The Kingdom of God (part 1)

Several months ago, I acquired two books on the "Kingdom of God." These books could not have been written from two more diverse perspectives. One is more liberal, believing that Jesus is for all people, the other is ultra conservative, believing that the kingdom is for just a few followers who have special insight.

So lately, I have been reading the Gospels with an eye attuned to the "Kingdom of God." It makes reading the Gospels a lot more fun, when you are looking for some special purpose rather than just reading the same story over and over again.

What I am beginning to understand is that I don't understand the "Kingdom of God." To highlight what I am saying, consider this quote from one of those books:

"But today, if we speak of the kingdom of God, the original electricity is largely gone, and in its place we too often find a kind of tired familiarity that inspires not hope and excitement but rather anxiety or boredom." (Brian McLaren, The Secret Message of Jesus, 138)

We don't really understand the kingdom concept, because we live in a culture that has no "king." Our highest and most powerful officials are limited in their power (we hope) and are selected by the populace. But, in a real kingdom, the king is without equal and unquestioned in his power and authority. (That is why there were such power struggles to become and maintain a throne.)

So, the first step in understanding the kingdom is to recognize that it is centered around the KING. In this Kingdom of God, he is the king. He is the ruler, the power broker, the authority and the owner of it all. The kingdom doesn't exist for the subjects, but for the king.

So, our boredom with the subject is because we have this false notion that the kingdom of God is about us: another item to add to our already overcrowded lives. But when the message is declared, "The Kingdom of God is at hand," it is a message that God is about to establish HIS rule and authority.

More later....