Christ the King
Once again, our first reading is from the apocalyptic section of the book of Daniel. Apocalyptic has been called a literature of crisis, of hope in seemingly hopeless situations.
Antiochus IV had inherited the province of Syria, which included Palestine, from the conqueror of the world, Alexander the Great of Greece. Infuriated by the Jews, who resisted all attempts to assimilate them into Greek culture, Antiochus savagely attacked them. With superior military forces at his command, he terrorized them to the point that many of them simply gave up and abandoned their religion. Many others, under the leadership of the Maccabee brothers, stoutly resisted, but it looked like a losing battle.
The author of Daniel wrote to assure them of ultimate victory. Just before today's passage he had given a survey of their history. He represented their former, now vanquished, enemies as gruesome beasts, from whose fearsome attacks God had rescued them.
In contrast to these fierce animals, he now envisions "one like a son of man," a human being, coming "on the clouds of heaven," unlike the beasts who had sprung from the sea, mythological spawning place of evil. This human is presented before the Ancient One, the eternal God, who endows him with universal dominion, invincible kingship.
In the context of the book, this glorious personage is a symbol for God's people who, as such, will triumph over all enemies, including their current oppressors. Assured of God's help, the people must never lose heart and surrender their identity. In the course of time this metaphorical "son of man" was interpreted as an individual "messianic" figure, a heavenly judge of humanity. It is quite doubtful that Jesus ever applied this title to himself in this developed sense, but, in light of his Resurrection and glorification, Christians saw him as the universal, divinely appointed King of Kings. 
The author of Revelation, the Christian apocalypse, wrote his book in the form of a letter to encourage his beleaguered Christians in the Roman empire. In today's passage he boldly proclaims the risen Christ as "ruler of the kings of earth." This is no despotic potentate striking fear into the hearts of his people, but one who loves us (present tense) and freed us (past tense) from our sins by his own blood. He has given us a share, through baptism, in his own royal and priestly dignity in the service of his God and Father. It is to Christ that we profess unwavering allegiance.
The visionary author sees him already victorious, "amid the clouds," symbol of divine presence and power. In words borrowed from Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 12:10, he portrays Christ as claiming power over those who tried to destroy him. All of this is the work of God, who majestically proclaims himself "Alpha and Omega (beginning and end), the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty!"
The fourth evangelist has characteristically presented Jesus' trial before Pilate as a tension filled drama, with backstage, forefront and center stage. Backstage is the setting for the calm, reasoned dialogue between Jesus and Pilate. Out front is chaotic shouting of the mob clamoring for Jesus' death. Shuttling between the two is the harried prefect.
Jesus has been accused as a royal pretender, a threat to Roman sovereignty, and it is this charge that Pilate must investigate. It soon becomes clear that it is he, Pilate, who is really on trial. Jesus asks him where he ever got the idea that he claimed political power and goes on to assert that, if he is a king, it is only in a metaphorical sense; his kingship is not kingship in the ordinary sense.
Pressed by his questioner, Jesus tells him that pretensions to political power are figments of the people's imagination. His mission is not to establish an empire but to witness to the truth, to Truth itself. Anyone who is seriously searching for truth welcomes his message.
The implication is that Pilate is not really interested in anything but saving his own skin, and to secure this he will capitulate to the threats of the mob.  He is a cheap politician, and of this sort of self-serving chicanery Jesus wants no part.