I just wanted to add this article written by a friend of mine. I hope you enjoy.
The Kingdom of God
Ed Hauser, my pastor, stopped by the office earlier and we briefly discussed the Kingdom of God. Jesus spoke and acted as if the Kingdom of God were breaking into the present through His ministry. Luke 11:20 quotes Jesus as saying:"But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you."What on earth, I ask, does the Kingdom of God look like?Scripture provides some tantalizing clues.Matthew records the following conversation between Jesus and the mother of James and John.Mat 20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor.Mat 20:21 He said to her, "What do you want?" She replied, "Permit these two sons of mine to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."Mat 20:22 Jesus answered, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."Mat 20:23 He told them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."Like Jesus said, she had no idea what she was asking. So who obtained this 'honor'? Luke notes that Jesus was crucified between two criminals where the following conversation took place.Luk 23:38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the king of the Jews."Luk 23:39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"Luk 23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?Luk 23:41 And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong."Luk 23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom."Luk 23:43 And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Bolding is mine.)Truly, the Kingdom of God has come. Today it looks like a cross. Tomorrow it will look like a crown. Please refer to your spiritual map in Romans 8, I Corinthians 15, and Revelation 21 & 22 for a discription of the final consummation
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12 comments:
Hey Wes and Russell, what do you think Matthew 11:12 might mean?
Also a thought on the Kingdom here on earth.Romans 14:17 says for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace , and joy in the Holy Spirit. Wouldn't it be safe to say from this passage that any place those 3 exist simultaneously some of the kingdom is being demonstrated?
For example when I walk into your appraisal business I sense a certain sanctity - if you can believe it- of a business that is consecrated to God. You don't sense it because you're around it all day, but I can assure you that those who work in other environments would be able to tell you the difference from their place of employment.
Just a thought.
Nick
Nick,
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate your input. Also, feel free to comment as much as you would like. I want as much interaction as possible.
I will attempt to answer your question about my thoughts on what Matthew 11:12 might mean.
Matthew 11:12 "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it."
Another interesting interpretation to consider:
Matthew 11:12 "From the time of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been forcing its way in - and the men of force are trying to grab it!
In order to answer your question I will need to start at the beginning of Matthew 12.
Here we see John was in prison for preaching his message. His message was this (Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near). So after he hears about the deeds Christ had done,(Healing the sick and demon possessed, and even forgiving the sins of the paralytic), he sends his disciples to ask of Jesus. "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Why would John ask this? Perhaps John’s idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God was not being perfectly fulfilled in the public ministry of Jesus. Maybe John was expecting Jesus to be the leader of a revolt against Herod and to replace him with the true King, the Messiah. Jesus' idea of the Kingdom was not an earthly one but one that is not of this world. A Kingdom that is marked by love, mercy, peace, forgiveness. Jesus' whole life and ministry revolved around these principles. Anyway, Jesus had bigger fish to fry than Herod. His ultimate battle was not against Herod but against the power of sin. And we know how that turned out. The power of sin was defeated on the Cross. Thank you Jesus.
Another thought on the Kingdom. Jesus stated in John 18:36 in relation to Pilates question,“My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” It seems that Jesus Kingship is in a place not of this world but perhaps in the hearts of the believers. Today he is lord to those who call him lord. But one day every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and confess that Jesus Is Lord. Until then we just need to keep on living, loving, serving, giving, forgiving, peace making, etc. That is what I believe to be the true mission of the Church.
Sorry if I got sidetracked. Back to the Question.
Jesus' answer to Johns disciples wasn't to avoid the issue. He was trying to tell John through the miracles that he performed that he was the Messiah. The miracles that he performed would me messianic evidence. If he would have just came out and said it he probably would have been put in jail right beside John.
Then he goes on to tell the crowd about John. Not just about John but about himself. He says in verse 10. This is the one about whom it is written: "Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you." By saying this Jesus is saying John came before me to prepare you for me.
Jesus was paying John a great compliment and at the same time saying that the time for that sort of work had come to and end. All of history that had led up to John and his work was being wound up. The law and the prophets were looking ahead to something that was to come. When this new thing arrives they are to be set aside. Not because they were ineffective, but because they had accomplished their task. Likewise John had accomplished his task and preached his message. He was the Elijah that was to come. In essence Jesus was hinting to John, Yes I am the one to come but not the one you expected. The one you expected, the man of fire, the Elijah - person, is none other than yourself. I am the one who comes after him. I am the Messiah. Then he tells the listeners if they have ears to hear let them hear. In essence he is saying, think about it real hard people. Elijah is to proceed the Messiah. So if John is like Elijah then I am the Messiah. Jesus had to speak this way to them so that Herod who thought himself to be King of the Jews, wouldn't throw him in jail and kill him. It wasn't yet time for his death.
Let me know what you think. I would like to know your thoughts on this passage.
St. Nick,
I think Wes offered a good explanation of the passage which has always served as a source of puzzlement for me. Luke 16:16 appears to be a parallel verse the latter part of which translates in the NETBible as "everyone is urged to enter it." Whatever the case may be I think that it is apparent that the kingdom of God, as announced by Jesus wouldn't look like what they had expected. Specifically, what would establish the Kingdom would not be accomplished by way of military revolt or social reform but by way of the cross.
I really appreciate what you had to say about our office. I do feel the sense of consecration and subscribe to the idea of 'sacred space'. Space that is hallowed by the the presence of those who labor there. In the Jewish mind heaven and earth converged at certain points, specifically in the temple. Being built into the real temple, we have become the place where heaven and earth merge.
I also agree that where righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit are found simultaneously, those places become a part of where this overlapping of heaven and earth occur.
To often we think of God dwelling in a distant galaxy known as heaven. I think that this idea is a terrible caricature of the reality that heaven is present, now. Jesus said that the kingdom had overtaken those with whom he spoke. Like Elisha's servant our eyes need only be opened to the reality that Jesus inaugerated the Kingdom. They will fully open when He returns. Lord bless you Nicholas!
St. Nick,
One more quick thought. I went back and read the passage in Romans to put it into the context of Paul's assertion. I think that his point is that we should be very flexible on debatable matters, i.e. drinking beer, days observed for worship, dipping snuff (ha! ha!) etc.
The situation in the Roman Church at this time in history was that Jewish Christians were returning to Rome after being expelled by Ceaser. While away, the church had become, predominantly Gentile. Having never been under Torah, their return would have been met with some animosity bythe Gentiles who had begun to feel pride and were not sensitive to many of the Jewish customs, i.e. eating only Kosher meat, observing the sabbath, etc.
The weaker brothers, those raised under Torah whose consciences couldn't bear the strain of now doing things once forbidden like eating pork, were not to be despised by those who felt the freedom to do so.
Vice versa, those who felt the freedom to do so were not to be judged by those whose consciences were, should we say 'tender'.
Paul's overarching theme was that, whatever we do, operate in love. If we offend a brother in matters of liberty we actually sin against Christ. Whatever we do must be done in faith while recognizing that whatever one's conscience will allow, He does it for the Master. This issue also became a concern in Corinth.
God's kingdom has nothing to do with what one chooses to eat or drink or what day he observes, it has to do with those issues that make for peace. Much love to ya brother.
Nick, I went back this morning for a few minutes to study Matt. 11:12. Jesus had just quoted Malachi 3:1. The text surrounding this verse deals with marriage and divorce and violence. Considering the mention of violence and in the parallel text in Luke 16 I think the key is in the development of those themes in Malachi.
I think part of the point is that the kingdom had been entrusted to Israel and those who were currently in charge were unfaithful, violent men. I'll keep working on it brother.
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