The Kingdom of Heaven

The kingdom is where the king is, right? The king is the ruler of the land in which he lives. The people of his kingdom are called his “subjects” because they are subject to his rule. Often, subjects in the kingdom refer to their king as “lord” or “my lord”. So, those who live in a land ruled by a king obey his decrees, adhere to his laws, pay his taxes, and display loyalty to his authority. If they don’t, they are considered outlaws (literally living outside of the law) and are pursued in order to pay the appropriate consequence.

If has been said that Jesus taught more about money than any other topic. This is actually a false claim. Jesus uses money to relate to people. He uses it to reach people in a close way, to challenge them in an area over which they are not ready or willing to relinquish control.

The topic on which Jesus teaches more than any other is the kingdom of heaven. Many of his parables begin with the words, “the kingdom of heaven is like…” He may use money to help us understand what the kingdom of heaven IS like, but that doesn’t make the parable about money. The parable simply employs money to teach about the kingdom of heaven.

In Matthew 5, in the beginning stanzas of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven. He is not using parables here, illustrating the kingdom, but he is identifying those belong to or reside in the kingdom of heaven.

If we think of the kingdom as the place in which the king resides, we must ask ourselves two questions:

1.       Who is the king?

       2.       Where does he live?

The Messiah was referred to as the king of the Jews and Lord of lords. God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things. God the Father and Jesus Messiah are two aspects of the Trinity: the three-in-one God we serve. Simple math reveals that even these two revelation of our One God are not our whole God. He also reveals Himself as the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he appeared to several of his disciples over a period of forty days before he ascended to heaven. Then, after ten more days, and telling his disciples to wait for him in the holy city, Jesus showed up at Pentecost and sent his spirit to reside in his followers, his subjects. With the Spirit of Christ in them, thousands were added daily to those who were being saved. Through the indwelling Spirit, Jesus accomplished what he had said would happen: the disciples accomplished more than he ever did in his earthly ministry.

Jesus’ mission did not end at the cross. It did not even end at the empty tomb. Jesus’ mission is still alive and growing today. We inherited that same Spirit from Pentecost and live with Jesus’ in our hearts today. We have a gift Pre-Pentecost believers never had: Jesus in us! He whispers to us, intercedes for others through us, guides us, calls us ever so patiently to himself, gives us grace, shows us how to live for him…all from within us!

The Triune God is King and He presents Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. The King resides in us, if we choose to follow His decrees, obey His laws, and be His loyal subjects. Where does the King live? In us! Therefore, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven is within us.

The first red words form Jesus’ earthly ministry recorded in Matthew are, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near,” (Matthew 4:17). Was Jesus saying that the people should change their ways (the meaning of repent) because they, in that region, were physically near to the kingdom or physical dwelling place of God? This would not have been a far cry from what they were used to. After all, at this time, there was a dwelling place of God, the Holy Place. Only certain people were allowed to enter the dwelling place of God. The holy of holies was the supreme dwelling place of the Lord. That was even more sacred.

Jesus was not at the temple in Jerusalem, though. He was not speaking to the existing practices of God’s people. He was foreshadowing. It is no mistake or coincidence that Jesus’ first ministerial words recorded in Scripture are a call to repentance and a prophecy of the coming kingdom. Jesus is telling people that the day is fast approaching when he will send his spirit to reside in his followers. If they do not repent and change their ways, as to prepare themselves to be ready to receive his spirit, they will not find residence in the kingdom of heaven.

What if we processed every reference to the kingdom of heaven though Pentecost? We see the kingdom as the dwelling place of the king, as he resides in us. When Jesus teaches “the kingdom of heaven is like…” he is describing our lives when we are given to complete devotion to our Lord. When he says, “blessed are those who… for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” he is describing lives lived in full submission to our king, living in his kingdom.

Everyone needed to repent, to change, because no one yet knew what was coming. They knew the Messiah would save God’s people, but they did not know yet how new he would make everything and everyone.