The Nature Of The Kingdom

Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)

In my most recent post, I received a comment to which I was replying… when I realized that the comment was way too long to be a comment. And, I wanted to bring to light some more thoughts I had on that “What If?” article I linked to last time.

The comment I reads:

Mike said…
Greg… So, if i’m understanding what this interpretation is saying, ‘we’ are the Kingdom of Heaven? We are the pearl that the merchant sold everything to get? Are we the treasure that was found, re-hid, and then unearthed again? That’s the one that most intrigues me. The Kindgom of Heaven was found… then hidden again until the finder had sold everything to purchase the land, and then re-found once the land was his. fun!

Perhaps the Kingdom is not the object of the story, but the nature of it. Perhaps the Kingdom is as simple as the God who is love. The three stories have in common the one who is seeking, and then finds, and then gives everything to have what he has found. (At least, the first two stories include the last part there.)

Not sure about the chronology of the analogy… but it really seems to fit my picture of who God is, and the nature of his Kingdom. It’s so backwards. The one who should be served, is the one who serves. The one who should be loved, is the one who loves.

Jen was reading Zaccheus’ story again recently to the kids, and Jesus says at the end of that time that he came looking for the lost. Sounds like that guy who was “on the lookout for choice pearls”.

I love the way that story reads with that different perspective.

The kingdom of heaven is not something to be laid hold of… or taken by force. (Jesus talked about that somewhere..) It’s a reality where we are the objects of God’s love. We are the beloved, and he is the lover. Scripture reveals that over and over.

I do not think that his love detracts from his holiness, or his deity. Nor is it a removed, obligatory love… just “part of his nature”. Rather, I think those attributes magnify the audacity of his love. It’s outrageous, and not what should be. The King should not be the one who is in love with his servants. But the Kingdom is backwards from what it is “supposed” to be.

Everyday in the Kingdom (it would seem) is “Opposite Day”. 🙂

Know you are loved. It is the good news. It makes all the difference in the world. It makes it a different world.

One Comment

  1. I think that is a very cool way to read the scripture, especially when one, after thinking this way, begins to think of its application in light of other scriptures, especially ones like Ephesians 5 (be imitators of Christ). Think about it – it’s our journey as well, so the parables could be speaking of all of us! Just as God – the triune God – searched, found, and serves, so are we too to search, and when we inevitably find God (as one who searches does), we are to serve; each other, the world, and God.

    I think that this is one of my favorite things about scripture; you can read it backwards and forwards and every time it will reveal something different – yet still true – about God’s character. I’ve been most interested lately in God as a missionary (giving up heaven to search for his lost sheep, and when found, serving by dying). I think this set of parables might speak to that quite well.

    We are not to leave the treasure buried in the ground, but to sell all we have and then purchase the field, unearth it, plant it, and reap a harvest (start adding in the other parables on growing seeds to this whole equation and the picture gets way bigger). We are to serve humanity, not to leave our lamps covered in the night! So cool …

    Reply

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