Kingship redefined

Everything that has a beginning, must have an end. And so, according to the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, we have arrived at the end of another liturgical year.

On this final Sunday, the universal kingship of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ is commemorated.

In this Sunday’s gospel, the dialogue between Jesus and Pontius Pilate from John 18:33–37 presents a subversion of traditional understanding of royalty and power, challenging societal constructs of leadership and authority.

This encounter, occurring at the pivotal moment before Jesus’ crucifixion, reveals a radically different conception of kingship that stands in stark contrast to both Roman imperial power and contemporary Jewish political expectations.

When Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” he anticipates a political declaration that would threaten Roman governance.

Jesus’ response transcends political categories. His kingdom, He explains, is “not of this world”.

In the context of first-century Palestinian society, kingship represented absolute authority, military might, and territorial control. Roman emperors and local client kings like Herod embodied power through violence, economic domination, and hierarchical structures that maintained social stratification.

Looking closely, it’s not that far from our world today with the so-called superpowers lording over lesser nations and peoples. Think Russia, China, Israel, and the United States.

Against this backdrop, Jesus presents an entirely different paradigm of leadership – one rooted in truth rather than coercion.

The phrase “my kingdom is not from this world” does not suggest Jesus’ kingdom is ethereal or disconnected from human experience, but rather that its foundational principles differ dramatically from worldly power mechanisms. While traditional rulers and nations maintain control through force, surveillance, and economic manipulation, Jesus’ kingdom operates through transformation, compassion, and radical inclusivity.

Jesus further elaborates that if His kingdom were conventional, His followers would fight to prevent His arrest. This statement powerfully illustrates the non-violent essence of His leadership.

Where earthly kingdoms expand through conquest and subjugation, Christ’s kingdom grows through voluntary commitment, personal transformation, and sacrificial love.

Critical dimension

The declaration “I came into the world to testify to the truth” becomes another critical dimension of Jesus’ understanding of leadership. Truth, in this context, is not about factual accuracy but a holistic concept encompassing authenticity, integrity, and alignment with divine purposes. His kingship is characterised by transparency, vulnerability, and a commitment to revealing fundamental spiritual realities.

This Sunday’s passage challenges contemporary societies to reimagine leadership. It suggests that genuine authority emerges not from external markers of power like economic wealth, military strength, or political position – but from moral integrity, empathetic understanding, and a commitment to human dignity.

For marginalised communities throughout history, this understanding of kingship offers hope. It implies that true leadership is not about controlling others but about elevating humanity; not about maintaining privileged positions but about serving collective well-being.

In our current global context, marked by political polarisation, economic inequality, systemic injustices and needless conflicts, Jesus’ model of kingship remains revolutionary, and presents a timeless invitation to us, His disciples, to remember: we too are not of this world