For the Sake of the Gospel #3

For the Sake of the Gospel #3
The Kingdom of God
Fr. Frank Matera
July 15, 2012

In last week’s column I highlighted the relationship between the gospel and the kingdom of God. The gospel is the good news about Jesus as well as the good news that Jesus proclaimed. The good news that Jesus proclaims is that the kingdom of God is making its appearance in his ministry. Consequently, the gospel that Jesus proclaims is the good news about God’s kingdom.
            In this week’s column I would like to summarize what Jesus understands by the kingdom of God and how he proclaims it. The kingdom of God, as I noted last week, is God’s rule over our lives—the reign of God. To enter into the kingdom, then, we must submit ourselves to God’s rule and reign rather than to the rule of Sin and Death. To show that the kingdom is making it appearance in his ministry, Jesus cures the sick, raises the dead, drives out demons, and even overcomes the chaotic and destructive forces of nature. By these mighty deeds, he demonstrates that God’s kingdom is breaking into our lives. Consequently, we must reorient our lives and believe in the gospel that Jesus proclaims if we hope to be part of God’s new creation.
            One of the most frequent ways in which Jesus describes the kingdom is through the use of parables, especially the parables in Mark 4 and Matthew 13. For example, in the Gospel of Mark, he compares the kingdom to a tiny seed that appears insignificant when we plant it, but when it sprouts and grows it becomes a large tree in which all the birds of the air find a home. So it is with the kingdom of God. It seems hidden and insignificant at the present time. Sometimes we can’t even see it, but there will be a moment when God’s rule will be revealed in all of its power and glory. And on that day, all will see the kingdom and those who have lived in accordance with God’s will enter the kingdom.
            In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a pearl of extraordinary beauty for which a merchant has been searching his whole life long. When he finds this pearl he sells all that he has to purchase it. So it is with the kingdom of God. It is worth forsaking all else to enter into the kingdom.
            The kingdom of God is a way of speaking about God’s rule over history and creation. Those who allow God to rule over their lives are no longer under the powers of Sin and Death that formerly controlled their lives. Those who have entered the kingdom have found the pearl of great price. To be sure, there are times when it is difficult to see the kingdom since it has not yet been revealed in all of its power and glory. Those who believe in the gospel, however, see its first glimmerings in their lives and the world about them. And so they live in a new way. Freed from the powers of Sin and Death, they are able to live with a generosity of spirit and graciousness of heart that astounds those who have not entered the kingdom.
            I next week’s column I will discuss the shape and contours of our new life in the kingdom as described in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.