TUESDAY
Yesterday I went through our value of the kingdom of God and our vision of being a kingdom-bringing community. Today, let’s see how this value is grounded in the teaching of Jesus.
The kingdom of God is Jesus’ primary message in his ministry. The word “kingdom” appears 123 times in the gospels.
Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Luke 9:2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Luke 4:43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Luke 8:1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,
Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
That’s a lot! And we aren’t even scratching the surface of what Jesus has to say about it.
Jesus reveals in his ministry that the kingdom of God has come by:
- Healing the sick
- Justice for the poor
- Casting out demons
- Forgiving sins
- Teaching God’s people the true values of the kingdom
Ultimately, Jesus calls us to seek the kingdom of God first:
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount, which is his most concise teaching on the ethics of the kingdom. In the specific context he is teaching on anxiety. It’s widely known that anxiety is on the rise in our culture, especially among young people. This is Jesus’ antidote to anxiety. I wonder how much of our anxiety is rooted in our pursuit of other things ahead of the kingdom of God. I know that’s the root of my anxiety.
Jesus also teaches that the kingdom is to be the most valuable thing in the Christian life:
Matthew 13:44–46 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
In these brief teachings, the kingdom is likened to treasure and a pearl of great value.
The value of something can be determined by what a person is willing to give up to attain that thing. The concept of value has as much to do with the individual consumer’s longings as it does with the rarity or precious nature of the product itself. Would gold be valuable if nobody wanted it? Horse drawn plows are rare these days but as far as I know, nobody wants them so they have no value. The kingdom of God is both. It is intrinsically valuable in itself and our longing for it should increase its value even further. Our desire for goodness is realized in God’s goodness. Our desire for justice is realized in the God’s perfect justice. Our desire for unity will be realized in the final unity of the people of God. Our desire for health and wholeness will be fully realized in God our healer. Our desire for God will be realized in the fullness of the presence of God. All of the good things that we long for, we find complete in the kingdom of God. Most people aren’t aware of it, but the things we long for most deeply, in the end, are longing for the kingdom of God.
This is such a big theme for Jesus that we cannot afford to overlook it or trivialize it today, even though we don’t speak very often of kings and kingdoms.
Reflection
Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ emphasis on the kingdom. Is it truly what you are seeking first? Is it truly the thing that you would sell all you have to obtain? Don’t move on from those questions too quickly. We often simply say “yes” and move on to other things. What in your life reveals that you are seeking the kingdom first? Is your will bent towards yourself or the kingdom? What are you most excited about, in any given week? What are you willing to spend your money on? What do you devote your free time and attention to? Those will reveal the true direction of your heart.