Every Tuesday a couple friends and I meet at my favorite coffee shop downtown to spend time in the Word, talk, and laugh together. It's one of the highlights of my week - I practically live for Tuesday afternoons and the joy and refreshment they bring!
Two studies ago, we were reading through Luke 17 and something stood out to me in a new way. With a subject heading titled "When The Son of Man Arrives," Luke 17:20-21 (MSG) says,
"Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when
the kingdom of God would come, answered,
'The kingdom of God doesn't come by
counting the days on the calendar. Nor
when someone says, "Look here!" or,
"There it is!" And why? Because God's
kingdom is already among you.'"
Reading this passage made me a little sad. How heartbreaking is it to think that these men were looking (or maybe only pretending to look) for the kingdom of God, and yet could stand in front of the Son of God, even ask him questions, without even recognizing him! They were so busy trying to clear up the fuzzy details about their faith that they missed out on the opportunity to know Jesus on a personal basis!
As I thought about it, however, I realized that we are in danger of doing the same thing today, especially at a time like this when so many people have questions, thoughts and opinions about the "end of the world." Whether they're freaked about the Mayan calendar that only gives us nine more days to live or are disturbed by the state of national and international politics, many people are asking questions similar to those I would imagine were posed by the Pharisees to Jesus.
Where is God?
Why is he letting all of this happen?
When will he come and establish his kingdom?
I can't imagine what if would've been like to be Jesus in this moment...
I'm right here! Standing in front of you!! Not only have I come and entered into this messy world, but I'm here establishing my kingdom right under your noses - preaching the good news to the poor, announcing pardon to prisoners, healing the sick, setting the burdened free, and announcing the year of the Lord (paraphrase of Isaiah 61:1-2)! How can you be asking me all this and not see that I am your long-awaited Messiah?
Instead, he explains the simple, beautiful truth about his kingdom.
"The kingdom of God doesn't come by
counting the days on the calendar. Nor
when someone says, 'Look here!' or,
'There it is!' And why? Because God's
kingdom is already among you."
He meant this in a literal sense for these Pharisees, but the reality still stands true today. We try to count the days on the calendar or we try to "map out" the end times according to Scripture, but Jesus made it clear that we'll never know all the details about when he will return. And yet he also made it clear that he will never leave us nor forsake us... the kingdom is already among us!
Over the past week I've been wrestling with this verse a lot. I don't want to miss out on the kingdom here and now in anticipation of the kingdom that is to come. We're only two weeks from Christmas, the day that we celebrate the fact that God came to earth in the flesh. He came, and by his birth, life and death, he set into motion the greatest story of redemption ever told. His kingdom has arrived and is in the process of being made whole and complete here on earth.
Because the kingdom of God has already arrived, I believe it'd be a mistake to live solely in anticipation of it's establishment. I'm a wholehearted believer in living in anticipation of Jesus' return, but I think it looks different than counting days on a calendar, fretting over who's been elected president, or despairing over the darkness we see in the world.
As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (MSG),
"All this comes from the God who settled
the relationship between us and him,
and then called us to settle our relationships
with each other. God put the world square
with himself through the Messiah, giving the
world a fresh start by offering forgiveness
of sins. God has given us the task of telling
everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's
representatives. God uses us to persuade
men and women to drop their differences
and enter into God's work of making things
right between them. We're speaking for
Christ himself now: Become friends with God;
he's already a friend with you. How? you ask.
In Christ. God put the wrong on him who
never did anything wrong, so we could be put
right with God."
We have been put right with God so that we might take part in his restorative work. We represent Christ to the world, and usher his kingdom into our world by greater and greater measures.
We have entered into God's work of making things right.
I imagine Jesus looking at me tonight, begging me not to miss out on this opportunity...
Know me, he urges. Enter into relationship with me. Don't be so caught up in watching for my "coming" kingdom that you overlook the fact that I'm already doing kingdom-work right here, right now - and you could be a part of it!
My prayer over the past week has been for myself to let the very here-and-now reality of Jesus' kingdom to propel me into deeper relationship with him. To live as a representative of Christ not by effort or obligation but because I'm compelled by his great love. To take part in his kingdom-work of setting things right now in anticipation of the day when he will set all things right, once and for all.
"I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: 'Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good - tears gone, crying gone, pain gone - all the first order of things gone.' The Enthroned continued, 'Look! I'm making everything new." ~ Revelation 21:1-5
