THE PRIORITY of the kingdom of Christ is the central theme of this enjoyable little book. Pastor Dye has very effectively combined the pastoral tone and insight with meaningful applications of theological reflection. But most searching is his basic theme, that involvement in the kingdom of Christ calls us to the role of servants. These chapters are a searching reminder of the significance of the “towel and basin” as the life-style for the disciple of Christ.
To be a servant means that one has learned the ministry of love. Love is the ability to use personal power for the enrichment of others. The servant role also means that we are recognizing the lordship of Christ for all of life. In fact, if I may paraphrase one of Paul’s statements, we are able to say to others or to the church, “I am your servant and yet you are not my master, for there is one master—Christ.” But it is this very mastery of Christ which enables us to be servants to others without at the same time feeling depersonalized in this role. Such service is the actualization of love as a power to enrich.
The emphasis on the kingdom as now, is an important corrective for much contemporary preaching. The Apostle Paul, giving the leaders of the Ephesian church good-bye in Acts 20, says that he had gone about among them declaring the gospel of the kingdom of God. Writing to the Romans the Apostle Paul stated in chapter 14, verse 17, that “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (KJV). And again, writing to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul states that God has “translated us [from the kingdom of darkness] into the kingdom of his dear Son” (KJV). The Christian is first and foremost a member of the kingdom of Christ, with every other loyalty needing to take a secondary place in relation to this primary loyalty. The Christian confesses the meaning of the words of Jesus in Matthew 28, “all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (KJV), even in the midst of a world which has been usurped by Satan and which is the scene of conflict between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of darkness. As Christians we are ambassadors of Christ, representing him in this context, and we must refuse to surrender even one small part of this world to the demonic when by faith we can claim it for Jesus Christ. This means that our role of service has its directive from the primacy of the kingdom of Christ and our work in the world is not simply to be pious persons who walk through the world without touching it, but rather dedicated Christians who actualize the meaning of the kingdom of Christ in the context of the world. But we do so in the spirit of Christ, practicing his love, using the strategy of turning the other cheek as a demonstration that we operate by other norms than those of aggression and retaliation.
We will not all agree with Pastor Dye’s treatment of eschatology. His critique of dispensationalism is relevant and needed, but a distinction is to be made between classical premillennialism and the dispensational premillennialism which he rejects. However, his main concern, to emphasize the present reality of the kingdom of God, is a very biblical corrective of those systems of thought which minimize the place of discipleship of ethics, and of peace and justice in the effect of the gospel in society.
Dwight Dye has rendered a significant service to the church in writing these chapters on the kingdom of servants. I commend the book to the reading of both pastor and lay participants in the congregation that together we may be a kingdom of servants in the life of the church.
Myron S. Augsburger, President
Eastern Mennonite College Inc.
Harrisonburg, Virginia
A Somewhat Informal Introduction
THIS BOOK on the kingdom of God is not written for scholars. It is addressed to concerned laypeople in local congregations. There are already many scholarly works on the subject of the kingdom which are available at any school of theology library for those who wish to examine them. Most ministers and scholars enjoy reading them; I do, too. But most of our laypeople find them too imposing and leave them strictly alone.
This volume is far from imposing, but I hope it will prove helpful. As I look back over it, however, I must apologize for leaving out several important facets of the kingdom. My only defense is that time and space did not permit the exhaustive treatment which the kingdom merits.
I have tried to write in an easy, readable style using few theological words or phrases. Where such words or phrases must be used, I have added simple explanations which I hope will aid the reader.
I am deeply indebted to my congregation, the East Side Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, for giving me leave from my pastoral duties so that I could write this book. They are a sensitive, loving fellowship, and I am most fortunate to be their pastor. I am also indebted to Ceresa Beason, a very gifted secretary who aided in the typing, and to Sue, my wife and best friend, who is especially gifted at keeping my nose to the grindstone.
Chapter 1
A Missing Note in the Kingdom Song
JESUS BEGAN his life-changing, sin-forgiving ministry with a bold declaration: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). From that moment on, until his body was broken on the cross, he preached the gospel of the kingdom, illustrating his message by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, and redeeming the lost. His life was poured out in a saving, serving ministry.
In the last few months I have read many books on the subject of the kingdom of God. With few exceptions, servanthood is the missing note in the song of the kingdom. I have read about the Antichrist, the Battle of Armageddon, the mark of the beast, and the Rapture from the writings of the dispensationalists until I have become more than a little weary. However, amazingly little is said in the current popular works about the King of Kings’ being the suffering servant or about the citizens of the kingdom being God’s servants to the world. Strange! And yet, not so strange, because this cardinal truth so vividly taught and lived by Christ was also overlooked by the Jews of our Lord’s day. Even though the suffering servant is mentioned often in Old Testament prophecy, so far as we know, the scribes and Pharisees never identified the Messiah with the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Concepts of the Messiah varied from generation to generation, but none of them contained the idea of pain and death for God’s anointed one.1 [Vernon F. Storr, What Is the Kingdom of God (London: Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd., 1937), p. 125.]
Looking for the Messiah
The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would be a conquering hero and lead them in bloody conquest of their enemies. After bringing the enemy nations into subjection, then Israel would enjoy a wonderful golden age. Small wonder that the Jews failed to recognize our Lord when he came as the son of a carpenter, teaching servanthood.
Even Christ’s disciples were so busy jockeying for position and for chief places of honor that they missed it. After James and John cowardly set up Mama Zebedee to ask the Master for chief places in his kingdom, Jesus called the disciples to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them … . It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant … even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25–28).
Lest we become too critical of the disciples, we should remember that there are many today, with all the advantages of the completed Scriptures at hand, who still believe and teach that Christ will set up a literal kingdom for the Jews where they will lord it over the other nations of the world. The dispensational premillennialists are convinced that Christ will head an army and brutally slay the enemies of God. Dr. I. M. Haldeman, prominent millennial teacher, put it like this:
“He comes forth as one who no longer seeks either friendship or love.... His garments are dipped in blood, the blood of others. He descends that he may shed the blood of men.... He will enunciate his claim by terror and might. He will write it in the blood of his foes. He comes like the treader of the winepress, and the grapes are the bodies of men. He will tread and trample in his fury till their upspurting blood shall make him crimson....
He comes to His glory not as a Saviour meek and lowly, not through the sufferance of willing hearts and the plaudits of a welcoming world, but as a king, an autocrat, a despot, through the gushing blood of a trampled world. And those who follow this emergent, wrathful king of heaven … are represented as armies. They come forth as a body of fighters. They come forth to assist the Warrior to make war on the earth. In this way the kingdom is to come, not by the preaching of the gospel and the all-persuasive power of the spirit of God.”2 [Paul A. Tanner, “The Kingdom—And Return of Christ” (Part II), Gospel Trumpet (January 22, 1955): pp. 7–8.]
Have you ever heard anything more gory or more inconsistent with the plain teachings of the New Testament? This certainly cannot be the same Jesus who girded himself with a towel and washed his disciples’ feet and declared, “The Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom … ” (Mark 10:45).
Suffering Servant
More than 750 years before Jesus came to earth, the prophet Isaiah had predicted that the Messiah would be a servant. His figure appears in Isaiah 49:1–7, 50:4–9, and in 61. At the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read a portion of Isaiah 61 and declared, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (See Luke 4:16–21.) Although this incident occurred early in our Lord’s ministry, he already took on the role of the suffering servant. It was but a short time later that he told his disciples, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). This lovely passage exemplifies both the foreknowledge and the divinity of Christ.
The servant text provides wonderful insight into the role of the Messiah, and we are well aware that the suffering servant of Old Testament prophecy reaches its clearest and highest revelation in Isaiah 53. During our first pastorate, my wife and I committed this beautiful passage to memory, and I am forever grateful that we did. Would you please take the time to read Isaiah 53 now?
John Bright, the outstanding scholar from Union Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia, illumines this passage with spiritual insight:
“Who could have believed what we have heard?” Here is an unlovely figure, scorned of men and seemingly cursed of God (53:2–4). It would seem incredible that in this unlikely quarter, in this “root out of dry ground” (vs. 2), there should be manifested the very redemptive power of God (vs. l). He endures brutal persecution (vss. 4–6), so brutal that belatedly it dawns upon men that no sin he could possibly have committed could account for it. They understand that he is suffering vicariously for others; he is bearing their sins. Finally we see him led off like a lamb to the butcher, done foully to death, yet making no complaint (vss. 7–9). It is clear that he has suffered innocently, indeed that he has made of his very life a sin offering for the misdeeds of others (vs. 10). It is utter humiliation and defeat. But just when the Servant has laid himself down to the death, God announces the victory. The Servant will be highly exalted (vs. 12); he will be satisfied to know that his sacrifice has borne fruit (vs. 11); he will be permitted to see his “offspring” (vs. 10)—the numerous progeny he has begotten into the Kingdom. The victory of the Servant lies beyond suffering. Indeed the discharge of his mission is impossible without suffering, for suffering is the means by which that mission is to be accomplished.3 [John Bright, The Kingdom of God (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1953), p. 148. Used by permission.]
This amazing prophecy of our Lord’s suffering could have come to Isaiah only by divine inspiration, for its fulfillment came hundreds of years after the prophet’s death. In this passage we learn that God’s redemption and kingdom will be brought to earth not by armed force, but by the sacrificial love of God’s suffering servant.
Following His Example
Many church members might hope the Savior would do all the suffering and serving, and leave them free to merely enjoy the fruits of their Lord’s labor. But this is not Christ’s plan. He declares that to be his disciples we must take up our cross daily and follow him. (See Luke 9:23.) We must be ministering servants giving food to the hungry and clothing to the needy, welcoming strangers, and visiting those in prison. Jesus firmly declares that if we refuse this assignment we shall not inherit his kingdom nor receive his blessing. (See Matthew 25:31–46.) We who are Christians will do well to remember this.
The late Sam Shoemaker tells of listening in the rear of a church room while an official of a ladies’ organization told some forty women how they could operate a “church pantry.”
She suggested bringing in jams and jellies for the support of an orphanage and other benevolent institutions in which they were interested.
That day, at the dining table, Dr. Shoemaker asked the lady who had given the pep talk how many women of her organization ever got out and did something for the “street-women” in the notorious southern part of that city.
She said, “You know, it’s curious. There are several of those girls of the street in a hospital, and only yesterday I called up fourteen of our ladies to see if some of them could go down and visit these girls, but they all declined.” In telling the story, Dr. Shoemaker thumps us awake, as he comments, “Orange marmalade is a good deal easier to make than Christians.”4 [Paul S. Rees, Christian Commit Yourself (New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Publishing Co., 1957), pp. 52–53. Used by permission.]
Ministry of the Laity
A true word. However, one of the healthiest movements that has come to the church in recent years is the emphasis on the ministry of the laity. Christian men and women are learning that it is more satisfying to make Christians than to make orange marmalade. While they may earn their bread in a thousand legitimate ways, many have made their real occupation ministry in the kingdom of God.
Shepherding the flock and evangelizing the world is no longer thought to be the sole responsibility of the paid clergy. We now understand that every Christian is a minister and servant. This, I repeat, is a healthy emphasis. The quicker we tear down the unscriptural facade that separates the clergy from the congregation, the better for both.
A few weeks ago, one of our fine church members came to me and said, “Pastor, this summer I plan to retire from Guide Lamp, and if you can use me, I want to donate a certain number of hours each week to the church.” That’s great. Other retirees are finding some of their most enjoyable and productive years following retirement from their forty-hour-a-week jobs. Some are not waiting for retirement. It must bring joy to the heart of God to see Christian carpenters, engineers, and office workers taking leave of secular jobs and going as short-term missionaries to distant parts of the world. These, and many others in countless ways, are finding their place of ministry. That’s the kingdom way.
For Discussion
1. Read each of the servant passages mentioned in this chapter in their entirety. Is there any facet of servanthood left unfilled by Christ?
2. Which phrase from Isaiah 53 means the most to you personally?
3. In what ways has the church of the 1970s fulfilled the requirements that Christ laid down in Matthew 25:31–46? In what ways have we not completely fulfilled them?
4. Discuss the relationship of suffering and servanthood. How did Jesus suffer and how might suffering be a part of our serving ministry?
5. How do we in the church today jockey for position and places of honor as did James and John? What effect does this have on the church’s ministry?
6. Describe someone you know who best exemplifies to you the ministry of servanthood as taught by Jesus.
Chapter 2
A Kingdom of Servants
G. K. CHESTERTON wrote these words:
There was a man who dwelt in the East centuries ago,
And now I cannot look at a sheep or a sparrow,
A lily or a cornfield, a raven or a sunset,
A vineyard or a mountain, without thinking of Him;
If this be not to be divine, what is it? 1 [Gerald Kennedy, God’s Good News (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1955), p. 126. Used by permission of A.P. Watt, Ltd. (London).]
Chesterton felt the divine pull of Christ on his life. We all do. What is it about Jesus that draws you to him?
Henry Sloane Coffin relates a story of the time he asked a group of Oriental pastors from the interior of China what it was about Christ that most impressed them. None of them mentioned the miracles, for Chinese mythology outdid the marvels recorded in the Gospels. Various answers were given; but finally, one elderly pastor rose and said that what impressed him most about Jesus was his washing of the disciples’ feet. Suddenly all the ministers realized that this was it. By taking the place of the lowliest servant, the Son of God had won their allegiance and redeemed their lives.2 [Edgar De Witt Jones, The Royalty of the Pulpit (New York: Harper & Brothers Publications, 1951), p. 158.]
Compassionate Service
Many of us could make a similar affirmation. We have been drawn to Christ by his compassionate ministry to common people. He came to save and minister to the lost, to the last, and to the least.
This was certainly a peculiar kingdom where the King of Kings stooped to wash the feet of his subjects. It is like no other kingdom the world has ever known. Only God could have thought of it. I am convinced there are few passages in the New Testament which so completely reveal the character of Christ and his kingdom as John 13:1–17. (Please read this passage now.) Verses three to five are especially revealing. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel … and began to wash the disciples’ feet” (vv. 3–5).
When Jesus washed his apostles’ feet, he had not forgotten who he was. Not at all. He knew that “he had come from God and was going to God”; yet he rose and washed their feet. Why? Because he was teaching in that simple act one of the cornerstones of his doctrine of the kingdom. His kingdom was to be a kingdom of servants.
Jesus instituted this ordinance and commanded us to follow him in it to remind us that we are not lords or masters—we are servants. We may own millions of dollars worth of property, and live in fine, stately houses, but if we are Christians, we are servants. First, we are servants of God, and secondly we are servants of one another. Jesus constantly reminded us that as Christians, no task, no matter how menial, is below us. Our brother’s and our sister’s needs are our commission to service. If they need their feet washed, we are to wash their feet. If they are hungry, we are to share our food with them. Christians are not in the world to demand their rights; they are here to render compassionate service. As one of our pioneer ministers used to say, “There is always plenty of elbow room at the feet of your brother.”
Limited Conversions
The late E. Stanley Jones caught the message of the Master and translated it to others. However, not everyone readily received and incorporated our Lord’s message on ministry into their lives. E. Stanley Jones shares the following incident.
We gave the few servants we had in the Sat Tal Ashram a holiday one day a week, and we volunteered to do their work, including the sweeper’s work, which included cleaning the latrines by hand before the days of flush latrines. No one but an outcaste would do it. I had volunteered with an ex-superintendent of police, who said: “Now that I’ve done that I’m ready for anything.” I turned to a Brahmin convert and said: “Brother Chandy, when are you going to volunteer to do the sweeper’s work?” He drew a deep sigh and said, “Brother Stanley, I’m converted, but I’m not converted that far.”3 [E. Stanley Jones, The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1972), p. 82. Used by permission.]
Many conversions are limited conversions in that they do not go “that far.” And that type of shallow conversion is not limited only to India; sadly, many in our most evangelical churches suffer the same spiritual disease. I well remember the day when, after preaching a sermon in which I hoped to challenge Christians to more active witnessing and service to those who were less fortunate, I was approached by one of my parishioners. He was a man in his late fifties who said, “Pastor, I’ve thought it over, and I think I ought to do more for the kingdom. Is there anything that you’d like for me to do?” Well, such a request always gladdens the heart of any pastor. It is always encouraging to know your message is getting through, so I responded enthusiastically, “Good, I’m thrilled you want to do more for the kingdom. There are several of our people in the nursing homes who really need an encouraging visit—” But before I could go further, he broke in with a pained expression on his face. “I really don’t want to visit any nursing homes! They depress me, and besides, I don’t like the smell of those places.” He had claimed to be converted and consecrated for many years, but evidently his consecration didn’t take in visiting nursing homes. I must have looked totally stunned, for I was. I didn’t offer him a second suggestion for service. If he thought that visiting a brother or a sister in a nursing home was too much to ask of a Christian, then he was following a different gospel than I was.
Dignity in Servanthood
Jesus said, “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11). This may not be one of our favorite texts, but it is certainly one that is much needed in the church and in our world. Jesus often reminded his disciples that those who would follow him must minister to others. He said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master” (John l 3:14–16). There are many valuable lessons in this one very simple, yet profound, act of our Lord. By it, he showed us that there is real dignity in servanthood. When Jesus washed the apostles’ feet, he did not demean himself. His utter humility and his willingness to do what even most paid servants would not do only exalted Christ and made us love him more.
Following His Example
One reason the first century church grew with such rapidity was that it remembered this lesson well. The early church was a loving, caring fellowship, which not only cared for the weak and helpless among its own members, but reached out and embraced the whole pagan world. The Romans knew a great deal about law and order, but they knew little about love and compassion. Romans would often take their unwanted babies and toss them on the city garbage dump where wolves and wild dogs tore them to pieces. To their utter amazement the Christians went to the dump and gathered up these unwanted babies, loved them, cared for them, and taught them about Jesus. The pagans would ask, “Why should you Christians care what happens to somebody else’s children? You are so poor you can hardly feed yourselves, yet you take on the responsibilities of another’s child. Why should you care what happens to a helpless child?” And the Christians would answer, “Our Lord cares and he taught us to care. He said, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me.’” (See Matt. 25:40.)
Whenever the church has been obedient to the Lord and remembered the role of servant, the church has been strong, vital, and evangelical. But whenever the church has forgotten that it is a kingdom of servants and has selfishly wanted to be served and pampered rather than to minister to others, it has become soft, flabby, and disgusting.
Christian Involvement
This is not to imply that one Christian or one congregation can meet all the physical and social needs of the community. Furthermore, many social needs are more efficiently administered by existing charitable and governmental organizations than by local congregations. It isn’t necessary for East Side Church of God to have its name stamped on every beneficent program in order to feel a sense of fulfillment when kingdom work is being done. God knows what we are doing, and I’m content to let him keep score.
However, after we become Christians we should move out into these kinds of ministries. Meals on Wheels, Contact Helps, Prison ministries, Christian missions in the inner city, migrant ministries, and many other ministries should be permeated with Christians from many local congregations.
Thank God, this has been the pattern in the history of the Church. One very good example took place in A.D. 252 in Carthage, when a terrible plague broke out and spread through the city like fire. The heathen threw the bodies of their dead into the streets and fled in terror. Under the guidance of their pastor, Bishop Cyprian, his congregation went to work burying the dead and nursing the sick. At the risk of their lives, they saved the city from destruction and desolation.4 [William Barclay, ed., The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, The Daily Study Bible (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1959), p. 63.]
Throughout the centuries since Christ, the Church has been busy establishing hospitals, schools, and countless other charitable institutions. They tell us, with the advent of the equal rights movement and women’s working outside of the home, that volunteerism is a dying art. Don’t believe it; Christians will always be serving. Our Lord taught us to serve.
For Discussion
1. Who were some of the people whom Jesus served, and how did he serve them? Relate this to people we are serving today.
2. What is the significance of the ordinance of foot washing? Discuss the reluctance of some people to participate.
3. What are some of the attitudes that hinder us from being better servants? What are some scriptures that could help us deal with these hindrances?
4. Discuss the relationship of servanthood and leadership.
5. Compare and contrast Jesus’ standard of greatness (servanthood) to that of our world today.
6. Ask, Are there areas of my life in which my conversion is limited? Where do I have the greatest difficulty serving?
Chapter 3
Defining the Indefinable
AUTHOR Will Durant tells of a little girl who came to her mother with the age-old question, “Mother, what is God like?” The mother hesitated, then said, “You’d better ask your daddy.” She did, but he too hesitated. Later in her childish possessions was found a scrap of paper with these words on it: “I asked my mother what God was like. She did not know. Then I asked my father, who knows more than anybody else in the world, what God was like. He did not know. I think if I had lived as long as my mother and father, I would know something about God.”1 [J. Allen Petersen, For Men Only (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1973), p. 87. Used by permission.]
I think that little girl spoke a wise word, for most people know far too little about God and far too little about God’s kingdom.
Would you have difficulty explaining the exact nature of the kingdom to one completely unschooled in the subject? It is an illusive concept. When confined to a sterile definition, it becomes too narrow—almost an untruth. The kingdom simply defies a neat, Webster-like phrase, as G. B. Stevens has said, “Not because it means nothing … but because it means so much.”2 [Max R. Gaulke, May Thy Kingdom Come—Now! (Anderson, Ind.: Warner Press, 1959), p. 55.]
Many of the most important elements of life are like that, however. We talk a lot about love. It is a word we think we know the meaning of, but entire books have been written to explain it. We can only describe its results, the way it translates itself into action, the emotions that accompany it; but we can’t adequately define love in a sentence.
On a simpler level, bordering on the ridiculous, reduce the word kiss to a definition. Webster says it’s a “caress on the lips.” Halford Luccock shared someone’s definition: “A kiss is the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicular muscles in a state of contraction.”3 [Halford Luccock, Communicating the Gospel (New York: Harper and Bros., 1954), p. 134.] Maybe! But anyone who has ever kissed a sweetheart knows it is far more than that!
God’s Sovereign Rule
God had a similar problem defining the kingdom for us—not because of God’s inadequacy, but because of ours. It took centuries to build a foundation which would prepare God’s people to understand this great concept. Through the Old Testament law with its symbolic sacrifices and ceremonies, through faithful and fearless prophets, preaching both justice and mercy, God was preparing Israel for that perfect unveiling of the kingdom—Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. The skeleton of the Old Testament became the Living Flesh of the New Testament. The Old Covenant became the New Covenant. Christ came revealing the meaning of all which came before and was yet to be; still, even he did not share a concise definition of God’s glorious kingdom. Instead, he demonstrated it by his life and taught in countless parables its meaning. We are given four Gospels, packed with parables which tell us “The Kingdom of God is like … .” From Christ’s life and words, and the interpretation of New Testament writers, we learn something of the meaning of God’s kingdom.
From these, we draw the conclusion that the kingdom is the sovereign rule of God over the lives of his people. These people, God’s obedient subjects, have voluntarily submitted themselves to God’s will, and that surrender has radically changed their lives and conduct. They are actively pursuing God’s highest for them.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he instructed them to say, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” From the parallel structure of these phrases, we assume that God’s kingdom is where God’s will is being done. Although in the ultimate sense, God’s kingdom would include everything in the universe, in the New Testament sense it is the rule of God in love, holiness, and righteousness over repentant people who are children of the kingdom, whether they are Jew or Gentile, male or female, bond or free. It is a spiritual kingdom.
A Spiritual Kingdom
A spiritual kingdom is difficult to conceptualize. We tend to think of a geographical area, a political rule, thrones, scepters, and so forth. The Jews of Jesus’ day thought that, too. Throughout his life Jesus labored under a great disadvantage. What he meant by the kingdom, and what his Jewish listeners had been taught to believe about the kingdom, were two entirely different things. The Hebrews saw the kingdom of God as a reinstatement of the kingdom of Israel. They looked forward to a golden age that would surpass the days of King Solomon—an age in which they would have dominion over the nations of the world. The Jews believed that God would break directly into history and establish world sovereignty for them. They conceived of the kingdom in political terms. And they missed its meaning completely.
On the other hand, Jesus saw the kingdom in spiritual terms. The reign of God was a reign in the hearts of men and women who had voluntarily submitted to the rule of God in their lives.
To understand more clearly the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom, let us imagine how events might have differed had Christ come offering a political Jewish kingdom rather than a universal spiritual kingdom.
The announcement of John the Baptist might have been, “Rejoice, the Messiah is coming. He will conquer your enemies.” The angel’s proclamation to Joseph could have been, “And thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall deliver the Jews from their enemies.” Perhaps the shepherds would have heard the angels’ song something like this: “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to Israel.” And how would Jesus have come? Surely not as an innocent babe in a manger, but as a regal figure clothed with all the trappings of royalty, coming down from the sky on clouds of splendor. The Jews would have received him gladly, for they had tried to make Jesus a literal king. (See John 6:15.) Had such a materialistic kingdom been the desire and plan of God, we would be reading in our textbooks today about the Israelite Empire, rather than the Roman Empire. All roads would lead to Jerusalem, not Rome. If this had been Christ’s desire, nothing could have stopped him; for all power and authority were given him (Matt. 28:18). He was God incarnate and might have called upon twelve legions of angels to support his throne had he wanted to (Matt. 26:53).
A Kingdom Like No Other
No, his kingdom was a complete antithesis of this Jewish dream. John the Baptist’s announcement was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). No earthly realm has repentance as an entrance requirement. The heavenly messenger to Joseph declared, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21, italics added). The angels announced to the shepherds “good tidings of great joy … to all people” because
Christ the Savior was born (Luke 2:10–11, italics added). This kingdom was to be like no other kingdom the world had ever known. It was to be a spiritual kingdom as Daniel had prophesied: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever … a stone … cut from a mountain by no human hand” (Dan. 2:44–45).
When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about his kingdom, he made it quite clear it was not a material kingdom. He told them it couldn’t be outwardly observed so that they could say, “Lo, here it is!” or, “There!” He said it was already in the midst of them (Luke 17:21). Whether the best translation is “in the midst of you” or, as the King James Version translates, “within you,” the kingdom was present at that very moment, and it was not observed physically; therefore it must be a spiritual kingdom.
Pilate, the Roman Procurator, asked our Lord whether he was the king of the Jews. Jesus responded, “My kingship [or kingdom] is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews” (John 18:36). He couldn’t get much clearer than that. It was so clear that Pilate believed Jesus and would have freed him, except for the Sadducees and Pharisees who demanded his execution. No Roman ruler would willingly free one whose political ambitions might rival those of Rome, but Pilate, though a pagan, seemed to have a clearer understanding of Christ’s spiritual kingdom that did the Jews.
A Present Reality
In sharp contrast to certain current ideas, Paul recognized the kingdom was both spiritual and a present reality. He testified that very moment he was a member in good standing in the kingdom. No longer was he in bondage to sin and darkness; he had been translated into the kingdom of God’s Son. “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:12–14).
A clenching statement by Jesus shows that the kingdom was in operation during his earthly ministry: “The law and the prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone enters it violently” (Luke 16:16). Perhaps you are more familiar with this passage in the King James Version: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it.” Please note that there were people pressing into the kingdom at the very moment Christ spoke.
If any should need further proof that the kingdom was a present reality during our Lord’s first advent a quotation from John Bright should suffice:
To the Old Testament … God’s Kingdom was always a future, indeed an eschatological thing, and must always be spoken of in the future tense: “Behold, the days are coming”; “It shall come to pass in those days.” But in the New Testament we encounter a change: the tense is a resounding present indicative—the Kingdom is here! And that is a very “new thing” indeed: it is gospel—the good news that God has acted! How real, how utterly central, was the present fact of the Kingdom to all the New Testament writers … .
Nowhere is it better put than in the words of Jesus with which Mark begins the story of his ministry, and which sum up, perhaps better than anything else, the very essence of his teaching: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).4 [John Bright, The Kingdom of God (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1953), p. 197. Used by permission.]
Bright agrees with C. H. Dodd that the Greek verb engidzo (“is at hand”) is properly translated “has arrived.”5 [Ibid., p. 197.] R. C. Reed concurs. “The phrase ‘at hand’ occurs over fifty times in the Gospels and Acts, and in every instance the person or thing said to be at hand was at hand … .”6 [R. C. Reed, What Is the Kingdom of God (Richmond, Va.: Presbyterian Committee of Publication, 1922), p. 31.]
While the kingdom is a present reality, it also has future implications. Like our salvation, the kingdom is both a present reality and a future hope. It is a kingdom within history, but it will go beyond history. It is an eternal kingdom that will know no end. It will continue to grow and expand until the final consummation of all things at the end of the world. Then the Son will deliver the kingdom to the Father. (See 1 Cor. 15:24.)
Thou shalt know Him when He comes,
Not by any din of drums,
Nor the vantage of His airs,
Nor by anything He wears,
Neither by His crown,
Nor by His gown,
But His presence known shall be,
By the holy harmony,
Which His coming makes in thee.7 [From SERENDIPITY by J. Wallace Hamilton. Copyright © 1965 by Fleming H. Revell Company. Used by permission.]
For Discussion
1. The Jews missed the meaning of the kingdom because they expected it to be a political kingdom. What are some of the common misconceptions today that hinder our understanding of the kingdom?
2. How would you explain the kingdom of God to someone who has no previous understanding of its meaning?
3. The author states that the kingdom is the sovereign rule of God over the lives of people. Look up the word sovereign in a dictionary and discuss the implications.
4. In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew Jesus told us, in a series of parables, what the kingdom of God is like. Read each of the following:
parable of the weeds (vv. 24–30)
parable of the mustard seed (vv. 31–32)
parable of the yeast (v. 33)
parable of the hidden treasure (v. 44)
parable of the pearl (vv. 45–46)
parable of the net (vv. 47–50)
Summarize in your own words the one basic point of each of them. Which of these parables is most meaningful to you? Why?
5. The author states that the kingdom of God is a present reality. How can we experience it more fully in our lives? In what ways do we limit our experiencing it?
Chapter 4
Citizens By Choice
WE ARE A kingdom of volunteers. Not one citizen enters the kingdom of God by accident of birth or the process of osmosis. We choose to enter, or we remain outside. As William Barclay aptly states, “No one ever drifted into the Kingdom and no one ever became a citizen … by accident or unawares.”1 [William Barclay, The King and the Kingdom (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), p. 152.] Jesus said that people press into the kingdom. (See Luke 16:16, KJV.) This choice is so radical in nature that Christ compared it to being born again. It is no easy thing.
You Must Be Born Again
It is interesting that so many secular people have difficulty with this concept. Since Jimmy Carter’s election, much has been made of the fact that he claims to be a “born-again” Christian, as if there were any other kind. Reporters have had a field day speculating the significance of this experience. Nicodemus had a similar problem almost two thousand years ago. In fact, the story of Nicodemus, the midnight visitor to Jesus, has become the classic illustration of the new birth in the New Testament.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly I say to you unless one is born anew, [or born again] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God … . Nicodemus said to him, “How can this be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?” (John 3:1–11).
Rather remarkable. Our questioner is a leader of the Jews, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court in the land—one which handled both religious and secular matters. Nicodemus was the equivalent of a college professor, Supreme Court justice, and bishop of the church rolled into one. As a Pharisee, he knew and strictly observed the Old Testament law. Yet he addressed one, who from all outward appearances was only a carpenter, as “Rabbi,” and declared that Christ was a teacher come from God. Nicodemus had been following Jesus’ ministry and knew of his miracles. Unlike many of the established religious community, he affirmed that Christ had performed these signs through the power of God.
Thus, Nicodemus had much to commend him to our Lord. He was reverent. He was respectable. He was religious. But to this God-fearing, respected “bishop” and “seminary professor” Jesus said, “You must be born again.”
In effect the message is this: “Your religion, your education, and the fact that you are a pillar in Judaism have not brought you salvation, nor have they brought you into the kingdom. To be saved, you must be born again.”
For all his education and understanding, like many today, Nicodemus was a little slow to comprehend, not understanding the meaning of the new birth. His question indicates our visitor was in the dark in more ways than one. He was seemingly a literalist who did not catch the spiritual significance of Jesus’ words. For when Jesus spoke of being born again, this wise man of Israel declared that it is impossible for one his age to again enter his mother’s body to be born anew. Of course he’s right. It’s difficult to understand how he could even seriously consider such a ludicrous possibility as a literal rebirth. Like many modern-day literalists, he was missing the point, straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel.
In verse 7, Jesus quickly set him straight by saying, “Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born anew.” We would say, “Don’t get excited: I’m not talking about a second physical birth. Once is enough for anyone.” Christ wanted Nicodemus to understand that not one of us is so well born the first time that we do not need the second birth, which is a spiritual birth. Spiritually you must be as greatly transformed as an unborn child is transformed by physical birth. You must be born from above. “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?” (v. 10).
In my mind’s eye, the light began to shine in the darkness when Nicodemus started to understand the spiritual implications of entering the kingdom. It is much more than giving mental affirmation to a creed. It is even more than following a prescribed discipline. It is a complete change of the nature of the individual. It is a transformation of character, a miracle of grace that only God can perform when we ask for the gift of salvation.
At that point Nicodemus had a choice to make. So does every person who would belong to the kingdom. It seems an easy choice to make because entering the kingdom promises eternal life.
Probably the difficulty lies in the fact that most do not want to abdicate and allow God to control their lives. To be subjects of a king means being subject to the king. Some would be willing to make a few changes, be a little better, do a good deed from time to time, but remain in control of their lives. However, C. S. Lewis says, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.”2 [C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1952), p. 59.] That’s why Christ said salvation is as radical as being born again.
Obedient Citizens
Subjects must be obedient to their Lord, and that’s a hard lump for many to swallow. But just as the Old Covenant was a conditional promise, so the New Covenant is conditional, also. The writer of Hebrews allows no mistaking it: “And being made perfect he [Christ] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 5:9, italics added). Christ said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father” (Matt. 7:21, italics added).
Our Lord also said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matt. 6:33). We like to hear much about “all these things” that shall be ours as well. It’s the type of Christianity which over-emphasizes the power of positive thinking and those principles of Christianity which will bring monetary success or fame or a whipped-cream pie or whatever to me. What’s in it for me, Lord?
The clincher is this: we must give first priority to his kingdom and his righteousness. First. Top. Before anything else. That includes obeying him and doing his will. Although initially we are volunteers in the kingdom, obedience is not voluntary for citizens; it’s mandatory.
Count the Cost
Christ never tried to sugar-coat or diminish the demands of discipleship to Nicodemus, to the rich young ruler, or to us. He urged all to count the cost. We find a good example of this in Luke, the fourteenth chapter, verses 25–33. He instructed the multitude that the requirement of discipleship was putting him before father, mother, mate, children, brothers and sisters, and even their own lives. He said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (v. 27).
Then, after making absolutely certain they understood the total commitment he was calling for, Christ urged them to count the cost.
For which of you desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” Or what king going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand. And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (vv. 28–33).
Jesus declares a paradox: the free gift of salvation has a high price tag attached to it. It takes both choice and determination. He made it quite clear. Evidently some of us have not done as well. A few months ago, a woman phoned and asked if she might be included in our baptismal service the following Sunday. I explained to her that we baptized only believers, and since I knew very little about her, I invited her for a visit in my study.
When she arrived, I began by asking her to share something of her church background.
She explained she had gone to various churches as a child, but had dropped out in her teens.
She continued, “When I was still quite young I got married and was too busy to go to church. And I guess I never got started again.” Knowing that her youngest child was now at least in his mid-thirties, I asked why she hadn’t been attending church recently. Her reply was that she had a little dog which became very lonely when she was away from home for more than a few minutes, and she had to stay home and care for it. She was quite willing to read through the four spiritual laws and to give the appropriate answers; she was willing to be baptized; but she couldn’t be counted on to be very faithful to the church.
She had no intention of making a genuine commitment to the Lord. Apparently she felt that being baptized would prepare her to die. I attempted to explain to her that Christian discipleship was more than saying a little prayer and getting into the water. It was a commitment of her life to Christ. I encouraged her to begin reading the New Testament and offered to help her get started in a study group, assuring her that after she understood the cost of discipleship, if she wanted to accept the conditions, I would be happy to baptize her.
She didn’t seem too interested in that, and I haven’t heard from her since. Perhaps she has found someone to baptize her; I hope not. I hope no one will allow her to go through the motions merely to relieve her conscience, allowing her to go back to care for her little dog and forget her responsibilities to the kingdom.
Dividends and Demands
If it were as easy as that to be a follower, none would be lost. We like the dividends of discipleship, but the demands aren’t so desirable. An old story illustrates the point. The beggar in the story is much like our friend with the little dog. An Arab had faithfully fed a beggar who sat at his gate day after day. One day the benefactor found himself in a very tight situation and needed someone to run an errand for him immediately. He called for the beggar and asked him to go. Drawing himself up haughtily, the man replied, “I beg for alms; I don’t run errands.”
Christ said it can’t be that way in his kingdom. We choose to be citizens, but that choice becomes a commitment to service. We abdicate, and let him command.
J. Alex Findley said it well: “It is not easy to be a Christian; but it is easy to start.”3 [William Barclay, And Jesus Said (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970), p. 21.]
For Discussion
1. Discuss the difficulty of surrendering control of our lives to God. What does it mean to make a total surrender or commitment?
2. Discuss the relationship of faith and obedience.
3. How would you explain to someone who is not a Christian, the paradox that the free gift of salvation has a high price tag attached?
4. What did Jesus mean when he said to count the cost? What has been the cost of discipleship in your life?
5. In our attempts to build church attendance, are we ever guilty of overlooking the importance of helping people to count the cost of following Jesus? If so, how could this be avoided?
6. Discuss the balance of dividends and demands of discipleship. In your experience, has either greatly outweighed the other?
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