The kingdom of God. Such a commonly heard phrase but a somewhat tricky concept to understand! We tried to wrap our minds around it in class this week. It doesn't help that we don't really know what it's like to live in a kingdom...a good one or a bad one! The most important thing to know about a kingdom is that the king (or queen) is in charge. What they say, goes. They make the rules, and everyone who lives in their realm is governed by those rules. |
In Jesus' day and age, the highest authority was Caesar, the king (emperor) of Rome. Actually, the Roman emperor was like a "king of kings". There were other regional kings, like Herod and his three sons who succeeded him - Herod Antipas, Herod Archelaus and Philip. Jesus' fellow Jews couldn't wait until God would kick Caesar - and any other foreign leader - out of power and let them have a Jewish king, anointed by God, serving God's purposes - not Rome's. After all, that's what the prophets had promised, right? (We've touched on this in class before.) So when some Jews asked Jesus, "What's the hold-up? Where's our Jewish king, installed by God himself?" Jesus answer was not quite what they expected: |
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
(Luke 17:20-21)
I find it interesting that Jesus' peers in the 1st century AD were expecting the kingdom of God to be something they could see right in front of their eyes. In our discussion in class, I learned that for those of us living in the 21st century, we don't expect to see much until we get to heaven. Actually, when we read the many things Jesus said - and showed through his actions - about the kingdom of God, it's somewhere in between the two. I think our Building Block has a great definition.
WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
The kingdom of God is the rule of God breaking into history through Jesus Christ, working in the world and expressed in the hearts and lives of God's people.
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink but of righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17, NRSV)
We closed our class time by looking at what we usually call "The Lord's Prayer". This was Jesus' response when his disciples asked them to pray:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13)
All the Confirmation students were quick to recite this prayer as they've learned it in church - which is great! My challenge to our students - and to you, whoever you are reading this! - is to slow down and let each line of this familiar prayer guide you as you connect with God through prayer. May God's kingdom - his rule, his righteousness, his love, his justice - may it be real here among us right now, today, working in us and evident to our world!
For next week...
Next week we'll talk about the two most important rules in the kingdom of God. Read session #8, "Jesus Shows Us How to Love". I'd love to hear some Building Blocks! And I won't forget ice cream - our first reward for doing a great job memorizing!
P.S. There is a revised schedule posted on the "About" page of this site. I left 10/22 off my original schedule! The new schedule has lessons shifted appropriately and now has us taking Ash Wednesday (2/18) off of class.
P.S. There is a revised schedule posted on the "About" page of this site. I left 10/22 off my original schedule! The new schedule has lessons shifted appropriately and now has us taking Ash Wednesday (2/18) off of class.