In the film The Death of Stalin there is an unedifying struggle for power on the leader’s demise, which leads to a bloody coup d’état. Even when they are bloodless, there are very often tussles between candidates for office which have more to do with personal ambition than care for the nation. Jesus, on the other hand, firmly rejected that kind of power, when he confronted Satan in the desert (Matt. 48:12). Instead he described himself as the Good Shepherd (John 11:12-18) who not only cares for his flock but is prepared to give up his life for them.
Kings were, and are, usually remote from their subjects, who see them when they pass by, waving from a distance. They are usually expected to show themselves to their public as figures surrounded by pomp and ceremony, with a coterie of the elite deferring to their every wish. This would be the scenario in which Jesus lived, under the imperial rulers of Rome. He, however, constantly reached out to the marginalised - the sick, the unclean, the poor and the despised. He is a very different kind of King, who identifies with his subjects as the gospel reading shows.
St Louis, King of France, used to sit under an oak tree in the Bois de Vincennes and make himself available to his people, who could come to him with their grievances. Louis, however, was limited in both time and location; but our King Jesus is always available to us. We can pour out our deepest and most intimate thoughts to him, at any time. We can share our hopes, our dreams and our troubles with him and we know that he will always listen.