[ p. 212 ]
If I with the finger of God am expelling demons, then the kingdom of God has already arrived among you (Lk. 11: 20).
Blessed are you who are poor; for the kingdom of God is yours (Lk. 6: 20).
The kingdom of God is now among you (Lk. 17:21).
This scripture has been fulfilled to-day (Lk. 4: 1721).
I tell you there are some of you standing here who will not die till you see the kingdom of God come with power (Mk. 9: 1).
May thy kingdom come (Lk. 11:2; Matt. 5: 20; Lk. 22: 29).
Jesus thought of the kingdom not only as a present blessing in the hearts of his followers, but as a powerful event of the future. The term “kingdom” was very elastic, Jesus’ use of it sometimes placed the emphasis upon the supremacy of God at present in the soul of man, at other times upon the future wider supremacy of God among men, and again upon that future day which he and other Jews of his time expected, when there would be great material and social changes and the reign of God would be outwardly and gloriously ushered into reality.
Not only is the kingdom both present and future, it is also both individual and social. As the Hebrew Psalmist sang of [ p. 213 ] Jehovah as his king in the individual sense (Psa. 83: 3) and again of Jehovah as king over all the earth (Psa. 47: 2), so Jesus had many things to say about the “reign” of God in the individual heart and also about the rule of God socially, nationally, and internationally.
Jesus also pictures the coming of the “Rule” of God both in terms of gradual realization and in words indicating a sudden or even catastrophic consummation. Neither thought was exclusive of the other, but each has its place in making up Jesus’ teaching regarding the kingdom. 2^^"
Three ou tstanding tendencies in Jew ish thought of Jesus’ day have been noted. From the time of the Old Testament prophets there had been a constant trend toward conceiving the kingdom in ethical terms. Not every son of Abraham would have a share in it, but only those who were righteous in heart and were loyal to Jehovah. A second tendency of Judaism was to spiritualize the kingdom by stating its blessings less and less in terms of material benefits and more and more in spiritual endowments of peace and purity. A third tendency was further to transpose the kingdom into a future age to be ushered in with great portents and wonders.
It is to be noted that Jesus follows the first two of these three tendencies, reflecting the third, to be sure, but not favoring or developing it. In fact, Jesus’ idea of the kingdom is more closely akin to that of the Old Testament’than to the apocalyptic literature of his day. The apocalyptic emphasis was more material, geographical, transcendent. Jesus’ thought was more inward, more spiritual, more immediate.
It is therefore misleading to ask whether Jesus believed that the kingdom will be the result of a gradual social evolution, or held that there will be a sudden catastrophic “Coming” which will inaugurate the kingdom. We must frankly face the fact that in accord with time-honored Jewish custom Jesus, spoke of the kingdom as both the present rule of God in human affairs and as the future complete harmonizing of human life with His will. We can understand that the rule of God is [ p. 214 ] both an individual experience and a social ideal. We should not forget that Jesus taught the gradual growth of the kingdom, while we freely and frankly admit that Jesus shared the hope of his contemporaries that God will some day manifest his power in sudden and terrible fashion. As explained in an earlier chapter, Jesus shared the current ideas of his time regarding angels and demons, regarding Hades and the life after death, regarding Old Testament events and authorship. In like manner he shared the current expectation of a great Day of Jehovah and the vindication of the faithful. But this should only serve to make all the more prominent the high ethical and spiritual ideas of the kingdom which permeated the heart of Jesus’ religion.
Look at the fig tree and all the trees: When they put on their leaves, you notice it and have the feeling that the summer is near, so when you see these things happen, be sure that the kingdom of God is near (Lk. 21 : 29, 30).
The kingdom is like a bit of yeast (Lk. 13: 20, 21).
The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his garden;—and it grew and became a tree and the birds settled in its branches (Lk. 13: 19. Cf. Dan. 4: 12).
The kingdom of God is like a man planting seed in the ground . . . first the spear of grass, then a head of grain, then the fully developed grain in the head (Mk. 4: 26, 28).
The coming kingdom was a hope which Jesus posited for the future. Jesus did not so much make special predictions regarding the future as he rather urged men to hope for better things to come. What our gospels contain is not so much a collection of fragments of his teaching, as a mosaic of his rich and splendid [ p. 215 ] hopes of the future. To say that Jesus had a teaching regarding the kingdom of God is but another way of saying that he was an optimist. He saw the great possibilities in the men about him and he had great faith in God’s love and God’s power to bless. Jesus’ confidence in the future impressed everyone about him. It was nothing short of sublime. He came into the cities of Galilee not to teach, but to urge preparation for the reign of God, beseeching his hearers to live now the life of the kingdom.
The kingdom was a part of Jesus’ own life. It was the vision which led him on. It supplied him with motive power for his ministry. It is the secret of his majesty, simple yet vital in its appeal to the men and women of his time, empowering him to raise them above all the dreariness and meanness of life into an exalted walk with God.
The kingdom seemed to Jesus at times rather distant, and again it seemed very close and immediate. “The kingdom of God does not come by watching for it” (Lk. 17: 20) or by observable signs; for the kingdom is among you and within you. In other words, Jesus spoke of a great and glorious kingdom as coming and as almost here. Like all great prophets, he pictured future spiritual blessings with such immediate and vivid clearness that people reached out their hands to grasp them and make them their own. Thus Jesus enlarged their souls and brought them nearer to God.
The kingdom is both a reward and a task. As the German puts it, the kingdom is Gabe und Aufgabe. It is a blessing to the soul, a consummation of a hope, and it is also a responsibility and demands the highest that is in us. It corresponds, on the one hand, to the love of God as a Father, who blesses, and on the other hand to the thought of God as a Lord who will one day judge us according to our deeds.
The kingdom will spread as steadily and inevitably as the yeast permeates the dough into which it is put. It will grow as vigorously as the mustard seed which after a time becomes a real tree. Anyone who watches a blade of grass develop into [ p. 216 ] a stalk of wheat cannot but share in this great hope, this magnificent confidence which Jesus possessed, that the kingdom of God will some day possess the earth.
“Bring in the poor and the crippled and the blind and the lame” (Lk. 14: 15-24).
“The messengers went out into the roads and gathered all the people they could find, whether good or bad; and the banquet hall was filled” (Matt. 22: 1-10).
“The Son of Man will send his angels and they will remove from his kingdom everything that is a hindrance or stumbling block and all who practice sinful living” (Matt. 13: 41).
“How often am I to forgive my brother?” “Until seventy times seven” (Matt. 18: 21-35).
“Whoever wishes to’ be great among you must become your servant and whoever desires to have a chief place among you must minister to everyone” (Mk. 10: 42-44).
Until a century ago, the Christian religion represented for most people a way of gaining admission into heaven. This life was considered to be only a time of probation during which chosen human souls go through the process of salvation and fit themselves for their destiny in the skies. This is what is known as the “otherworldly” view of religion.
It is readily apparent that this would not be a true picture of the religion of Jesus. For the Jews of his day there was never any thought of heaven “up yonder” as a place where mortals gather after their earthly pilgrimage is over. “Heaven” for them was the dwelling-place of God and his angels. The “kingdom” of God was an earthly institution.
Recent decades have laid great emphasis upon the social [ p. 217 ] responsibility of religion. People now are looking forward more expectantly than ever before in history to a new social order and a new beautifying of human life and human relationships. They are no longer content to leave the world as it is while they lay up treasure in heaven which they will not use until after death. Men and women of vision are laying plans for a progressive socialized religion here on earth.
Great souls are increasingly devoting their lives to the promotion and the welfare of humanity in its evolving life on this planet. What a gratifying and remarkable discovery it is which recent Christian scholars have made in finding that Jesus’ idea of the kingdom of God was concerned solely and entirely with an earthly commonwealth! In common with the Jews of his day, Jesus hoped for a new era when justice will prevail, when to justice will be added kindness and love, when brotherhood and service will find expression, when purity and strength of character will triumph.
Jesus in one particular adopted a Jewish mode of view which like demon possession and many another ancient idea, does not appeal to modern minds as natural. This is the so-called Jewish apocalyptic, the expectation that God will in a sudden and terrible manner interfere in human history and with heavenly portents bring about the consummation of the kingdom.
But the manner of the consummation is secondary, not primary. Jesus looked forward to a new birth of the world, and a new brotherhood among men. His teaching had two sides, the social and the individual.
Again, the contention that Jesus was more interested in the future kingdom of God than in the present life can no longer be upheld. The idea that Jesus told his followers how to live in the interval while awaiting the consummation of the kingdom is only a half truth. It might be said in the same way that modem social workers are not interested in the present, but in the future welfare of those who are to be helped.
Some of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples were intended for the interim before the consummation (Lk. 10: 4). As in modern [ p. 218 ] times, social settlements and foreign missions are often considered as not belonging to a perfected society, so in the words of Jesus there is an element of “interim ethics.” But for the most part, his sayings portray the ideal life of imitation of God (Matt. 5: 43-48).
“The kingdom of heaven” is an expression found frequently in the Gospel of Matthew (13: 24, 31, 33, 45, 47). In parallel passages in Luke, the expression is “kingdom of God.” Jewish feeling was accustomed to avoiding the name of deity. This explains Matthew’s preference for the word “heaven.” It is perfectly clear that when Matthew says the kingdom of heaven, he means a kingdom on earth. The kingdom is “of heaven” only in the sense that it originates in heaven and comes from there to earthly, realization.
An essential item in the thought of a new brotherly order, as Jesus hoped for it, was that God is the one who inaugurates it and brings it to reality. In modern times, man has attained a confident attitude in which he has set out boldly and courageously to bring about the better day. Many a devoted soul has lost his God somewhere between a high-school course in mythology and a college course in philosophy or science, yet has started out to help save the world without God’s assistance.
There are many leaders today, however, who feel the presence of a Power which is leading men onward and upward. It may well be that when modern social programs seem slow of realization men will fall back again upon the Christian religious conviction that God has in store greater blessings for his children than any which they can individually see and promote. Jesus’ faith in the Father above was absolute and supreme. He did not fret or worry. He lived in the presence of God.
In the centuries before Jesus, the Jews had made repeated efforts to conquer the neighboring tribes and peoples. Jesus manifested keen insight into human nature in that he did not try to curb human feelings by giving prohibitions—Thou shalt not do this and thou shalt not do that. It is to him that man owes the great discovery that the instinct of rivalry and competition [ p. 219 ] can be satisfied by a competition in service: “He who would be great among you, let him be your servant; and he who would be chief, let him be servant of all” (Mk. 10: 43, 44).
Only in this spirit can Jesus’ hope of the kingdom be understood. It is positive in its thought. It does away with law. It uses the fire of the soul in beneficial ways. It is the consecration of what is best and highest in the individual and in the nation to the service and happiness of all.
Democracy is one of the leading characteristics of the kingdom. When a man came to Jesus and exclaimed that it would be a great privilege to be among the invited guests when God prepared the banquet of the kingdom, Jesus replied with the story of Lk. 14: 15 ff.: “Go out into the streets of the city and bring in the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame . . . then go out along the country roads and have the people come in.” All classes and all peoples will join hands in one great fellowship.
Another characteristic of the kingdom will be the removal of evil influences and all causes of sin, and “all things that cause stumbling” (Matt. 13: 41). The idea so vital in all modern social programs, that environment has much to do with moral imperfection, was anticipated by the prophets and stated by Jesus. Not only will the righteous receive blessing, but men and women will be so situated that they will naturally want to do the noble deed and live the life of service.
Service, as has been so often stated, is the dominant note. The kingdom of God (Lk. 19: 11) is pictured in the story of the man who made good use of his opportunity while the man who kept his talent “laid up in a napkin” is denounced as worthless.
The story of the good Samaritan tells more plainly than any formal statement could do that the greatest thing in the kingdom of God is service in time of need, without regard to race or nation or creed or religion. “Whatever you would like men to do for you, do just that for them” (Lk. 6: 31).
The day is certainly coming—modern men of vision believe [ p. 220 ] it as confidently as did Jesus—when all men everywhere shall be filled with the spirit of the new day, and sin and the causes of sin shall be no more, when health and strength of body and soul shall create a new nation and a new world.
The terms “kingdom” and “king” are not very popular in twentieth-century America, especially since the World War. Opinion is widespread that kings will become fewer and fewer as history advances and that kingdoms will be superseded by republics and democracies and free states. Few people in America have ever seen a king or know anything directly about the administration of a kingdom.
Jesus was born in a kingdom. The traditional form of government among the Jews was the kingdom. They regarded their greatest era of prosperity as that of the days of King David and hoped for the restoration of that kingdom (Acts i: 6; Mk. 9: 12).
If Christian leaders of today should use the term “republic of God” they would be translating into American terms the archaic phrase “kingdom of God.” The new name would have much more meaning and interest than the old. Even though values are inherent in the use of the old, there is no reason for not using both names, side by side, speaking both of the new kingdom which is to come and of the new and divine republic or democracy or commonwealth of the future.
God is king in the sense that his subjects do not elect a different sovereign every few years. On the other hand, the Christian religion has always preferred to call God, Father, a term which is much more appropriate to the idea of a republic. In the religion of Jesus, God is no longer a king in the old, Oriental sense. To be sure, some of our most widely recognized church catechisms teach that “The chief end of man is to glorify God.” On the other hand, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
[ p. 221 ]
In the republic of God of the future, God will be the representative of his people. The spirit of brotherhood in the hearts of his countless family is his spirit, an indwelling power which all who seek may find. This power Christians believe is eternal, absolute, omnipotent in the sense that God has been at work through all the ages of evolution and will finally prevail over every obstacle and become supreme throughout the world.
The international emphasis is very marked in the religion of Jesus. According to the earliest sources of our gospels, he admires the faith of the Roman centurion (Lk. 7:2) and tells the story of the good Samaritan (Lk. 10: 30). In the twentieth century, as never before in history, internationalism is superseding nationalism. War has been outlawed and will become obsolete as a means for settling international disputes. There will be a parliament of the nations, a league of the peoples, a fraternity of races, a spirit of service expressed by one country toward another, especially toward one in particular need.
America would seem to be the nation chosen of God to lead in the realization of a new era of human brotherhood. Battleships and economic prosperity cannot do it. Only the spirit of service, as exemplified in the personal religion of Jesus can attain the great goal. In America as nowhere else is the meltingpot of the nations. Here leaders of vision are needed who can interpret the peoples, one to another, who can give them visions of the fatherhood of God, who can inspire men and women to attain the high ideals of brotherhood which the future holds.
The childhood of the human race stretches back many thousands of years. No historian can be a pessimist. When he considers what the human race was 50,000 years ago in its savagery and destitution, he is vividly impressed by the advance which has been gained. Living conditions, governments, science and invention, art and religion, all tell the same story.
In 1928, a newspaper article announced that the scourge of yellow fever had at last been completely vanquished. At the time the article was published, there was not on record anywhere in the world a single case of that terrible human affliction. [ p. 222 ] Men now know only through printed statistics that as late as a century ago this pestilence was in the habit of striking cities of Europe and slaying from a quarter to a third of the entire population.
This is only one example out of many hundreds. Disease and crime and every kind of evil are being understood more thoroughly with every passing year. Health of body and mind and spirit are being constructed carefully and constantly. Idealism and courage and purity of purpose were never so much needed nor so much appreciated as today. American youth is seeing the vision which Jesus saw in Galilee. The kingdom of God is at hand. The spiritual brotherhood proclaimed by the religion of Jesus is not far distant.
Burton, Teaching of Jesus , pp. 256-274.
Kent, Life and Teaching of Jesus , pp. 167-176.
Mathews, The Social Teaching of Jesus.
McCown, The Genesis of the Social Gospel pp. 3-36, 329-378.
Peabody, Jesus Christ and the Social Question.
Rausciienbusch, Christianity and the Social Crisis.
Walker, Teaching of Jesus and Jewish Teaching , pp. 311-350.
Wendt, Teaching of Jesus , Vol. I, pp. 364-408; Vol. II, pp. 340-383.
Zenos, Plastic Age of the Gospel pp. 74-107.