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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.

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