I still remember the media and social uproar at the coronation of King Charles in London. Hundreds of millions of people, not only in the British Isles but all over the world watched the unique, in fact, religious ceremony, in which the prince became the king. 

It is strange that we, the people of the modern democratic world, watched with such interest a ceremony which, from a historical and cultural point of view, is at first glance only a kind of relic or survival without any real influence on the running of society. In Western countries, several monarchies remain, which are only constitutional, not absolutist. Kings perform ceremonial and representative functions; they may have a few symbolic roles according to the constitution, but nothing more.

Nevertheless, the figure of the king is symbolic. If we consider everything we know about kings in Western civilization, then it is not just about handing over the supreme power in the country. This birth of a new monarch is also a religious ceremony, during which the future bearer of this office is anointed with sacred oil, which symbolically imprints an indelible mark on the soul of the monarch. 

He belongs to God, and he performs this office not by human will, but by God’s will. This ceremony is a message that he receives from the Lord everything he needs to perform this office, but he must perform it conscientiously because he will bear responsibility for everything before God.

In the ceremony of putting the king into office, two things seemed to meet. Real, in the past, absolute power and at the same time the desire of the subjects that the one who became king by the will of God, ruled wisely, was a role model for his people.

Charles’s coronation was a media event, but the interest it generated was not just out of curiosity. As citizens of our states, we simply desire leaders who not only have power but also wisdom, are exemplary, and if we are believers, we expect them to be humble before the Lord and blessed. 

The ceremony in London offered this ideal for a moment, and we subconsciously wished that every leader in every country had not only one, but also the other. Although we know, also from our own experience, that the reality is often much worse.

“We very much wish that the one to whom we entrust our destiny or whose advice we rely on, not only has power, but is in God’s favor, thanks to which he will not lead us into a dead end.”

Being a king is therefore primarily associated with power, almost absolute. In what contrast to human imagination is Jesus’ dialogue with Pilate. Jesus was accused of impersonating a king. It was a very serious charge. If even a hint of it proved to be true, Pilate would have him executed without mercy. However, when this pragmatic Roman asked the poor battered prisoner if he was a king, Jesus cryptically replied that his kingdom was not of this world.

Pilate thought he was hearing badly. What Jesus told him seemed like a game of king the way children play kings and queens, princes and princesses. Dreaming. When he asked him again after the first, for him such a naive answer: “So you are the king after all?” he received an answer that derailed him.

Jesus not only says that his kingdom is not of this world, but that he has come to bear witness to the truth.

The people from the upper classes among the Romans were educated, had something read in philosophy and oratory, moreover, they were superstitious and surrounded by a pantheon of inscrutable deities of so many nations, so Jesus’ answer not only surprised him, but also scared him a little. 

He realized that even though he was hated by the high priests, he had in front of him an interesting person with a certain life experience and depth, which although he did not understand, he was intuitively attracted to, because it overturned his logic of power and opened a kind of thirteenth chamber. 

However, Pilate did not dare to go further in the conversation with Jesus, he did not owe anything to his pragmatic nature, and for reasons of power and gain, he had him crucified as a precaution.

However, Jesus revealed who he was in the interview. God’s Son, in whom the Father wants to restore everything in Truth. God did not offer that Truth by force but with the greatest humility. Like a good shepherd who takes a wounded sheep on his shoulders; as a humble man, who needs no horse, but the colt of the poor is enough for him to enter the holy city of Jerusalem. As the capture of human souls who noticed the ajar door in Zacchaeus’ soul to enter his life and save him.

In the Gospels, Jesus shows that the Lord is always good to man, that he seeks him and does not impose himself on anyone.

We all have some idea about life. We are from different backgrounds, from different cultures, no two families can be compared. Likewise, we are not wearing the same shoes, so it is difficult, even impossible, to say which of us is worse or better before the Lord.

But one thing is certain. As we wander through life, we look for people who could be a support. It is ideal if we find them in the family or among friends. However, they are only people full of weaknesses and limitations. We very much wish that the one to whom we entrust our fate or whose advice we rely on, not only has power but is in God’s favor, thanks to which he will not lead us into a dead end.

We need people to lean on, but we need God even more. Perceiving his presence in your life and knowing his will.

Christ wants to reign in our lives. Let us listen to his voice, let us seek the truth about ourselves, life, and the world in which we live to live under Christ’s rule.

Voluntarily, with all humility. As those who know that in such submission to the Most High, great things are born in human life: wisdom, hope, humility, and love.