Christ the King

And he said to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was calm. And the men marveled, saying, “Who is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?”

The answer to that question comes in Psalm 93, the Psalm for Christ the King Sunday. Verse one begins with a reference to the Lord who is our King. It doesn’t take long to see why this psalm was chosen for this Sunday. Our king is girded with strength. This is a poetic way of stating the truth that Jesus is omnipotent (all-powerful). One of the places this power is discussed most clearly is in the first chapter of Colossians, “By him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.” —Colossians 1:15-17 These thoughts are simplified and repeated in Psalm 93, He has made the round world so sure that it cannot be moved. Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; you are from everlasting.” Psalm 93:2-3 Not only is Jesus so powerful that he holds all creation together, but he is also the one who made everything in the first place. His power is not limited by time. He was the agent of creation and was present even before that. His power and rule extend into the present and beyond into eternity. Our minds can’t begin to grasp the extent of Christ’s power. We question his ability to change water into wine, to heal, or to multiply loaves and fishes. We laugh at his ability to calm a storm.  In the midst of our doubt he proclaims, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

The Psalm proclaims, “the floods have risen, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods have lifted up their waves.”  The disciples cry out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” Because Jesus is “Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD who dwells on high is mightier.” -Verse 5  To a desert people the powerful, unpredictable, chaotic force of water was perhaps the most frightening force they knew. That is why the disciples were so astonished when Jesus was able to command the waters with a word from his mouth and they obeyed instantly.

In so many ways CCA has just been through a storm of its own. Now that we can see the sun peeping through the clouds we would do well to keep several things in mind.

1. It was Jesus who asked the disciples to go into the boat and eventually into the storm. I believe he did so because we rarely see the his power when the sun is shining. It is most often when he calms the wind and waves that we see his power.

2. While it often seems like we are alone, the fact remains that Jesus is in the boat with us.

3. Jesus doesn’t just have the power to calm the storm, he had the power to make all creation in the first place.

4. Jesus was not just there to save the disciples two thousand years ago. His rule is eternal and he is still mighty to save.

5. Jesus not only has the power to calm the storm, but he wants to because he loves those who follow him.

6. We do well to remember that Jesus the carpenter’s son is also the King of Kings. He rules over creation, over all powers and authorities, and has even conquered death.

7. We should constantly ask ourselves the question Jesus posed to the disciples, “Why are you afraid? O you of little faith.”

And the disciples asked, “Who is this that even the wind and waves obey him?”  He is the King of Kings. Lord of Lords. The beginning and the end. He is no tame lion, but he is good, and he loves us.

Happy Christ the King Sunday!
†Bp. Mark

Artwork: Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee – Ludolf Bakhuizen, 1695. Indianapolis Museum of Art. Public domain.