Jesus, the Lord, comes to reign
Psalm 96:1-3, 10ac-13. December 6, 2022 - Tuesday, 2nd Week of Advent
You have probably heard this famous statement placed at the beginning of the declaration of the independence of the United States of America: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. There is a clear reference to God as the Creator of the human being. But, you have probably also heard that despite many efforts of the Catholic Church no reference to God and its Christian heritage is included in the constitution of the European Union.
Psalm 96 celebrates the enthronement of the Lord as king over all creation and any other power, including powerful human leaders. It rejects any atheistic society that does not acknowledge the Lord as the source of life and the only king over everything. But unlike many contemporary people, the psalmist rejoices that the Lord is king.
The psalmist calls God’s people and all the earth to sing a new song to the Lord. We hear this new song in the book of Revelation sung in the heavenly liturgy. The song praises the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ for redeeming the world (Rev 5:9-10). The book of Revelation also tells us that no one could learn that new song except those who followed the Lamb of God (Rev 14:3-5). But it is not just about singing. The psalmist also calls God’s people to announce God’s salvation. The verb “announce” refers to the proclamation of Good News about God’s mighty deeds that bring salvation to his people. This verb is at the root of our Gospel. The Gospel of Mark begins with it: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
We are called to declare among the nations that the Lord is king and that he comes to rule the earth with equity and justice. The Bible is very clear on the fact that human authority fails to rule with equity and justice. It is evident in the failed kings of Israel's monarchy and the leaders of the empires of the world. Jewish kings were blasted for their injustice and corruption by God’s prophets, the Pharaoh of Egypt enslaved God’s people and the emperors of Assyria and Babylon destroyed God’s people. The only hope that remains is the direct rule of God. And so he comes to rule the people with equity and justice in Jesus Christ. This is the content of our Gospel that we tell among the nations day after day. Jesus Christ is the kingdom of God in person.
In our liturgical translation of Psalm 96:10, we hear: “the Lord is king”. But there is evidence from the second century of the Christian Era that our brothers and sisters in faith heard in this verse: "the Lord has reigned from the wood”. This is an incredible prophecy of Jesus’ reign. As the first Christians profoundly put it: “the kingdom of Jesus is on the cross" (the Letter of Barnabas).