Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed,  nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

Luke 17:20-21 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

What are we talking about?

As we begin this journey to explore the deep concept of the Kingdom of God as a major theme in scripture, and its powerful impact on how we think and talk about our faith, I want to repeat a phrase I shared in my previous post introducing this series: The Kingdom of God is a kingdom.

And you know what? It may seem pretty obvious, but I just realized that I’ve been getting my understanding of scripture the wrong way. Instead of starting with the truth and letting it shape my understanding, I’ve been starting with what I already know and believe about The Kingdom of God and putting my own meaning onto the words of scripture. It’s like I’ve been interpreting things in a more spiritual way, instead of understanding the immediate and real meaning they had for the original audience. And you know what else? By doing that, I’ve been changing the true meaning of those words in their original context. I’ve also been taking away the shock and tension that comes with the announcement that the Kingdom of God isn’t just some far-off place, but it’s right here, right now, and it’s demanding something from us and the world we live in.

For example: the word Messiah.

I came across that word as a religious term. The only way I know what it is that Jesus is considered to be the Messiah. I confess that is true. So what exactly is a Messiah? What does a Messiah actually do? Well, since Jesus is the Messiah, it’s pretty evident that a Messiah does what Jesus did: performed amazing feats, taught spiritual messages, and most importantly, sacrificed himself for the sins of the world. That’s the job description for a Messiah that I came up with in my own mind. While I formed my own understanding of the word Messiah, I completely overlooked the fact that Messiah has a specific meaning in the context of a kingdom. If I had started by understanding that the Kingdom of God is indeed a kingdom, I believe I could have avoided making this significant mistake.

If you’re curious about the real meaning of Messiah right now, don’t worry, I’ll be talking about that in a future blog post. But for this week, let’s think about what exactly a kingdom is. If I say that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom, we first need to understand what the word kingdom even means. And just like I gave my own understanding of Messiah based on my personal experience, it’s also natural for us to define kingdom from our own point of view.

Speaking of the Kingdom

When you think of the word “kingdom,” what’s the first thing that pops into your head? The United Kingdom? That place you can find on a map, visit, or even live in? I could hop on a plane in Chicago and in just a few short hours, I could be in that “kingdom.”

Or maybe you’re into books and movies. Kingdom makes you think of ancient nations with powerful rulers, commanding armies to defend their borders.

As much as we might see it as a spot we can visit or identify on a map, in the bible, a kingdom is basically just the rule of a king. It’s all about the king’s reign, rule, and control. A king’s rule can, in turn, establish a territory or realm.

Psalm 103:19 says this:

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Some translations say that God’s sovereignty rules over all. The idea is that God’s Kingdom is God’s ruling authority. It is under His governance. God is the one in charge of it all. And just like in any kingdom, individuals under God’s rule still have the freedom to make choices; they’re not puppets. However, being part of a kingdom means that if someone goes against the king’s law, the king will exercise authority in response.

I’ve chosen to use the Gospel of Luke as the main source of scripture for this series. I didn’t choose it because it’s the easiest to see kingdom function the way I described earlier (it might or might not be), but because once we finish going through the Gospel of Luke for these blog posts, I plan on diving deeper into the book of Acts to keep exploring how the concept of kingdom shapes our faith.

As we dive into the Gospel of Luke, let’s kick things off from the beginning. We all know the Christmas story, right? It’s where this angel shows up to Mary and gives her the heads up that she’s gonna have a son named Jesus. Listen to what the angel tells Mary next.

 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:32-33 NIV

Jesus is going to receive a throne- the seat of power for a kingdom. God will give him the throne of David, who was king and ruled over Israel. This son of Mary will reign over the children of Jacob and that reign/rule/kingdom will have no end.

God’s Kingdom isn’t some destination to reach, but more like a rule or reign that confronts us. It calls us to align our lives with what the King expects, and invites our loyal allegiance to the King.

At the beginning of this blog I shared two verses from Luke 17. Right before these verses, Jesus healed 10 men with leprosy. Now, here’s the interesting part; only one of those guys, who happened to be a despised foreigner called a Samaritan, actually bothered to come back and show his gratitude to God. Can you believe it? The other nine Jewish guys, who got healed as well, didn’t acknowledge that it was God working through Jesus. They missed it.

Then in the two verses, which immediately follow, this happens:

 Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed,  nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

Luke 17:20-21 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Pharisees asked Jesus when will they see the kingdom of God (God’s reign, rule, and authority) arrive. Jesus responded by saying they won’t see it coming. They won’t be aware of it. Because it is not something they will be able to see. Just like the 9 men healed from leprosy failed to see and acknowledge God’s power in their healing, the Pharisees failed to see that the Kingdom of God has already arrived and is present with them. Not a kingdom as a location. But a kingdom as the power or rule of the king, reaching out from the throne, exercising authority on all that is under the king’s authority.

As we grapple with this clearer understanding of the kingdom, let’s dig into a few more verses from the Gospel of Luke. I’ll share the passages and throw in some discussion questions to shed light on how viewing the Kingdom of God as an actual kingdom enhances our Bible reading and deepens our faith. I encourage you to substitute the words reign or rule anytime you see the word kingdom.

Additional Scriptures and Discussion Questions

Luke 12:31- But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Question: If a kingdom is not a place to go or a territory on a map, what does it mean to seek the kingdom of God above everything else? What does that have to do with “all these things” (food, clothes, life, your body) being given to you as well.

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Luke 6:20- Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Question: What does Jesus mean that the kingdom of God is for the poor?

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Luke 18:17 and 18:24 both discuss entering into the kingdom
– Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

–Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God

Question: If Jesus isn’t talking about what it takes to get into Heaven when someone dies, what does he mean that we have to be like a child to enter the Kingdom, or that those with wealth will have a hard time entering it. Feel free to replace the word “enter” to “submit to” if you are struggling.

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If this type of thing has been challenging or enjoyable, I am inviting you to continue with me on this journey.

Next week’s Topic: The Gospel

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