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

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more