Chúa Nhật 34 - LỄ CHÚA KITÔ VUA

[hoangvu]

CÁC BÀI ĐỌC BẰNG TIẾNG ANH

BÀI ĐỌC I: First Reading: Book of Daniel 7:13-14

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.

ĐÁP CA: Resp. Psalm: Ps 93:1-2, 5

The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world;
it shall never be moved;
your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.

BÀI ĐỌC II: Second Reading: Book of Revelation 1:5-8

Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, is the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

PHÚC ÂM: Gospel: John 18:33-37

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."


BÀI ĐỌC I: Đn 7, 13-14
"Quyền năng của Ngài là quyền năng vĩnh cửu".

Trích sách Tiên tri Đaniel.
Trong một thị kiến ban đêm, tôi đã ngắm nhìn, và đây tôi thấy như Con Người đến trong đám mây trên trời, Ngài tiến đến vị Bô Lão, và người ta dẫn Ngài đến trước mặt vị Bô Lão. Vị nầy ban cho Ngài quyền năng, vinh dự và vương quốc: tất cả các dân tộc, chi họ, và tiếng nói đều phụng sự Ngài; quyền năng của Ngài là quyền năng vĩnh cửu, không khi nào bị cất mất; vương quốc của Ngài không khi nào bị phá huỷ. Đó là lời Chúa.

ĐÁP CA: Tv 92, 1ab. 1c-2. 5
Đáp: Chúa làm vua, Ngài đã mặc thiên oai (c. 1a).

Xướng: 1) Chúa làm vua, Ngài đã mặc thiên oai; Chúa đã vận uy quyền, Ngài đã thắt long đai.
2) Và Ngài giữ vững địa cầu, nó sẽ không còn lung lay. Ngai báu của Ngài thiết lập từ muôn thuở, tự đời đời vẫn có Chúa.
3) Lời chứng bảo của Ngài rất đáng tin, lạy Chúa, sự thánh thiện là của riêng nhà Ngài, cho tới muôn muôn ngàn thuở.

BÀI ĐỌC II: Kh 1, 5-8
"Người là thủ lãnh các vua trần thế: Người đã làm cho chúng ta nên vương quốc".

Trích sách Khải Huyền của Thánh Gioan Tông đồ.
Nguyện chúc cho anh em được ân sủng và bình an của Chúa Giêsu Kitô, là chứng tá trung thành, là trưởng tử kẻ chết, là thủ lãnh các vua trần thế, là Đấng đã yêu thương chúng ta, Người đã dùng máu Người mà rửa chúng ta sạch mọi tội lỗi, và đã làm cho chúng ta trở nên vương quốc và tư tế của Thiên Chúa, Cha của Người. Nguyện chúc Người được vinh quang và quyền lực muôn đời. Amen. Kìa, Người đến trong đám mây, mọi con mắt đã nhìn thấy Người, và cả những kẻ đã đâm Người cũng nhìn thấy Người, các chủng tộc trên địa cầu sẽ than khóc Người. Thật như vậy. Amen. Chúa là Thiên Chúa, Đấng đang có, đã có, và sẽ đến, là Đấng Toàn Năng phán: "Ta là Alpha và Ômêga, là nguyên thuỷ và là cứu cánh". Đó là lời Chúa.

ALLELUIA: Mt 11, 10
Alleluia, alleluia! - Chúc tụng Đấng nhân danh Chúa mà đến: chúc tụng nước Đavít tổ phụ chúng ta đã đến! - Alleluia.

PHÚC ÂM: Ga 18, 33b-37
"Quan nói đúng: Tôi là Vua".

Tin Mừng Chúa Giêsu Kitô theo Thánh Gioan.
Khi ấy, Philatô hỏi Chúa Giêsu rằng: "Ông có phải là Vua dân Do-thái không?" Chúa Giêsu đáp: "Quan tự ý nói thế, hay là có người khác nói với quan về tôi?" Philatô đáp: "Ta đâu phải là người Do-thái. Nhân dân ông cùng các thượng tế đã trao nộp ông cho ta. Ông đã làm gì?" Chúa Giêsu đáp: "Nước tôi không thuộc về thế gian này. Nếu nước tôi thuộc về thế gian này, thì những người của tôi đã chiến đấu để tôi không bị nộp cho người Do-thái, nhưng mà nước tôi không thuộc chốn này". Philatô hỏi lại: "Vậy ông là Vua ư?" Chúa Giêsu đáp: "Quan nói đúng. Tôi là Vua. Tôi sinh ra và đến trong thế gian này là chỉ để làm chứng về Chân lý. Ai thuộc về Chân lý thì nghe tiếng Tôi". Đó là lời Chúa.

SUY NIỆM PHÚC ÂM
CHÂN LÝ LÀ CÁI GÌ?

CN34TNB: Lễ Chúa Kitô Vua. (Jn 18:33b-37)

Ngày xưa một người muốn được làm vua, theo thông lệ thường phải thuộc về hoàng tộc. Kẻ được làm vua được gọi là thiên tử, tức con của Trời. Tư cách của vị vua cao sang quyền uy trên cả dân tộc mà ngài thống trị. Ông cầm quyền sinh tử con dân trong tay. Có lẽ sống với quan niệm đó, nên quan Philatô đã ngạc nhiên thắc mắc và hỏi Chúa Giêsu: Ông có phải là vua dân Do Thái không? Câu trả lời của Chúa Giêsu càng làm cho Philatô ngạc nhiên khó hiểu đến thất vọng: Đúng tôi là vua. Nhưng tôi sinh ra là để làm chứng về Chân Lý. Ai thuộc về chân lý thì nghe tiếng tôi... Với trọng trách làm chứng về chân lý, nên Nước của Chúa Giêsu không thuộc về thế gian này, bởi thế gian không có chân lý, còn quyền của vua thế gian thì đồng nghĩa với bạo lực, nhờ đó ông có thể xây dựng tư cách vua của mình.

Chúa Giêsu đã tuyên bố Ngài đích thực là Vua. Tư cách của Ngài là sinh ra để rao giảng và làm chứng sự thật về Nước Trời. Chân lý của Nước Trời là tình thương và hòa bình vĩnh cửu. Những người thuộc về Nước Trời là đoàn chiên đông vô số kể thuộc mọi quốc gia và mọi dân tộc qua muôn thế hệ. Luật của Vua Giêsu là luật yêu thương: Các con hãy yêu thương nhau như Thầy đã yêu các con. Tư cách và bổn phận của những người thuộc về Chân Lý là rao giảng Tin Mừng Cứu Độ cùng với sự phục sinh và lên trời của Đức Vua Giêsu. Xem ra cuộc sống và sinh hoạt của người dân Nước Vua Giêsu khác xa với đời sống trần gian của những vị vua trần thế. Đối với Philatô, tất cả những điều đó đều là bí mật, nên ông đã thốt lên: Chân lý là cái gì!

Mừng Lễ Chúa Giêsu Vua, chúng ta học được nhiều điều quan trọng trong khung cảnh cuộc đối thoại giữa Ngài với Philatô: Chỉ làm chứng về tư cách của mình khi nào cần tuyệt đối mà thôi, giống như Vua Giêsu không khoe khoang, hoặc bày tỏ quyền uy khi không cần thiết. Cùng với Vua Giêsu, những ai theo Ngài cũng phải sinh ra để làm chứng cho chân lý tình thương như trái tim nhân ái bao la của Ngài luôn rộng mở. Chứng nhân này đòi hỏi sự kiên nhẫn, can đảm, đầy nghị lực và hy sinh đến quên cả mạng sống mình. Và nếu ai tự coi mình thuộc về Nước của Vua Giêsu, người đó tuyệt đối phải chấp nhận vác thập giá và sẵn sàng chịu đóng đinh vào đó, mới có thể giơ cao cờ chiến thắng vinh quang phục sinh mà Vua Giêsu đã dẫn đầu. Có thể nói thập giá là sự khai mở cho những cuộc đời mới trong Nước Trời; và vinh dự của thập giá chính là chân lý sau cùng của tình thương mà Vua Giêsu đã làm chứng. Hiểu được điều đó sẽ giúp chúng ta vừa thuộc về, và vừa bước đi trong chân lý sự sống vĩnh cửu.

Lm. Raphael Xuân Nguyên

34th Sunday
[Christ the King]
Dan 7:13-14; Apoc 1:5-8; Jn 18:33-37
See also Years A, C
As though God had spoken (John Walsh)
Witness To Truth (Eltin Griffin )
Subject to Christ the King (Brian Magee)
In Heaven and on Earth (James Kelly)
Not Of This World (Jack McArdle)

As though God had spoken
(John Walsh)

Before becoming a Catholic, Cardinal Newman spent 15 years as Vicar to St Mary's, the Oxford University Anglican Church. Here he preached his famous sermons, and although, nowadays, we find them rather dry they kept his congregation of mainly young dons and undergraduates spellbound. One student wrote of those sermons: “They spoke of God, as no man, I think, could speak, unless God were with him. It was to many of us as if God had spoken to us for the first time.” Newman's appeal to them was that of a prophet, a kind of John the Baptist. But this enthusiasm aroused jealousy and hostility among other staff members at Oriel College to which Newman was attached. They tried every means to reduce his influence; they jockeyed him out of university posts, even changed mealtimes on Sundays, so as to keep undergraduates in residence away from attending his sermons, but all in vain. The young men were drawn by his deep faith, his commitment to his pastoral duties, his disregard for advancement in this world, his life of prayer and fasting. The example of Newman, in some small way, mirrors the extraordinary fascination that Jesus held for those who witnessed him in person.
We can plainly see from today's gospel how even Pilate was deeply impressed by Jesus. It is obvious that he did not believe in the accusation that Jesus claimed to be king of the Jews. He knew a political revolutionary when he saw one, and in no way was Jesus such an individual. In any case his own secret intelligence agents would have kept him informed of any plotting in the country. But Jesus he could not fit into any other category either. There was an air of mystery about him. Pilate, in some way, sensed the power of Jesus, but was afraid to allow it to influence him, afraid to submit to it.
Throughout his public life, and during the events leading up to Calvary, whether he was speaking to those assembled or remaining silent in the face of accusation, Jesus was in command at all times. To all those who try and follow what the Holy Spirit is telling them, Christ is truly the visible presence of the hidden God. “May your spiritual growth become richer,” the New Testament says, “as you see more fully God's great secret, Christ himself. For it is in him, and in him alone, that people will find all the treasures of wisdom and understanding” (Col 2:2). Although Pilate acknowledged the innocence of Jesus, when he told the Jews, “I find no crime in him,” he did not set Jesus free; and this because he had turned his back on the truth. He was blind to the mysterious presence of God in Christ.
To those, however, who see God at work in the person, words, and actions of Jesus, and who seriously endeavour to respond to what God, through Jesus, is asking of them, to such committed souls Jesus becomes Lord of their lives. He becomes truly their king. The title “king” presents us with some difficulties, because in the past earthly kings as a rule were prone to lord it over their subjects. But the kingship of Christ is far removed from any kind of earthly domineering. “My kingdom is not of this world,” he told Pilate. Christ is chiefly concerned, not about domination, but rather the spiritual liberation of the weak and the oppressed. It was this objective he was surely pursuing wherever the gospel describes him as having pity on the multitudes.
In his own town synagogue of Nazareth, he likened his mission to that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah: “He has sent me to proclaim the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of favour” (Lk 4:18f). Here we have the blueprint set out by Christ for his kingly role. All those things which Jesus once did throughout Judaea and Galilee he continues to do in the world today. In him those who were blind to the truth about themselves and about God have new sight given them; in him those who were deaf to the voice of conscience and of the Holy Spirit have begun to listen; in him those who were dead and powerless in sin are restored to vitality and a new happiness in life; in him the poorest and the despised of this world inherit the immeasurable riches of the love of God. In all this Christ shows that he truly watches over us, that for us today, this is how he is still king. It is only by faith that we can come to reognise him as the chosen One of God, and the true and universal King.






Witness To Truth
(Eltin Griffin )

Kings are almost out nowadays except to describe cigarettes. The word king smacks of authority and of an authoritarian demand for respect and obedience. It evokes all the trappings of authority. It savours of triumphalism. Kingship and all that it implies is regarded as an unsuitable image today. We may reject the image but we cannot afford to neglect the substance of the image, the reality behind it. The truth of the matter is that Christ is king.
Christ is our king. And this means that he rules over us with authority. He demands as king our royal service and submission. But what kind of a king is Christ that he can make such demands? Today's Gospel reading indicates what kind of king he is. As he explained to Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” The very circumstances of this statement should be enough to convince us that his kingship is far removed from our usual notion of what a king is. Standing before Pilate, dressed in the garment of and bearing the crown of a mock king before a political ruler, the overlord of a subject nation, he declares that his authority is not that of external trappings or of earthly power. His authority is the authority of truth. He is king by the fact that he is the truth.
"I was born for this and I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice” (John 18:37.)
Christ not only bears witness to the truth. He is the truth. He claims that he is more. He is the way, the truth and the life. Very few would ever dare to make such a claim or if they did, the claim would soon be found wanting. For the Christian it should be a source of endless joy that he is the follower of one who makes such a claim. It was because he preached and lived the truth that those whose lives were staked on lesser things, on priestly and political privilege, on status and manoeuvring for positions of power, couldn't stand him and eventually encompassed his Passion and death. Even with certain death staring him in the face he continues to make his claim to the truth.
He lived the truth and he died for it. Through the centuries his followers have continued to do the same, have risked all for the sake of all. In him the Word Incarnate, the one who reveals the Father of all truth, men have found the source and the inspiration for the truth, the truth which makes them free. His word, contained in the Scriptures, has been looked upon as containing the summary of truth. People have sworn upon it in courts of law or when undertaking solemn engagements in the Church. At Vatican lithe Scriptures were solemnly enthroned every morning in the Council Hall as a symbol of the truth that the Council was searching for in our time. The truth is one. It comes from God who is its source and meaning. But it always needs to be refined to meet the demands and the changing circumstances of the time, to be proclaimed in the language of our time, in order that Christians may grasp it more fully and live it in their lives. In the past we tended to think of the truth in terms of the spoken word mostly. All the trouble we went to in the realm of lying. How far could you go in concealing the truth, etc.? But the truth is some-thing which is part of our very being, something we have received along with the gift of faith in Baptism, along with the indwelling Spirit and his gifts. So it is something to be lived, something to be done. By “doing the truth in love, we may grow up in all things in him who is the Head, Jesus Christ” (Eph. 4:15.) By doing the truth in love we acknowledge his kingship. We spread his kingdom, his sovereignty. Doing the truth wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, in business, in politics, at work, at home or on the move, in good times and in bad. Doing the truth in love means getting rid of self interest and selfishness. It demands making ourselves available to those who make demands upon us. It means being concerned for the rights, for the welfare of others, especially of those less fortunate than ourselves. Self-interest, feathering our own nests, closing ourselves up in our own cocoons mean that we hide ourselves from the truth and from its demands. There are parishes where the wealthy can live in total oblivion of the have-nots who may be living in the same community only a few streets away. Such people would claim to belong to the Body of Christ. To miss Sunday Mass would be unthinkable. But to tarry on the way out of Church to express concern or to mingle with the less well off members of that body would never cross their minds. Truth for them is in the mind, But for the one who claims to be a follower of him who is the Truth it must reside not only in the mind but in the heart as well, and go out from the heart to others who will be drawn to the truth by such unselfish seeking and concern.
The truth is something which demands our attention and engagement from moment to moment. It will be stimulated by spending time with him who is truth in deep personal prayer. Truth cannot abide in our lives without the inspiration which comes from the source. Truth has to be prayed in order to be lived and has to flow from life back into prayer again. The vision of the truth will give us a new vision of life. We will begin to see the whole world and everyone in it with new eyes. As the old Eastern proverb puts it: “Give me your heart and I will give you my eyes."






Subject to Christ the King
(Brian Magee)

The proverbial ordinary man in the pew won't have much worry about the type and style of kingship discussed in the Gospel. Perhaps words like dominion, lordship and sovereignty may have a greater impact -- only they are large-sized words. The purpose of Pius XI in 1925 in creating this feast was to combat laicism particularly. It was a reminder that even the most profane things come under the law of Christ. It also attacks clericalism by reminding us that the Church should not exercise its jurisdiction by worldly wisdom. Today, in the face of increasing secularism, and the ever-present temptation to use “modern means” rather than spiritual ones, the Church can be still seen to need the wider vision of Christ's kingship.
The concept of kingship in the twentieth century will be limited to the symbolic monarchy, the function of unity symbol. Whatever you may think of the government in power you are loyal to the throne as symbol of country. Christ is the head of his body the Church, he came to make all things one.
The missionary activity of the Church is to make Christ the Sign of unity of all peoples. Thy kingdom come, we pray. The Church must be seen to be a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
Perhaps the meaning of this feast is to be found more in its meaning for the members of the kingdom. What does it mean to be subject to Christ, the King? To accept Jesus as Lord and Master of my life is the Christian way of life. There is no compromise with the rulers of other kingdoms. Origen reminds us of that in today's Office of Readings: “We must understand this about the kingdom of God -- as there is no partnership between righteousness and iniquity, no fellowship of light with darkness, no accord of Christ with Belial, so the kingdom of sin cannot co-exist with the kingdom of God. If we would have God reign over us, then, sin must have no reign in our mortal body.” Where stands the permissive society vision the kingdom of Christ?





In Heaven and on Earth
(James Kelly)

The will of God is to establish his kingdom. It is not to be established totally on this earth. There is an eschatological aspect to it too. Its fullness will only come in the next life.
Christ began his preaching by proclaiming the approach to the Kingdom of God: “Repent and believe in the Gospel (the message of salvation)” (Mk 1:15.) The Kingdom has a negative and a positive aspect. It signifies a change in people, a continual process of conversion. This means rooting out of our lives sin and its many aspects and consequences. Sin is something which the holiness of God cannot tolerate. And a kingdom where he is totally accepted and in which his richness and glory can be fully revealed has to be a sinless one.
God's kingdom is one in which God is united with all. In this life that union has to be achieved through faith and through a spiritual, unseen relation with him. There is always a certain vagueness or darkness in faith. We like very much to see things, see our parents and friends, games, celebrations etc. Faith is always like a beacon of light piercing through the darkness. It involves an element of risk. A stodgy, unenlightened person can readily get blinded in the darkness of unbelief. Yet a reflective person experienced in the living out of a life of faith, can recognize the guiding and ennobling richness that such faith brings.
The positive side of entering fully into God's kingdom is putting on the Lord Jesus. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (cf Eph 4:24.) This means not only following Jesus' way of life, but in a deeper and in some mysterious way uniting oneself with him, through hearing his word and through the sacraments. His life has to vibrate through us We must even go back to Christ's life and set our eyes on the example he set before us. He came on earth in poor circumstances (how they are privileged to be born like him!), and he lived all his life poorly trusting in the providence of his Father. He associated especially with the poor and sinners. His preaching brought him in conflict the powerful and the influential and ultimately led to his death - a death he offered for others. Uniting oneself with Christ means following him as far as possible, along the same way. It calls us above all -- as today's Gospel indicates - to appreciate especially the situation of the poor.
The Bible only speaks of providing security the immediate future (cf. Proverbs.) It is against hoarding up large sums for the future, finding security in wealth.
Those who suffer hunger - and there are terrible situations of hunger in the world - are a concrete, visible warning to us, especially if we indulge in luxury, that the light of Christ's faith has not fully penetrated our lives. In one way, the cries of hungry mouths clamour to heaven, and condemn our greed and interest in wealth.






Not Of This World
(Jack McArdle)

Theme: Jesus leaves no doubt that he is a king; but his is not the sort of kingdom that could be understood by someone with a worldly mind-set.
Parable: Princess Diana was much loved and admired in her own country and throughout the world. Her tragic and untimely death sent waves of shock throughout the world. She had a very troubled life in many ways, especially when her free spirit came into conflict with the strict formalities of life among the Royal family.
She broke ranks on many issues. One of the most famous of those was when she was interviewed on television, and when she spoke openly about her life, her problems, her loves, and her hopes. Her marriage was over, but she was asked if, perhaps, she might still become Queen of England, even if she and her husband were no longer living as husband and wife. Her answer was treated with various levels of surprise, disdain, and bemusement. She said that her ambition was not to be Queen of England, but to be queen in the hearts of the British people. It was only after her tragic death that it was acknowledged that she was, indeed, enthroned as queen within the hearts of many thousands.
Teaching: We have come to the end of the church year. No matter what way your year went; no matter how many times, and in how many ways you may have failed, we conclude our year with the celebration of Jesus as Universal King of the world. That is one thing that has not changed, and that never will. It is like a foreshadowing of the end of time. At that time, the kingdom of the world, and the kingdom of Satan will come to an end, and Jesus and his Kingdom will stand alone, with eternal victory. “And his Kingdom will have no end” were the words spoken about him even before he was born.
Yes, Jesus did come to be King. His idea of Kingdom was very much the opposite of what the world thought. With them, kingdom meant power, destruction of enemies, and conquering new, lands. It would be just impossible for someone with a worldly mind-set to understand the sort of Kingdom that Jesus had in mind. They ended up crowning him with crowns, and treating him as a fool, because that's exactly what he looked like to them. Jesus said that his Kingdom belonged to little children, that the greatest in his Kingdom were those who served, and that all power in his Kingdom would be the power of the Spirit. This is where the essential difference was, i.e., the source of the Power. “The Kingdom, and Power, and the Glory are yours forever and ever."
The person of truth is a person who is free. Such a person is not bound by the webs of lies and intrigue. They enjoy the freedom of the children of the Kingdom. “The glory of God is man/woman fully alive” wrote Irenaeus, many years before. They are free from the tyrannies of Satan, and from trying to conform to the pressures of the world, with its false gods of wealth, power, and influence. “If the Spirit sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Response: The Kingdom of God is so much more than just a nice concept. It is a reality, and it is now. By entering into that Kingdom, everything else will be added to me. It is like an embassy in a foreign land, in which I can find refuge. Just as the embassy is in this country, but it belongs to some other country, so the Kingdom of Jesus is in this world, but it does not belong to this world. It does not have the values of this world. Wealth, power, influence are not important. The weak are strong, and the powerless have power. Every person has equal citizenship and equal rights, and even the most disabled are here with as much right as the greatest genius that ever lived.
In the one simple prayer that Jesus taught us, he told us to ask the Father “Thy Kingdom come.” It is the subject of our prayer, but it must always be the subject of our actions. The Kingdom of God is built up by thousands of little acts, much of which are hidden, and go unknown. Every one of us can be involved every day of our lives in building up the Kingdom. It is not actually anything we say or do that builds the Kingdom. It is the Spirit within what we say and do. “Lord, may your Spirit within me touch the hearts of those I meet today, either through the words I say, the prayers I pray, the life I live, or the very person that l am."
Only those who love the truth will recognise and understand what Jesus is saying. If I don't want to hear the truth, then, like Pilate, I'll turn and walk away. Original sin was based on a lie. The Kingdom, therefore is built on truth. Only those who walk in the truth can live in the Kingdom. Jesus said the he was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no other way of getting to the Father. The Kingdom now, is what we call heaven, later on.
Practical: There were a few occasions in the gospel when the people wanted to carry Jesus shoulder-high and make him their king. When Herod heard about the baby that was born who would be king one day, he felt very threatened indeed. They always seemed to get it wrong. As if Jesus could be a threat to anyone. The people wanted to make him king, but that meant driving out their Roman enemies, and regaining the freedom of the kingdom of Israel. While the people do not take him and make him king, those same people have to accept him as king, and allow him be king. I speak here of being King as he chooses. He can set up his Kingdom within me. I can use the rules of the Kingdom as guidelines for my life: Jesus is Lord; everyone is of equal standing in that Kingdom; and the total power for kingdom-living comes from the Holy Spirit.
As you think of the soldiers falling on their knees, in mockery, before him, why don't you fall on your knees today before him? He asks you: “Who do you say that I am?” Lord, you are my King, you are my Lord, and you are my God. I give you my heart that you may establish your Kingdom there. May my heart come from being the manger to being your throne. Keep me, Lord, in your ways, and guide my feet along the paths of truth..."
Story: The king was a king, and a proper king indeed. The fool was a fool, and an equally proper fool. One day the king handed the fool a stick, with the words “Take this stick, and mind it with great care. If, however, you meet someone who is a greater fool than yourself, give the stick to that person."
The years passed. The king grew old, and was on his deathbed. He summoned his family, his courtesans, his army chiefs, and his faithful fool. He told them he was about to embark on a long journey, from which he would not return. He would be setting out on that journey shortly, and he wanted to take leave of them. There was great consternation and weeping. In the midst of it all, the fool approached the king and asked “Majesty, on all previous journeys on which you set out, either within this country, or to another country, you always made detailed preparations for the journey. You sent soldiers and couriers ahead to prepare the way for your coming, and to ensure that everything was in readiness. Pray, then, tell me, what preparation have you made for this, the longest and most important journey of your whole life?” “Alas,” said the king, “I have make no preparations fro this journey. I kept putting off doing anything, and now it is too late. I just don't have time.” “In that case, Majesty, take this stick, because, at last I have found a fool much greater than myself."