The Kingdom of God, Part 4

The Kingdom of God, Part 4

…strive first for the kingdom of God and (its) righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.[1]

One of the better known references to the kingdom of God occurs in what we call the Lord’s Prayer: “…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”[2] It is as if there needs to be a reuniting of heaven and earth, and that is what brings the kingdom of God to fruition. And God wills that such reunification occur. That reunification, however, occurs within our collective conscious awareness because in truth, there is not nor has there ever been a separation between heaven and earth except in our misinformed perception. The kingdom of heaven is and always has been near, but we have chosen to attend almost exclusively to the physical realm while ignoring the spiritual foundation that underlies and animates it. As such, the kingdom of God is always available when we open ourselves to it – something no one else can do for us.

Continuing Jesus’ analogies about the kingdom from last week’s Life Note, he often described the kingdom as a magnifier, or as an energy that would transform ordinary things into spectacular things. For example, he compared the kingdom to a mustard seed, calling it the smallest of all seeds that grows into the largest of shrubs and provides shelter for other life forms.[3] In a similar way he compared the kingdom to yeast added to flour causing bread to leaven or expand.[4] With these examples he indicated that the addition of the kingdom’s power allows a latent potential to emerge that otherwise would not manifest.

In other analogies, he compared the kingdom to something of such tremendous value that everything else pales in comparison. In Matthew he says the kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field and, upon discovery, causes a person to sell everything they own to buy the field.[5] In the next verse he says it is like a merchant of fine pearls who comes across one of such value that he sells everything he has to purchase that single pearl.[6] These parables reveal that an experience of the kingdom of God makes what had once been the focus of one’s life fall by the wayside. It consumes our conscious attention and forces us to reevaluate what we treasure.

Jesus further says that experiencing the kingdom requires a childlike approach. In Matthew’s recording of his words, “Truly I tell you, unless you change (transform) and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”[7] At one stop on his travels his disciples tried to keep children from approaching him. He said, “…let the little children come to me…for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”[8] In Luke’s account he is a little more blunt: “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”[9]

A final analogy that I find interesting, and one that is usually ignored, at least in part, is that the kingdom of heaven is like a great dinner.[10] It is like a lavish party with much joy and celebration. Jesus illustrates this by telling of a person who prepared such a dinner party and invited many to it, but all of the initially invited guests made excuses why they would not be able to attend. As a result, the person sent invitations into the streets for the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. Once they came he noticed there was still room at the table, so the host invited everyone in the vicinity in order for his house to be full.That everyone who wished to attend be invited was more important than the status of those attending.

The invitation to enter the kingdom is extended to everyone, but not everyone chooses to enter. We are given a measure of free will about these decisions. The not-so-subtle message Jesus sent with this last parable was that many of those whom one might assume would either enter God’s kingdom or already be a part of it refused to enter. He was primarily referring to the religious leaders of his day – those who should have been leading others into the kingdom. He contrasted the false piety, arrogance, and entitlement for the elite to the humility of the poor and marginalized members of society. We make many choices over the course of our lives, and to make one choice means foregoing another. To enter the all-inclusive kingdom of heaven requires us to give up the seductive restrictedness of the kingdoms of earth. It is not that the kingdoms change, but our conscious experience of them shifts dramatically.

This is the 29^th in a series titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 6:33

[2] Matthew 6:10

[3] Matthew 13:31; Luke 13:18

[4] Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20

[5] Matthew 13:44

[6] Matthew 13:45

[7] Matthew 18-3, also see Luke 18:17

[8] Matthew 19:14, also see Luke 18:16

[9] Luke 18:17

[10] Luke 14:16-24