CHRIST THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE (C)

 

 Christ the King (C) [Lk 23:35-43]

(Thirty-fourth Sunday of Year C)

23.11.2025

Promise of Paradise to the Repentant Criminal

Readings: (1) 2 Sam 5:1-3 (2) Col 1:12-20

1.    Theme in brief

Freedom to accept or reject the offer of salvation

2.    Focus Statement

We are free either to accept the universal pardon and salvation offered by Christ our King as the repentant criminal did, or reject it by our hardheartedness and doubt like the unrepentant criminal.

3.    Explanation of the text

In today’s gospel text we see three categories of people: the Jewish leaders and soldiers who scoff and mock Jesus (23:36); the unrepentant thief on the cross who challenges him to show his actual power and save himself and also save both of them (23:39); and the repentant thief who admits his and his companion’s guilt but proclaims Jesus’ innocence (23:41).

By pointing at the inscription above Jesus’ head, "This is the King of the Jews" (23:38), Luke wants to tell us that Christ is really a King. But what kind of King is he? He is a King (1) who showers his gift of pardon and awards paradise to a repentant criminal who is hanged beside him (23:43), and (2) the one who saves even the worst of sinners like that criminal. While dying on the cross, he shows his Kingship over all people by his offer of forgiveness and universal reconciliation.

In spite of the written inscription that Christ is the King of the Jews, the Jewish nation in general rejects this King and his Kingship. Hence, the gates of divine mercy get opened to whoever opens one’s heart to receive his mercy and forgiveness of sins, just as the repentant criminal does. To the repentant thief who begs an entry into his Kingdom of infinite mercy, Jesus replies, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (23:43). What a generosity and magnanimity extended to a hardened sinner! Jesus invites a hardened criminal condemned to death on a cross “to be with him” or to share his heavenly glory and kingly majesty.

From the dialogue between the two criminals crucified on both sides of Jesus we cannot but notice the striking contrast between the attitudes of these two: the one who mocks him by challenging him to save himself and both of them if he were the real Messiah, and the other who rebukes him by declaring Christ’s innocence (23:39-41). Both of them represent the contrast between what sort of kingship the people expect from Jesus and what sort of King actually he is. The unrepentant thief represents people’s expectations: If he is really a king he should show his power by solving their immediate problem, namely suffering and death. The repentant thief rightly understands that Jesus is not the Messiah who has come to cancel legal consequence of anybody’s crimes or from suffering and death. Acknowledging his own sins, he just surrenders his heart to his infinite mercy.

The unrepentant criminal is so hardhearted that he is unable to understand and accept how a crucified man can offer paradise. Here we get a contrast the hardheartedness and doubt of former one with the faith or trust of the latter. Here Luke the evangelist wants to tell his readers that Christ enables all repentant sinners to regain or re-enter the Paradise which was lost due to Adam’s sin. Thus Christ the King becomes the new Adam who re-opens the gates of Paradise for anyone who repents by meditating on the mystery of the cross. Normally, earthly kings ask their subjects to give their lives to defend and save their kings; in contrast, Christ our King dies a shameful death on the cross to save his subjects (we, the sinners). Thus, by his mercy and pardon granted to a repentant criminal, Jesus makes it clear that his Kingdom belongs to sinners as well the virtuous, provided they welcome it with repentance.

4.    Application to life 

As we acclaim Christ as our King today, the gospel presents before us a King hanging on the cross in the midst of two criminals crucified with him. We should keep in mind that Jesus' crucifixion did not take place on an altar between two candles as we commemorate it during the Holy Mass today, but between two criminals sentenced to death by crucifixion. Luke's passion narrative presents a crucified Messiah who establishes his Kingdom amidst mocking and brutality. It tells us that Christ is a King who dies a disgraceful death in order to save his subjects. His throne is the cross, and his crown, the crown of thorns. Even in the midst of excruciating suffering, he continues his ministry of seeking out the lost and saving them. From the cross he reaches out to a repentant criminal (sinner) with his gifts of pardon and salvation (Paradise). Thus, he becomes a King of our hearts by winning over the hardness of our hearts with his divine mercy and pardon, just as he did to the repentant criminal.

In real life we could be either like soldiers and unrepentant thief, or repentant thief.  We have to examine and see whose characteristics we represent and daily make a choice among the three. The hardened criminal crucified along with Jesus proves that once a person allows wickedness to rule totally over his heart, even fear of a shameful and agonizing death may not change such a person. On the contrary, the repentant thief was open to God’s divine mercy. He proved that true repentance was never too late. His was a clear case of God’s readiness to pardon even a hardened sinner who repents at last on death-bed. But this is not an argument to postpone our repentance to death-bed. What guarantee is there that all of us will get such a chance? Will all of us get an opportunity to do what the repentant thief did? He owned his guilt by saying that he deserved such a punishment for his crimes, and proclaimed faith in Jesus saying that he suffered innocently.

What a wonderful faith the repentant thief had! Could anyone imagine that a person who was crucified in between two criminals could be a king? What a faith he needed to say that a crucified person who suffered disgraceful capital punishment like him and could not save himself, nor was saved by his Father, could dispense pardon and Paradise.  We are often tempted to approach the matters of faith purely on the basis of rational or logical arguments like the unrepentant criminal. He must have argued in his mind how foolish his companion was to think a criminal like him could award paradise to anyone. Instead, with a simple faith he could have said like his companion: “What about me, Lord? Please remember me also when you come into your Kingdom!” He did not ask Jesus to save him from the cross but to remember him in his heavenly Kingdom. Even in the midst of personal agony, Jesus extended his arms of mercy to him. Yes, Jesus died to open the gates of heavenly Kingdom to all those who cry to him with repentant hearts. The other hardened sinner had no faith to beg for mercy, though the Saviour was so close by. What about us? Whom do we represent: the repentant and hardened sinner?

Though it is true that our faith is an intellectual assent to revealed truth, it is more than that. When we do not see and understand God’s ways through human reason, our faith is tested and shaken. Reason alone does not work when we do not get always what we want in life. At those moments, we have to move from pure reason to a deeper faith or from reasons of the head to reasons of the heart.  Christ the King invites from the cross all doubting Thomases either to go on challenging God to prove his almighty powers, or to make a deep faith-surrender and say: ‘My Lord and my God (Jn 20:28), I do not understand your ways; do what you want with me’.

Hardheartedness and doubts against one’s faith are the two great spiritual enemies against which we need to combat constantly. The repentant criminal becomes the model of those who accept the offer of pardon and salvation which Christ offers, and the hardened criminal represents people who reject his offer of salvation till the end of their lives. When we look at our King hanging on the cross helplessly, we are challenged either to accept him in faith as the Ruler (King) of our hearts and lives, or to challenge him to come down from the cross and save both himself and us from all calamities of this life as the Jewish leaders, Roman soldiers and the unrepentant thief did. He is not a King who uses his powers to his own advantage or profit, instead the one who gives life to save others. Remaining hardhearted like the unrepentant criminal and refusing to listen to the inspiration or stirrings of the Holy Spirit for conversion till the end of one’s life is rightly called by Jesus the unpardonable sin or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:31-32). The Holy Spirit (quite often through our conscience or ‘inner voice’ and sometimes through our guides) knocks at the door of our hearts and prompts us to admit our sins, repent for them and be reformed. But if anybody constantly silences the prompting of the Spirit and totally loses the sense of sin, or justifies wrongdoings saying that there is nothing wrong in them till the end of life, nobody can save such a person. Such a person will not be forgiven either in this age (because he/she does not want it) or in the age to come (because it is too late, Mt 12:32).

Today’s feast of Christ the King invites us to surrender ourselves to the loving reign of God, to make a choice between the three categories of people mentioned above. Now it is up to us to accept the gifts of pardon and salvation which Christ the King offers with a repentant heart, or to reject them. We are either like the repentant thief or the unrepentant thief and Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers; we either allow our King to rule over us with his qualities of compassion, pardon and salvation and allow him to pour these into our hearts, or become hardhearted by allowing evil and criminal tendencies to rule over us till the end. As sinners, we always have free entry into his Kingdom if we accept his forgiveness with repentance. The infinite compassion of Christ flowing from the cross can melt the hearts of even hardened sinners leading them to repentance.

If we claim Christ as our King, in our social life also it is our duty to spread and dispense the same qualities of mercy and forgiveness towards the lost ones, and work for the liberation of people and society from evil. When we are engaged in this sort of life-promoting mission we become loyal ‘soldiers’ of our King who came to seek out and save the lost (Lk 19:10), and laid down his life so that we may have life (and also share life) in abundance (Jn 10:10). But this sort of mission may sometimes make us victims of the type of mockery, abuses, humiliation and insults Jesus suffered. People may challenge to prove our power to bring about quick solutions to the burning issues of modern society – just as they did to Jesus. But if we trust in God, occasionally we may get a few people like the good thief who will support us and tell others that we have not done anything wrong to deserve harsh treatment or judgement.

5.    Response to God's Word

Today, are we willing to accept pardon and salvation which Christ the King offers, or reject it like the hardened criminal? When we do not see and understand God’s ways through human reason, do we make a deep faith-surrender and allow God to take us where he wants by putting ourselves into his hands? Do we allow our conscience to become blunt by hardheartedness, and refuse to heed to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to admit our wrongdoings? Are we losing the sense of sin due to widespread acceptance of immoral practices in our society, or due to social pressure? Do we justify our wrongdoings by giving so many excuses? Do we allow Christ the King and the values of his Kingdom to rule over our hearts, or the evil ways of the world? Whether we succeed or not, do we try to win over people’s hardness of hearts with mercy and pardon? Are we loyal ‘soldiers’ of our King who are willing to work for his Kingdom in which mercy, pardon, reconciliation and magnanimity will be the guiding principles?

6.    A Prayer

We hail you, Christ our King. You alone are the King of our hearts. You accepted to die an agonizing, disgraceful and humiliating death in order to save us, your subjects. Even in the midst of excruciating suffering, you were faithful to your ministry of seeking out the lost and saving them. Be a true King of our hearts by winning over the hardness of our hearts with your mercy and pardon. With a humble and repentant heart we accept your gifts of pardon and salvation. We pray that you send your Spirit to melt the hearts of all hardhearted sinners, so that they may come to your throne of mercy and pardon. Amen.