Believe the Good News!

The kingdom of God? Time after time Jesus tries to drum into our heads what he means by it. . . .  What he seems to be saying is that the Kingdom of God is the time, or a time beyond time, when  it will no longer be humans in their lunacy who are in charge of the world but God in his mercy who will be in charge of the world. It's the time above all else for wild rejoicing—like getting out of jail, like being cured of cancer, like finally, at long last, coming home. And it is at hand, Jesus says.  (Frederick Buechner)

“The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15) With these words, Jesus tells us that his coming creates a new situation and that the new situation calls for decisive action. It might be like someone telling you, “I've just deposited a hundred million dollars in your bank account—so stop living like a pauper and start acting like the wealthy person that you really are!” Or maybe, “The building is on fire—so jump into the safety net!” The first sentence contains a verb in the indicative mood to describe “what is.” The second sentence contains a verb in the imperative mood to describe “what to do” in light of “what is.” In the case of Jesus' message, “the kingdom of God is near” describes the situation and "repent/believe the good news" describes the appropriate action.

Again and again, through his actions and parables, Jesus demonstrated the way God's reign has already become present and how we may appropriate and experience it.  For example, God in Christ has forgiven us of our trespasses. So we are called to trust in this forgiveness and extend it to one another. God in Christ assures us of our daily bread, and we are called to trust in this providential care and share our bread with others. God in Christ drives out demons, therefore we have boldness to attack the gates of hell that keep humankind in bondage.  We turn from self-seeking attitudes and behaviors (“repentance”) and seek our security in God alone ("faith") because our Heavenly Father knows what we need. Our Lord reigns!

In spite of misunderstandings by Jesus' original Jewish followers (and some modern day American Christians), the kingdom has nothing to do with an earthly, political theocracy. The kingdom is not a geographic, material dominion, but a spiritual one (Acts 1:6-9). It does not involve institutional positions of honor or power (Mark 10:35-45). It is not based on the accumulation of worldly goods (Mt 6:19-24). Nor is it based on the coercion or violence that characterize worldly organizations and governments (Mt 26:47-54; Jn 18:36). The kingdom is the realm of human hearts where God's love holds sway. The reign of God was fully manifested in Jesus Christ the Word, "full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14). Now that reign takes root in the hearts of all who, united to Christ by faith, surrender their lives to God's transforming will. "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed . . . . in fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (Lk 17:20-21).

When we sing “Reign in me, sovereign Lord, reign in me,” or pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” we place ourselves in the transforming magnetic field of God's kingdom. And although this kingdom is personal rather than political, it does have definite social consequences. Jesus did not simply substitute an individualized concept of the kingdom for the political one expected by the Jews. It is quite clear that his vision of the kingdom includes a new and miraculous social order. He did not come merely to redeem individuals, but to redeem relationships. The reign of God is not something kept hidden away in one's heart. It shines forth in reconciliation between alienated spouses, love for enemies, forgiveness of debts, sharing with the poor, and a family-like community of “brothers” and “sisters” that we call “Church.” In these ways we display the signs of Christ's present and coming kingdom.
 
Although we cannot achieve the coming of God's kingdom by our own action, we are not therefore led into an attitude of passivity.  No way!  It is only those who firmly believe that the reign of God comes miraculously from above who have the courage to seize through prayer and obedience the promised blessings that God's kingdom brings.  When confronted with obstacles to God's reign, we can still work patiently and joyfully to be channels of God's grace.  We become the voice of Jesus to announce the gift of a new world: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The Reign of God

What, specifically, is the good news that Jesus proclaimed?  According to the Gospels, Jesus announced that the final and absolute reign of God predicted for the end of time, the new creation foreseen by the prophets, the "Kingdom of God," was now coming into the world through Jesus' own words and acts.  "The time has come," he says.  "The kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)

The "reign of God" which Jesus heralds does not mean the constant providential care which God has given the universe since its creation.  Rather he startles his hearers with unbelievable news that the ancient plan of God to upend the present course of the world, wipe out Satan's bondage of sin and death, terminate all pain and sorrow, and save the broken creation is on the brink of full realization (Lk 10:18-19).  Because God is love, another term for God's kingdom might be "Love's Dominion" or the "Triumph of God's Love."  Jesus, the bearer of  divine love, himself inaugurates and embodies the eschatological, all-powerful reign of God (Lk 11:20).

The kingdom of God is synonymous with the "salvation of God" and the "peace (shalom) of God."  When Jesus preached that the kingdom is at hand, he was understood to be saying that the day of God's salvation had dawned.  This is truly "good news" because human efforts to throw off the crushing weight of evil in the world and in our own hearts have led nowhere.  What a comfort to know that God is riding to the rescue.  The reign of God is a miraculous event, brought about by God alone without our help.  As Jesus forgives sin, heals the sick, feeds the poor, casts out demons, and raises the dead we see God's new world relentlessly pushing out the old (Lk 7:18-23). 

We can do nothing to usher in God's new creation, to assist in its construction, or expand it.  It is a sovereign act of God himself.  It is his reign.  We simply plead, "Thy kingdom come," knowing that in Christ the kingdom has come, is coming right now, and will come (Mt 6:10; 12:28; Lk 22:18; Mk 9:1).  Jesus invites us to seek out and enter the kingdom, to hold ourselves in readiness for it (Mt. 6:33; Lk 13:24; Mt 25:1-13; Lk 12:35-40) but it is God who gives the kingdom to whomever he will (Lk 12:32; Mt. 5:3,10).  Some rabbis taught that if Israel could keep God's law perfectly for two weeks, God's longed-for reign would come.  Jesus rebuts this salvation-by-human-effort view entirely.  Kingdom seekers put their whole trust in God's acts, not their own (Mt 6:25-34).  God's reign is experienced by believing, not achieving.  We cannot seize it, but only receive it like little children (Mk 10:13-15).  It is because of the wholly gratuitous nature of God's reign that Jesus calls it "Good news"!

Note: To really "get" the freeness of God's reign we should all read the above scripture references and let them slap us in the face.  Only Christ's radical words can arouse us from the stupor of works-righteousness.
Photo:  "Christ the Redeemer" on top of Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro.