Our gospel for today is from Luke 23:35-43 which commemorates Christ as the King.

This is one of the

meaningful passages in the scripture. Jesus and the two thieves convened with each other, and then
reflected on what was going on their minds.

As people of God, we should bring out the deep meaning of the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of
the Universe. This message from Luke 23:35-43 will free us from our sins and grant us the gift of
everlasting life. We must celebrate today this feast with great happiness that God is our savior.

We find it hard to watch Jesus in pain as He saved us for our sins before. The cross is the symbol of our
redemption from our sins. God somehow brings good out of the suffering of the innocent.

For most people, the image of royalty or kingship is power or exalted position, not crucifixion. Therefore,
for Jesus to be hanging on the cross does not qualify Him to be a king. Yet human standards always fail
in the eyes of God. Human thoughts are not God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). This is exactly the reason
why Jesus is sneered, mocked and ridiculed as king while He is crucified. Ironically, those who were
taunting Jesus were proclaiming who He is – Chosen one, King of the Jews, and Christ. In other words,
these people were aware of Jesus’ identity but deliberately, on their own volition, they rejected Him.

On the other hand, the other criminal whom some writers call the “good thief” had the humility to
accept Jesus as King who can dispense mercy and permission to enter paradise. Moreover, he
recognized his own crime and accepted his deserved punishment. Although the gospel does not say that
he was repentant or that he asked for forgiveness, Jesus proclaimed his salvation right there and then.

Indeed, Jesus is merciful. Though great are our sins, He is willing to bring us to salvation as soon as we
accept Him as king of our life. In fact, He even forgave those who crucified Him for “they know not what
they do” (Luke 23:34). Yet, it is only with humility that can allow us to meet the divine. God’s mercy and
grace are abundantly available but if we are not humble enough to accept our need for salvation, how
can we receive it?