Skip to main content

The Kingdom of God

             And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” (Mark 9:1)

 

            Considering the last three passages we’ve considered, each about the Kingdom of God being like seeds that quietly go about their business, this statement sounds a bit audacious, and yet, there are seeds that quietly grow and…



             Within a week of saying this, Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John and He drove a demon out of a boy. What He didn’t do is shout, “Hey, World, watch this!” and demonstrate the kingdom to everyone. He didn’t even display the power to all His disciples. Granted, driving the demon out of a boy was done where anyone could have seen, but without great fanfare. He revealed His glory to a few, then resumed His role as a bouncer, removing the drunken troublemaker from the establishment.

            No, instead of putting Himself on display for the world, His presentation of the kingdom of God coming in power was basically personal or interpersonal. He revealed Himself to a few. Very likely, few but the disciples, the boy, the father, and the demon knew about the “bouncing.” And this seems to be the norm throughout all of Scripture. There are moments in which God puts on a show, but they’re few and far between and often done through proxies like Moses and Elisha. 

            Most of the time, God is quieter and even quiet and we fault Him for it because we want to be awestruck or entertained. But the kingdom of God is like the tree that quietly splits the rock, the plants that quietly grow even when the farmer isn’t aware, and like Jesus revealing His glory to only a few and driving out a demon as the kingdom of God coming in its power.

            We don’t often think of God as humble, but this is humility. This is gentleness. This is the character of God, who doesn’t look for opportunities to show off. He, and His kingdom will one day be revealed in all its glory, but that’s the exception. Most of the time, the kingdom is God and you, or God and me, or God and this small group. When God choose to “prove Himself,” it’s not because He needs to bolster His self-image, but because He needs to correct ours.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more