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"Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came
to Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God,
and saying, The Time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of
God is at hand, repent ye and believe the gospel."
(Mark 1: 14,15).
When Jesus emerged from the obscurity of His early years,
after His baptism and temptation, He began his public ministry,
these were His first recorded words. The Kingdom of God was
to be His constant theme. The thoughts He uttered on that
were to dominate all He was to say, think and do thereafter.
He spoke of the Kingdom of God to Nicodemus at the beginning
of His ministry and to Pilate at its end. His teaching and
preaching were an explanation of how people could become citizens
of the Kingdom. He claimed from the beginning that the expectation
of centuries was to be fulfilled and in it He would play the
primary part.
The emphasis of the Old Testament was that God is King. In
the beginning days of Israel's nationhood He was the ruler
and it was a theocracy. But the prophet Samuel was faced with
a people who wanted a man as King like the nations around
them. And that man would be the anointed of God and Saul was
chosen, the first of many good, bad and indifferent rulers.
The uncertainties, imperfections and unworthiness of some
of them made the people pray that God would send his chosen
one to rule the world. When that happened there would be justice,
stability and universality. Jesus claimed that in Him that
expectation was realised.
The Kingdom, as He described it, was different from what
they envisaged. The emphasis was not on prestige, power and
prosperity, materially, but on the spiritual conquest of the
hearts and minds of people by the power of God. There would
be material benefits for "our God shall supply all your
need." That thought is enshrined in the Lord's Prayer.
It has the marks of the Old Testament ideal of justice, peace,
stability and universality.
Theodore Parker said:
"Justice is the idea of God, the ideal of man, the rule
of nature writ in the nature of mankind".
Peace is the effect of faith in God and the product of people
who live to do what is in the will and purpose of Christ for
them and people everywhere, to love one another. There is
stability in the belief that He reigns in the hearts and minds
of all who believe in Him; and universality, for the Kingdom
of God is inclusive, except of those who refuse to belong
to it. There are no barriers of race, class or colour.
When Jesus spoke of faith and trust in God He used a youngster
to describe the essentials like the humility and honesty of
children. He said people should learn and retain the lessons
of childhood. Humility Spurgeon said this:
"The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be
in his own esteem."
Flavel added:
"They that know God will be humble; they that know
themselves cannot be proud."
Extremely lacking in that virtue was Kaiser William II of
whom his servant said,
"My master is an ass. When he goes to a Christening
he wants to be the baby; when he goes to a wedding he wants
to be the bride; when he goes to a funeral he wants to be
the corpse".
No comparison, of course, but John spoke disapprovingly of
disciples who wanted to be pre-eminent. But then there was
James and John who asked Jesus for the first places in the
Kingdom. How unlike Him who said "I am among you as He
who serves." They serve God well who serve others.
"Teach me, my God and King.
In all things thee to see;
And what I do in everything,
To do it as for thee" (George Herbert)
The chorus of the modern hymn, "From heaven you came,
helpless babe",
"this is our God, the servant King,
He calls us now to follow him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the Servant King"
- Think on These Things by Rev. Dr. Canon S.E. Long, published
by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, is available from
Schomberg House, 368 Cregagh Road, Belfast, BT6 9EY, priced
£5.00 including UK postage.
Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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