough, before His enthronement on the cross, the King Jesus was divested to almost a state of total nudity.

Enthronement: Following immediately after the investiture is the enthronement of the king. This is the same as the taking of possession of the cathedra by the newly ordained/consecrated Catholic Bishops or the swearing in ceremony for our modern-day politicians. At the moment of the enthronement, there are decorated thrones/seats usually in an elevated place which the king/leader occupies from where he could be seen by all present. However, at the moment of his enthronement, Christ was not enthroned in any kingly seat but in a cross, a wooden device of torture for hardened criminals. The cross is Christ’s kingly throne (Matt. 27:35-36).

Coronation: Coronation is another ceremony that is done. Generally, the crown is an insignia of royalty. It is always beautifully ornamented with mostly feathers and other symbolic items. Coronation is done in a solemn way. As a king, Jesus also had his own coronation ceremony. However, he was crowned in a different way. There was no solemnity involved in his coronation. He was first of all beaten, scourged before being given a crown of thorns (Matt. 27:26-29). Piercing thorns were the ornaments that his crown bore.

Litter: In early times, during processions and parades, kings were usually carried in an elevated armchair known as the Sedan Chair so as to be visible to the cheering crowds. The Popes also enjoyed being carried on the gestatorial chair (sedia gestatoria) up until 1978 when (saint) Pope John Paul II stopped the practice. Today, the pope-mobile is used. In the case of Christ, as He processed to His place of enthronement, He was not carried. Rather, He Himself carried His own seat of enthronement, the cross, up the stony hill of Golgotha. The crowds never cheered him. Outside the women of Jerusalem who showed some concerns, the rest jeered and scoffed at Jesus (Luke 23:27).

Staff of Office:  The staff of office is the king’s symbol of power and authority. It is given to the king after his enthronement. As a king, Christ also received a staff of office. However, unlike those of other kings, Christ was given a reed as a staff of office (Matt. 27:29-30).

Awe and Profound Reverence: Owing to the exalted office which kings occupy, they receive so much veneration and reverence from their subjects and others. In many parts of Nigeria, we have the tradition of bowing, kneeling or even prostrating before a king as a sign of reverence. It is also a common practice of respect amongst some tribes in Nigeria that in the presence of the king, no one stands up. As a king, Christ was also hailed and knelt down to but not out of reverence but in mockery. He was insulted, spat on, sneered at, jeered and made fun of even by a condemned robber (you saved others, now, save yourself Matt. 26:67; 27:28-31, Luke 23:35).

The above is the irony of the kingship of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. If our notion of kingship as pointed out is right, then, it will imply that Christ was never a king because he was never treated as one. Nevertheless, what Christ’s kingship does is that it offers us a new dimension of kingship that is radically different from what we are familiar with. Through Christ, we learn that to be a king/ a leader is first of all to be a servant; to risk our lives to protect our subjects; to share the pains of those under us. To be a king is not to inflate one’s ego and sense of self-importance, rather, to consider other people’s lives as more important than ours. Lastly, in Christ, we learn that the true king/leader is not the one who fills himself up with the praises of others, but the one who empties himself out in love of/for his people. Thus, in the different capacities that we measure as kings/leaders/heads, Christ’s dimension of kingship is always a pattern of conduct to be imitated.