Paul, speaking to the Jewish leaders… “I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I’m on Israel’s side, not against her. I’m a hostage here for hope, not doom.” They said, “Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it.”
“They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morning to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.” – Acts of the Apostles 28:20-23
The King of England? Henry? The King of France? Louis? They’re dead, right? The king of America, then. Nope. We have presidents. The King and his Court? Eddie Feigner? Un-uh. He’s dead, too. Well, who, then? The king of pop? The king of soul? The king of country music or the king of rock ‘n roll? It seems they’ve all run out of breath, as well… that thing which catches up with us and happens to each of us… no matter how important we or others might think of ourselves or them… kingdoms come, and kingdoms go… along with their respective kings…
But, what about Jesus? Jesus of Nazareth? Wasn’t he a king? Well… Pontius Pilate put a placard above his head when he was crucified on the cross. “Jesus of Nazareth- King of the Jews” it read… but that wasn’t exactly right… the Procurator of Judea was a bit short-sighted… as Jesus’ kingship would not be contained to the small patch of land on the east end of the Mediterranean flowing with milk and honey but no oil… Jesus is hailed as ‘king of the universe…’ not a geographical location but rather a place in one’s heart… a kingdom which is in me and you and therefore… here, there and everywhere for those who seem to be paying attention and looking out for it each day…
This is the first post in a series of four articles on ‘the kingdom of God.’ Questions like ‘What is it?’ or ‘What is it like?’ and ‘Where is it?’ are all legitimate inquiries when it comes to knowing about and participating in God’s kingdom. Others ask… ‘How does one enter?’ ‘Is there a door?’ Or is this one of those things when the door is closed God provides a window? The super curious want to know… ‘what do I do once I realize the kingdom has come near?’ ‘Will I be contagious?’ and ‘will others know?’ and for sure… ‘how long will it last?’
There is much to be said of this kingdom of God. What makes any of us a citizen of the kingdom? And I want to know… ‘do I get to vote?’ and… ‘is there a banner to wave?’ Is that a requirement? Must I wear special clothes? A pin, perhaps? A wrist band or a special mark … not always visible to others in the world? What if I disagree with the rules? Am I banished? Are there second chances? Thirds? I mess up a whole bunch. And worse yet… I hear this kingdom is full of hypocrites and backsliders. What do I make of that… make of them… and maybe… I’m even one of them… Kyrie eleison… Lord have mercy on me… at least maybe I should start there… it seems a bit confusing… still… just like how it started…back with Jesus and Paul and the Jews and those who said they’d follow Jesus… anywhere…
The Bible seems to indicate that Jesus ‘ushered in’ the Kingdom of God. Maybe that’s mostly true and maybe it started way back before that… and maybe the readers can forward more questions as I take time to share some thoughts on the kingdom of God… Faith matters. For me and you!
