Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
July 4, 2010
“KINGDOM…COMING…AND HERE!”
It was the message of John the Baptist … “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:2)
It was a message repeated by Jesus in his very first sermon recorded in Mark’s gospel: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:15)
In Luke’s Gospel, the 10th chapter, Jesus appointed 70 men and women to go to towns and villages with Jesus’ mission and message: “Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:8-9).
Some would say that living God’s kingdom on earth is the prime message of Jesus throughout his ministry. God’s Kingdom? What does this mean?
The kingdom of God is God’s reign or rule on earth. The kingdom of God is wherever God moves through His Spirit. When God’s kingdom comes God’s will is being done, and wherever God’s will is lived, there is God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of God moves quietly, slowly, under the surface, percolating in souls. God’s kingdom is meant to be pondered and considered, sorted out and defined as it then becomes action in everyday life. It is like yeast being kneaded into bread dough; it takes time. It takes time to pound and play the yeast into the dough, and it takes time for it to live and grow into action. The kingdom begins as the smallest of seeds in hearts, but over time, with proper feeding and watering, the kingdom grows and moves from one to another until it becomes proclaimed, it grows into something like a sturdy tree. It is difficult to put the kingdom into words, to describe the kingdom in concise language, and that is why Jesus explained kingdom so often through story, through parable, through description and images as well as showing us kingdom through his life and ministry.
The kingdom of God, when it comes, according to Jesus’ words and life, never destroys, never force-feeds itself on people, never attacks or takes potential subjects captive. The kingdom of God invites, offers, enlightens, and frees. The kingdom of God is like the hospitality received when one is invited into another’s home to be showered with kindness and blessings.
The kingdom of God is never about violence, never about revenge. The logo of the kingdom is love, and the mission of God’s kingdom is peace. The kingdom of God does not exclude; Jesus was clear to invite everyone, yes everyone, to the table of God’s kingdom.
God’s kingdom actually is the opposite of what is experienced in almost every other earthly empire. Most of the time in the history of this world, people think that hate can conquer hate, war will cure war, revenge will stop revenge, and exclusion creates peace. In Jesus’ day mighty governments over-ran smaller countries and governments, creating a population of exiles who lived in their own land that was now controlled by outside forces. In Jesus’ day the Roman emperor demanded to be referred to as Lord, which was a pledge of allegiance to Caesar. Along comes a peasant carpenter, to talk about a new allegiance to a new Lord, because suddenly it was now Jesus who was Lord. Of course, that didn’t sit well with the powers that be, but what revolution does? The kingdom of God is the inauguration of God’s rule on earth, a kingdom that is more powerful than any other authority, and yet it is a kingdom that comes off looking weak because it is a kingdom that advocates reconciliation, forgiveness, turning the other cheek after being struck, offering two coats when asked for one, and loving one’s enemies. God’s kingdom actually showed its power in the most profound way when King Jesus was assassinated as a criminal, as a traitor, only to flip everything upside down and inside out when he overcame death, defeated evil, and did an end-around on the devil to seal the victory through resurrection from the dead..
To grow this kingdom of God, Jesus went around looking for the poor. To grow this kingdom of God, Jesus lifted up the worth and the natural trust of children. To grow this kingdom of God, Jesus went searching for all those considered too sinful, too sick, or too crazy to be a contributing part of any other kingdom. In the midst of God’s kingdom Jesus healed people from the inside out as well as their outer infirmities. Forgiveness of sin, everybody thought, was God’s job, so what was Jesus doing forgiving sin? He was living God’s kingdom on earth. He was forgiving sin on earth as it was in heaven; forgiveness of sin was God’s will. It was the last who would become first, said Jesus, and the first who would end up last. Power came through giving rather than acquiring, and the sacrifice of carrying crosses was the secret of success in God’s kingdom, because it would mirror the example of the Master.
The kingdom of God is at hand…still, and with God everything humanly impossible becomes very possible.
For instance, Carter was a seventy-something taxi driver in Washington D.C. when he gave an African visitor a ride. Now, Carter lived God’s kingdom daily, because he always sought to offer the hospitality of Jesus for any passenger as he drove from point A to point B. Something clicked between the two men this time, and the visitor from Africa introduced Carter to other friends who were experiencing our nation’s capital, and they invited Carter to their own country. Carter actually made the trip in 1998, and his heart ached and his soul burned as he saw more disgusting poverty than he ever thought possible. He saw a rutted, muddy, virtually impassable path that was the only road in and out of the village. Now, the taxi driver in Carter quickly realized that the elderly and the infirm would never be able to be adequately or comfortably transported to a larger town for medical care, so Carter bought the gas and oil and hired drivers for a road to be built. The next year he discovered a child who needed medical care in a distant city, and Carter, of course, found someone willing to provide a ride for the boy. The next year he brought money for seeds for more crops and soccer balls for kids, because he believed there ought to be joy in God’s kingdom. In another year, with numerous gifts from back home, a Bible school was built to house a first enrollment of 17 that quickly became 80 children. Carter was a taxi driver who understood how Jesus expected God’s kingdom was to be lived on earth as in heaven.
Have you heard about Craig Kielburger who was twelve years old when he became convicted by the realization that children throughout the world were being exploited as slaves for work? He heard of such abuses of even four year olds who were forced to work for twelve hours a day, so Craig’s passion became a student-driven organization that he founded called Free The Children, which is another one of Jesus’ miraculous signs and wonders, evidence of God’s kingdom on earth, because since 1995, more than 650 schools have been built in developing regions world-wide, educating over 55,000 children each day. Again, God started this kingdom action in Craig when he was 12 years old. (www.freethechildren.com).
Have you heard of fourteen year old Austin Gutwein, who saw a video about how many children are orphaned throughout the world having lost their parents to AIDS? Something buried itself deeply in Austin’s soul, like yeast germinating in dough, and Austin decided to find friends and loved ones to pledge money while he shot 2,057 free throws to represent the 2057 kids who would be orphaned on that day alone throughout the world. Austin raised $3,000 in that first attempt to bring healing to orphans, but he hasn’t stopped since. He created an organization called Hoops of Hope that now is nation-wide and has raised $1.8 million. He has done this because, at 14, he was responding to God’s kingdom call. (www.hoopsofhope.org).
Jesus sent the 70 out to grow the kingdom of God. Jesus asks the very same thing of us as we live the kingdom in our daily lives, a new way of life, a new source of inspiration, a renewing mission of love wherever God leads. God’s kingdom is coming. God’s kingdom is here. God’s kingdom includes you. Amen
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