In Other Words...Kingdom

*** I recommend reading Matthew 13 before reading this post***

When we think of “kingdom” our thoughts often go to Camelot, castles, horses, Robin Hood, etc. Or maybe we think of England where the queen just turned 80 years old. Since we live in a culture of democracy where everyone gets a vote and no one is told what to do, we have a hard time understanding what it means for one person to make all the decisions for our welfare. And despite this, the New Testament is full of this talk of “the Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of Heaven.” And since we don’t always understand what a kingdom is, perhaps that is why our churches overlook one of Jesus’ most important teachings.

Over and over Jesus berated the disciples for thinking that he was going to come and establish a physical kingdom. They wanted him to rule from a throne and overthrow Roman rule. But that was not Jesus’ mission and that was not Jesus’ Kingdom. There was to be no throne. No boundaries. No conquest and war. This was not the location of Jesus’ kingdom. He instead places the kingdom somewhere differently:

“Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within (among) you.” Luke 17:20-21

Jesus doesn’t focus on land to talk about the location of the kingdom; he focuses on people. The Kingdom is within you. The kingdom is among you. It is both an internal and an external thing. It is not a way for humans to rule but a way of life that is exhibited in people and in people’s lives. It is not a system of government but a system of living.

So who enters the kingdom? If we are talking about a kingdom that Jesus is instituting, what sort of people do you think might enter into the kingdom?

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

It seems that the kingdom is not full of the most holy people. It is not full of super Christians. It is for anyone who needs it. Tax collectors and prostitutes were some of the most looked down upon people in Jesus’ time. People thought rich people were receiving God’s blessings so they should have made it in. But Jesus said it was hard for rich people to enter. People who say “Lord, Lord” and seem to be following God aren’t as important as those who are actually doing God’s will. The poor in spirit—those who aren’t spiritually great are invited into the kingdom. Those who are persecuted because they do what is right—they enter the kingdom. The kingdom is not for the greatest people whom we think deserve it. The kingdom is for the ones who need it the most. The outcasts, the hurting, the people who will do what is right and follow God’s will no matter what the consequences. Jesus makes this clear when he goes into his home synagogue and describes why he has come and what his kingdom is about:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Entrance to the kingdom is not based on race, social status, gender or any physical characteristic. It is a matter of the heart. As we become like children, trusting in the King to save, we begin to live a rightly ordered life with God as the ruler. The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in peoples’ hearts and lives. Whenever and wherever God is king, there is the Kingdom. Wherever God is sovereign, God reigns. And there is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory.