Yours Is the Kingdom (1)
Yours is the Kingdom… (1)
“For yours are the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen.” That’s how the Our Father ends. These words, Bible translators tell us, are not found in the most ancient copies of Scripture. But the reality and sentiment they express ring true [PJ1] to what Jesus said and did.
The kingdom Jesus says belongs to God was the hallmark of his life, ministry, death, resurrection, and present help. When The Light of the world[PJ2] [PJ3] , dawned upon humanity, he called the light the kingdom of the heavens or of God. In Mark 1:14-15 and Matthew 4:17-19 Jesus came announcing the kingdom of God as if he were the one making it happen. He was. He is[PJ4] still the one making it happen.
John the Baptist got himself killed for preaching a kingdom coming in the Messiah, the anointed one, the king. Jesus eventually would be arrested, falsely accused, tried, and crucified because he too announced the kingdom was at hand. The kingdom of God though real is invisible. It’s not a reality [PJ5] we can see with our natural eyes. We need spiritual eyes to discern [PJ6] and comprehend it. Then what are we praying when we tell God the kingdom is his? How does this affirmation help us see, believe[PJ7] in, and participate in [PJ8] the kingdom?
Israel’s leaders acted as though they owned the kingdom. They excluded others based on their own limited vision of it. Jesus refocused his disciples’ vision on the kingdom belonging to its [PJ9] rightful owner, God. It belonged to the repentant and trustful. But what is the nature of this kingdom that belongs to God?
First, a kingdom requires [PJ10] a King. Jesus served his people as their shepherd/king. He included everyone who repented and trusted [PJ11] in him as divine king, not Caesar. As king Jesus commanded the wind and sea to stop dead in their tracks. Water molecules turned wine red. Religious leaders were reborn from above. Lepers and blind were healed. The lame walked. Sins were forgiven.
On his cross it took three languages to make the point of his kingship: Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, the languages of culture, power and religion. Jesus: King of religion, culture and power. Judaism, all powers, and culture came under God’s sway. A self-sacrificing King who had the authority to rule all.
Second, a kingdom takes a people. A kingdom without people is like a church without people. It’s only an idea. A king governs real people. All the people of the world who claim the name of Jesus as their own and pledged their sole allegiance to him are his people. Faith is that pledge of allegiance ready to act when called upon. A church is an outpost of this kingdom because the church is people[PJ12] .
Third, the kingdom takes a culture, a way to live as kingdom citizens. Without a rule of life, kingdom living is impossible. Israel had her Torah. Jesus’ kingdom rule is the Sermon on the Mount.
Fourth, a king governs. “He rules the world with truth and grace”, the carol says. All authority in heaven and earth is given to the King for his will to be done. His kingdom is present and operational when[PJ13] ever and wherever his will is done. One day only what God wants will happen and the future kingdom will become the ever-present kingdom. “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Last, a kingdom becomes localized. The best place is to see it is in the church. Not the building, but in the people’s relationships, ministries, missions. “The kingdom is among you and in you” Jesus said. On the eve of the church’s birth, he spent 40 days teaching his disciples the kingdom (Acts 1:3-5). Paul taught the kingdom likewise (Acts 28:30-31).
When we pray your “kingdom come” and “yours is the kingdom” we affirm powerful truths. Jesus’ kingship. Us as his people. His teachings as our way of life. His rule of love. The church as our place. That’s good praying.