WHERE IS YOUR POWER?

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING. YEAR B.
November 26, 2006.
(First Reading: Daniel 7:13-14) (Second Reading: Revelation 1:5-8)
(Gospel Reading John 18:33b-37)

WHERE IS YOUR POWER?

Where is your power? Do you have any power? These seem to be the questions Pilate appears to be asking Jesus with the question "Then, you are a king?" (John 18:37). These questions have implications for us Christians of today or of any time. If Jesus lives now in us, is his power also within ourselves? Does he have any power whatsoever?. Therefore, do Christians have any power?

The readings this Sunday say that Jesus is a king, and as such he has power; but, what kind of power?

From the gospel reading we can see that there are two kinds of power: The power of Pilate (which we will call the power of the world) and the power of Jesus:
- The Power of the World is the one that is exercised through imposition, through coercion. This power is always an external force applied upon man from an external authority - which could be an individual or a group of persons or the representatives thereof. This external force can be physical of mental, and thus can exert a physical or mental imposition on the person or persons over whom it is applied. This is the power of the worldly kings(1).

- The Power of Jesus is not exert through the imposition that comes from an external force or external authority, rather it comes from within the heart of the human being himself. Man acquires the power of Jesus Christ through the following process:
First: Jesus reveals his power to man. The gospel tells us that the Lord defines his kingdom as the kingdom of the truth, that is, he defines his power as the power of the truth. In order to reveal this truth Jesus becomes a witness of the truth, that is, he lives as the personification of the truth: He is the truth.

Now, how does Jesus demonstrates (becomes a witness of) the truth to us human beings?
By his words, by his works, by his life. He lives what he preaches, i.e. he is above all in the universe because he made himself the last one ("He who wants to be the first must make himself the last"); he is the king because he made himself a slave to all ("He who wants to rule must make himself a slave to all"); he has fulness of power because he made himself the weakest (Just look at him before Pilate).

Throughout his entire life on this earth he does only good to all human beings (His countless miracles give witness of this). He blesses those who curse him, prays for those who mistreat him. He gives his life on a cross ("No one loves more than he who gives his life for his people"). And finally, he defeats death by rising on the third day. Thus, the TRUTH has been proven. This is how the POWER of Jesus is revealed.

Secondly: Upon hearing and seeing the truthfulness of the power of Jesus, it is up to human beings to accept or reject Jesus' truth and power. ("Let those who have ears hear, those who have eyes see"). Those who accept Jesus allow the power of Jesus to live in their hearts. Accepting Jesus, therefore, means being willing to live as he lived.

Thirdly: Once human beings accept Jesus, they become witnesses of the truth, just like Christ. At this point human beings have the power to bring Jesus to all other human beings without any imposition. We are witnesses of Jesus so that Jesus may live in the hearts of other human beings.

And, like Jesus in the gospel, we can say: "For this I was born and for this I came into the world" (John 18:37). The power of Jesus has become the cause of our life. Thus we willingly follow Jesus' life example not as an imposition upon us but as a force that comes out from our heart(2).

How Do We Exercise the Power of Jesus?
Jesus alerts us in the gospel: "If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to my enemies. But as it is, my kingdom is not here" (John 18:36). The followers of Christ do not "fight" (That is, do not exercise their power) like the kings of the world fight.

The kings of the world fight by imposing their authority by force - physical, mental or of any kind as long as their goals are achieved. Whenever there is resistance or opposition, the kings of the world do not hesitate to destroy, oppress and kill; the powerful kings of the world need to grow in military might to maintain their rule; the kings of the world will distort facts and reality in order to maintain their subjects (the so called "public opinion") confused and ignorant. The kings of the world live by the principle that the strong destroys the weak, the strong dispossesses the weak.

The followers of Christ "fight" by:
- Safeguarding the power of Christ within themselves, that is, by courageously maintaining the power of Christ in their hearts and actions, by valiantly resisting the temptation of resorting to the utilization of the same methods used by the kings of the world.

- Being witness of the truth of Jesus before the "eyes and ears" of all other human beings (the followers of Christ are to make themselves the servants, the slaves, the last ones... like Jesus did).This is the only way the power of Jesus will be willingly accepted - without imposition - by our fellow human beings. The followers of Christ are therefore to bring to the world the words, the works and the life of Jesus.

- Denouncing the tragic effects of the actions of the kings of the world. The power of the worldly kings will never bring true life to humankind. The followers of Christ are to reveal that the kings of the world lack the courage to use the power of Jesus.

Our world needs to know that Jesus is the true king. We can proclaim that the power of Christ is within us, that Christ's power is real.
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Footnotes.
(1) The term "worldly kings" means those individuals or groups in our societal institutions who are in positions of power or authority.
(2) Similarly, just as the authority of Jesus is in the hearts of his followers, the authority of the societal leaders should be in the hearts of their subjects. And, in family life, the authority of the husband should be in the heart of the wife and viceversa.