The Kingdom of God

Luke 17

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;²¹nor 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

When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God was coming, they were really asking about the end of time. When would God return to bring all of creation to its end? They were talking about judgment and apocalyptic scenarios. Jesus talks about this as "the coming of the Son of Man."  He does not reject God's end time coming and judgment, but he does differentiate it from the Kingdom of God.

Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is "among" or "within" you. They must have been totally confused. They were waiting for God to come back and establish God's rule on earth. Jesus is telling them that they/we have access to God's rule already--it is within us. The Kingdom of God, according to Jesus, is not something we have to wait for it is already here. When God rules our heart and lives, we begin to see and experience things differently. When God is leading my life I experience joy, peace, and hope. The Kingdom of God is already here and we can experience the fullness of God in this life.

This is a radical and life-changing idea. God will return at the end of time to bring creation to a culmination, but God is not absent from our lives today. We can experience a foretaste of the feast to come by living our lives with and for God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can be inspired to live life God's way, faithfully serving the Lord, and loving our neighbors. God can reign in our hearts. I pray it to be so for you, me, and all people.