Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, which bears little resemblance to the political systems and regimes of this age.
Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the Kingdom of
God – “Repent, for the kingdom is at hand.” The Kingdom promised by God
was arriving in Christ’s life and ministry. He is the Messiah and King of
Israel who summons all men to turn from their wicked ways and submit to his
lordship while the opportunity remains.
Christ’s realm
differs from the political systems of this sinful world. It is not built on
violence, oppression, or conquest, but on mercy, righteousness, his sacrificial
death, and his resurrection from the dead. Righteousness and unrighteousness
cannot coexist,
just as mercy and ruthlessness are incompatible. “What agreement has Christ
with Belial?” – (2 Corinthians 6:15).
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| [Cross - Photo by Cdoncel (Madrid) on Unsplash] |
However, there is one characteristic that God’s Kingdom shares with the rulers and governments of this world: The expectation of absolute allegiance from each citizen. “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other” – (Matthew 6:24).
Placing faith and
loyalty in the governments, politicians, and ideologies of the present age is
foolish and dangerous. Even now, the Kingdom of God is progressing on earth as
the Gospel is proclaimed. This will continue
until the last day when Jesus consummates his kingdom. Thereafter, all other
regimes will vanish from the planet, and alas, every man and woman who has
refused to submit to the Messiah or been disloyal to him will suffer punishment:
- “Yahweh said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” – (Psalm 110:1).
- “Then comes the end, when he will deliver the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” – (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).
- “And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. And he will reign forever and ever” – (Revelation 11:15).
- “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who practice lawlessness. And they will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” – (Matthew 13:41-42).
Contrary to the ways of the
world, the Kingdom of God is characterized by justice, mercy, forgiveness, and
reconciliation. Indeed, mercy given especially to our enemies reveals
the true nature of the Father and our commitment to Him - (Matthew 6:24, 9:13).
- “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” – (Matthew 5:6-9).
- “But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” - (Luke 6:35),
Idolaters, murderers,
and “all liars” will be excluded from the Kingdom. God will hold every
sinner accountable unless he turns from his transgressions, submits to the
sovereignty of His Son, and follows Christ’s example and teachings – (1
Corinthians 6:9-11, Revelation 14:4, 21:8):
- “For what will a man be profited if he will gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then will he render to every man according to his deeds. Truly, I say to you. Some of you who are standing here today will not taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” – (Matthew 16:24-28).
- “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in the Heavens” – (Matthew 7:21).
We are called to
give our allegiance to Jesus and to no one else. The Body of Christ is comprised
of men and women from every nation who have been redeemed by the Lamb, and we
as his Church have inherited the calling of Israel to become a “light to the
nations”:
- “You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ <…> But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light…” – (Exodus 19:5, 1 Peter 2:5-10).
- “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals, for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and made them a kingdom and priests for God. And they are reigning on the earth” - (Revelation 5:9-10).
As Christ’s royal priests, we advance his Kingdom among the nations as we bear witness to him and his works. Like him, we overcome Satan “by the blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of our Testimony, and because we love not our lives unto death” – (Revelation 1:4-9, 12:11).
Jesus refused the kind
of political power that characterizes and dominates this evil age, especially
when Satan tempted him with sovereignty over “all the kingdoms of the world”
if only he acknowledged the Devil as his overlord – (Matthew 4:8-10).
HIS PATH
Scripture confirmed
Christ’s calling as King and Messiah, yet he rejected the kind of coercive power
valued so highly by the rulers of this world. God exalted Jesus to reign over
all things, not because of his military might, political eloquence, or
supernatural powers, but because he submitted to an unjust death to obtain
mercy and salvation for others.
Rather than
resorting to this world’s methods, Jesus embraced the Cross. In the Kingdom of
God, victory is achieved through self-denial, acts of mercy, and service to
others, not power over them.
- “You know that those who presume to rule over the nations dominate them, and their great ones tyrannize them. But it must not be so among you. But whoever would become great among you, he will be your servant. And whoever would be first among you, he will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” – (Mark 10:42-45).
The example of the
Nazarene provides us with the pattern for how we must live our lives and implement
his Kingdom. As his disciples, we must follow the same cruciform road that
Jesus did, the rough pathway that leads through Calvary.
Before Christ’s
execution, Pontius Pilate inquired whether he was “the King of the Jews.”
Jesus did not deny his royal destiny. He declared, “You say that I am a
king, and for this, I was born.” However, he qualified his sovereignty by
stating, “My Kingdom is not from (‘ek’) this
world.” The nature of his realm is fundamentally different from the
ideologies and practices of our world, and inherently incompatible with them - (John
18:33-36).
Pilate found no
fault in Jesus. At the instigation of the Temple authorities, the crowd
demanded the release of Barabbas instead of Christ, a man described as a “brigand.”
The priestly leaders of Israel preferred a violent revolutionary and murderer to
the ‘Suffering Servant of Yahweh’. And thus, it remains the same to this
day.
Contrary to popular
expectations, Jesus “took on the form of a slave” and became “obedient
until death on a cross,” and therefore, God gave him “the name, which is
above every name.” His humiliating death preceded kingship. We are called
to live by the same standard. “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ
Jesus” - (Philippians 2:1-11).
To inherit his
Kingdom, we must choose to walk the same path that Jesus did and commit
ourselves to serving his Gospel. If we choose the popular but easy road, we may
one day hear those terrifying words, “Depart from me! I never knew you!”
[Note:
Text printed in small capital letters
represents quotations of or allusions to Old Testament passages]
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SEE ALSO:
- Servant of Yahweh - (Paul summons believers to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for others – Philippians 2:5-11)
- Messiah and King - (Following his Resurrection, Jesus began his reign from the Messianic Throne as prophesied by David – Psalm 2:6-9)
- El Reino de Cristo - (Jesús proclamó una nueva realidad política, el Reino de Dios, que se parece poco a los sistemas y regímenes políticos de este mundo)