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The Kingdom

trib-al's picture
Submitted by trib-al on Sun, 01/03/2010 - 20:16

          It was cold, windy and a light, yet steady rain was falling. I parked the car, climbed over the guardrail and worked my way down the slope that led to a small encampment. Several students followed my lead, parking their cars, climbing over the guardrail, descending the slope, as well. Most of us carried boxes of socks, rain slickers, winter coats and blankets. One or two students carried boxes filled with sandwiches, apples, oranges and bananas. The encampment was partially covered by a freeway that bridged the river and we could hear the cars flying by overhead. The river, its banks rain-swollen and near flood stage, roared nearby adding to the cacophony of sounds: wind, rain, and speeding cars. Perhaps that’s why no one came out to greet us, I thought. Then I remembered the article I’d read in the paper.
     Not really an article, actually – just a single paragraph reporting the death of a homeless man that had sought shelter beneath the bridge. Some passing motorist and a few passengers had stopped on the overpass, removed several large rocks from the trunk of their car and dropping them over the side, bombarded the homeless camp below. One man lay sleeping beneath a piece of plastic. He was killed instantly. Witnesses alleged it was a group of high school kids, probably no different than the group of kids I had brought with me, at least no different in terms of outward appearances. Were it me, I would have hidden, too.
     We stood in the middle of the camp waiting awkwardly. Finally a large man with shoulder-length red hair, a beard to match and a five foot steel pipe, stepped out from behind a bridge support pillar. The students wanted to run. I told them to stay put and started to walk over to introduce myself to the man. A couple of my students were muscle bound jocks and thought I needed backup, whatever that meant to them, I don’t know. I smiled, reassured them that everything would be fine and asked them to stay with the rest of our team. By the time I reached the man holding the steel pipe he’d been joined by others, each carrying some form of equalizer: one held a two by four, others clasped large rocks and chunks of concrete, and one man was carrying a metal trashcan lid, of all things. Years previously, I could have been one of them – on the streets, living hard and hopeless. I understood their mistrust.     
     Luke tells us the Pharisees once asked Jesus “when the kingdom of God would come (Luke 17:20, NIV).” Jesus responded with, “The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21, NIV).” If we could grasp that concept our lives would be completely changed. The key word to the passage is within, translated from the word, ἐντός. Literally translated, it means, inside. It is used in Matthew 23:26 to reference the inside of a cup. There’s no mistake here. Jesus clearly said to imperfect, judgmental, doctrinally incorrect, pious church leaders that the Kingdom of God is inside them. What about the others in attendance? Were they any more perfect than the Pharisees? The disciples were an eclectic collection of both educated and uneducated men. They were a mix of both blue collar and white collar workers whose religious beliefs were so far off base that they often engaged in heated arguments about which of them would be first in the kingdom. Later, one of the disciples would attempt to separate a young man’s head from his shoulders and even deny knowing Jesus three times over. Another disciple would betray Him for a bit of spending money. The Pharisees themselves would manipulate the political scene, which in turn would lead to the crucifixion. And sadly, only one of the disciples would be present when Jesus was crucified. The rest of the disciples, displaying no concept of relational commitment, had fled, abandoning Jesus when He needed them most. Far from perfect, ego-driven, shallow and corrupt – still Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21, NIV).”
     It took several minutes to sort things out with Red (his actual nickname) and his friends. They and I approached the students together and for the next two hours we hung out together beneath the bridge. Their stories were sad and I could see the empathy etching itself into the hearts of my students.
     When we returned to the campus to debrief and discuss the afternoon’s experience I asked my students one question – what did our homeless friends have in common with Jesus? Finally, one student ventured a guess, “Jesus was homeless, too.” Remember the text? Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20, NIV).” Another student said, “They’re just like us. They belong just as much as we do.” My grandfather told me that the best lessons in life are not taught, they are caught and it was this kingdom concept that both the students and I caught that rainy afternoon, sharing a few things with others who could just as easily been standing in the crowd listening to Jesus. 
     The Kingdom of God is inside everyone with whom we come in contact. Regardless of political beliefs, religious backgrounds, financial portfolios, social status, employment, homeless or otherwise, even proclivities and behavior that may not reflect the kingdom as I see fit, everyone I so much as glance at, possesses the kingdom of God. It is not my responsibility to decide who’s in and who’s out. It is not within my purview to decide who has the kingdom within and who has not. That formidable task belongs to God, thank heaven. (Besides, the commandment about not taking God’s name in vain might very well apply to assuming certain roles that belong only to God.) I am called to do two things – love others as God loves me and continue choosing to keep the kingdom within me.
~ Pastor Al