CHRISTIANITY 101: IN SEARCH OF THE KINGDOM
On January 15th, 2009, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City…bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. During its initial ascent, the plane struck a flock of Canadian Geese and lost engine power, forcing the plane to land in the Hudson River. The event came to be known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” It made a hero and a household name out of a pilot known as Sully Sullenberger.
A man named Rick Elias was a passenger on that flight. He was sitting in seat number one-D. He later said that as the eerily silent plane descended toward the Hudson River, his mind was filled with thoughts about his life, his work, and his family. He said that he thought about all the people to whom he wished he could reach out – all the fences he wanted to mend – but couldn’t. He said that in that moment, he was sad about how often his priorities had gotten twisted around. He regretted the time he had wasted on things that didn’t really matter. He said that on that day – as the plane plunged toward the river – he knew he was going to die…and, while he was not afraid, he was sad. He was sad because he felt as though he had missed out on the most important things in life. Then, after the event was over, and he and the others survived, he said, “I was given the gift of two miracles that day. The first was that I survived. The second…was that I was afforded the opportunity to live my life differently.”
Along those lines, there’s a wonderful prayer that Jewish people often use on the Sabbath Day. It goes like this: “The days pass, and the years vanish; and we walk sightless among miracles.” Ah, some pretty wonderful things do happen in this lifetime…things we often fail to even notice. Keep that thought in mind as we move on.
Last week we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin. Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make. Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative. Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue. Our goal is to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.
Today we’re going to begin by going in search of the kingdom of God. Suppose you took the time to read the gospels. If you did, you would find that Jesus mentions the kingdom of God more than one hundred times. As Dr. James Bryan Smith once put it, “It is much more difficult to find a teaching of Jesus that is not about the kingdom…than it is to find one that is.” Perhaps we could go so far as to say that the kingdom of God is a central tenet of the Christian faith.
Consider the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. Jesus had recently been baptized and was coming off of forty days of temptation in the wilderness. The passage we read marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. And what were the very first words to come out of Jesus’ mouth? He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Now let me quickly clarify something here. The Greek words translated “kingdom of heaven” are basileia tone huranown. They literally mean, “kingdom of heaven.” The word huranown itself – translated heaven – literally means, “the dwelling place of God.” The Greek words translated “kingdom of God” are basileia tou Theou. My Greek lexicon says that the phrases basileia tone huranown and basileia tou Theou can be used interchangeably. In other words, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven…are the very same thing.
Now before Matthew tells us what Jesus said, he takes a moment to explain why Jesus said it. He tells us that Jesus did not begin his ministry in Galilee until John the Baptist had been arrested. Jesus then left his home town of Nazareth, some 65 miles north of Jerusalem, and made his home in Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Now there’s a very specific and important reason why Jesus chose to make his home in Capernaum.
The town of Capernaum was situated in the old Jewish territories of Zebulun and Naphtali. What were the old Jewish territories of Zebulun and Naphtali? Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the twelve sons of the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob. Recall that during a time of famine, Jacob and his family were forced to move to Egypt, where next-to-youngest son Joseph had risen to become second in command. Finding themselves in bondage some four hundred years later, Moses led the twelve tribes of Israel out of Egypt – died before they reached the Promised Land – and then Joshua led the conquest of Canaan. Once the land was theirs, the Hebrew people divided it into twelve large parcels, giving one to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali received adjoining parcels of land on the north side of Canaan, and that’s where the town of Capernaum sat in Jesus’ day.
So why does it matter that the town of Capernaum sat in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali? It matters because of something the prophet Isaiah said nearly 800 years before. He said, “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali – on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” In other words, Isaiah prophesied that the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali would be the first to encounter God’s Messiah.
Now when Isaiah said those words, the nation of Israel was enduring persecution at the hand of the nation of Assyria. The words Isaiah spoke reflected the promise of God’s deliverance. Ultimately, God delivered them by the hand of King Hezekiah. In Jesus’ day, the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were enduring persecution from the nation of Rome. They sat in the region and shadow of death; they sat in the midst of taxation and occupation and oppression. This time, deliverance would come by the hand of Jesus Christ. Yet the deliverance would not be quite the same. It would not be a physical deliverance. It would be a spiritual deliverance.
After carefully setting the scene, Matthew records Jesus’ first proclamation, which was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Greek word translated “repent” is metanoia. It literally means, “a change of heart or mind.” A lot of people think the word “repent” means, “shape up,” as in, “Shape up or ship out.” Thus, the proclamation of Jesus here appears to be a kind of threat. But the fact of the matter is: it is not a threat. It is…an invitation.
The story with which we introduced this sermon is a perfect example of what repentance really is. Rick Elias was a passenger on U.S. Airways flight 1549. As the plane was going down, he was convinced he was going to die. He was not afraid to die; he was sad about the way he’d lived his life. His priorities had been out of order. He had neglected time with God, he had neglected time for self-care, and he had neglected his investment in important relationships. Then, when he survived, he had a genuine change of heart. He felt he experienced two miracles that day. The first was that he survived. The second was that he was given the opportunity to live his life differently. That, my friends, is true repentance. That, my friends, is a genuine change of heart and mind.
Now most of us would probably rather avoid a near-death experience to motivate us to change our hearts and minds. Fortunately, Jesus gives us a few less death-defying ways it can be done. In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In Mark 10:15, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And finally, in John 3:5, Jesus adds, “Truly, truly, I say to you; no one can enter the kingdom of God…without being born of water and the Spirit.”
In the Matthew passage, Jesus indicates that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. At first glance, that may seem like a bit of a daunting challenge. The scribes and the Pharisees were very good at abiding by the laws of God. Yet truth be told, Jesus was often critical of the scribes and the Pharisees because their righteousness was primarily external. They were more concerned with ritualistic hand-washing than they were with justice and mercy. The righteousness we need is humility, purity of heart, and a desire to work on those aspects of our souls that are most important: things like integrity, gentleness, mercy, and love. The scribes and the Pharisees were overly concerned with outward appearances. Jesus is saying that in order to encounter the kingdom of God, we need to work on our interior life.
In the Mark passage, the requirement for entering the kingdom of God is to become like a child. Let me point out here that there is a difference between child-like-ness and child-ish-ness. I think Jesus is aiming at child-like-ness. Children, by nature, are innocent and trusting. They do not naturally judge or hate other human beings. Those are learned behaviors. Love comes naturally to a child. Yet perhaps the most important thing of all about childlikeness is that children to not feel the need to be in control. And maybe that’s the key. As long as we insist upon maintaining control over every aspect of our lives, we will never enter the kingdom of God.
In the John passage, Jesus talks about being born of water and the Spirit. When the ancients spoke of being born of water, they were not speaking of baptism. They were speaking about natural birth. All of us – if we are alive – are born of water. Being born of the Spirit, however, is another matter entirely. To be born of the Spirit is to be guided by the Spirit. While this is not something we can control – while this is, in fact, something that happens in God’s good time – in order to enter the kingdom of God…we must surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit of God.
Yet perhaps the most important thing Jesus is indicating here is that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. The kingdom of God is also a present reality. In other words, we can abide in the kingdom of God in the here and now. Thus, the kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks is not a place. The kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks…is an interactive relationship with God. Again, the kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks is not a place. The kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks is an interactive relationship with God.
A number of years ago there was a man who had a wonderful wife and four beautiful children. He lived in a quaint, small town and life for him was good. He and his wife could go out to dinner because they had lots of trustworthy babysitters around, and he got to spend a lot of time with his kids. His life was full because his life was perfectly balanced.
Then he came up for a big promotion in the company for which he worked. That man desperately wanted that big promotion. He and his family prayed for it. He even enlisted his small group Bible study to pray for it. In the end, he received that big promotion. He and his family picked up stakes and left the small town in which they had lived for many years to move to the big city. It was the answer to a prayer…or was it?
That man now lives in a community where “keeping up with the Joneses,” is of vital importance. He now has to commute nearly two hours to work each day. He gets up at five, leaves the house at six, and gets to work by seven. He seldom gets home before 9:00 at night. His wife and his kids are not up when he leaves, and the children are often in bed before he gets back home. His career is obviously tremendously successful. Unfortunately, his life is not. He longs for the days when life was simpler. He longs for the days when his life was more balanced.
How did that old Jewish saying go? “The days pass, and the years vanish; and we walk sightless among miracles?” One man was in possession of the kingdom of God, yet he was too blind to see it. The kingdom of God is not a place; the kingdom of God is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind. May we be wise enough to see it when it’s right before our eyes. Amen.
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