LEARNING DAILY

Luke 17:20-21, Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘see there!’ For indeed the kingdom of God is within you.”

Often signs are seen at football games with John 3:16. In a game on Saturday, the Texas quarterback had Luke 17:21 written on his forearm. That obviously caught my attention and I had to look it up. I have been considering what “the kingdom of God is within you” means.

Jesus was responding to a question asked Him by the Pharisees. They wanted to know when the kingdom of God would come; no doubt they were looking for a political kingdom. Jesus responded by saying, “the kingdom of God is within you”. His answer does not mean God’s kingdom was within the Pharisees! His response referred to the kingdom of God as a spiritual kingdom and had arrived with His coming. The Pharisees opposed Jesus and had no relationship with the Father. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that he had brought the kingdom of God with Him and His life, the miracles He had done, His teachings was giving them a taste of what God’s kingdom was like. In other scripture Jesus called the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs because of their words and life did not match.

The kingdom of God does not come as some earthly political power. Even today, the Jewish belief is that the Messiah has not come.  Jesus was saying that God was standing before them in Him. The kingdom of God will be established on earth and the Lord Jesus Christ will rule this kingdom as the Lord of lords and King of kings with Jerusalem as His capital. That is the promise found in both the Old and New Testament writings.

Until that time the kingdom of God is found in the heart of those who have accepted the salvation Jesus Christ brought. Believers find their true home in God’s kingdom right now and walk a narrow way consisting of righteousness, peace, joy, and love found in the power of the Holy Spirit, the helper, Jesus sends to all who believe in Him. It is in this power that Believers live, demonstrating the salvation He brings defeating the power of sin, sickness, death, and trials Satan and those in the world try to bring against them. It is not by nations conquering other nations or by leaders who want to establish and dominate others.

When Jesus stood before Pilate He was asked about His kingdom. Jesus replied, ”My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but my Kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). What is seen then, is the kingdom of God is present and near in those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, those who have received the Holy Spirit. And it is a real kingdom and time when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign with power and dominion over the earth. What a wonderful promise to live and walk in as believers. It is a wonderful promise to consider as we begin to celebrate the birth of the One who brought that promise to reality!

Oh, and by the way, the quarterback set a record for the number of passing yards during this game. Debate all you want; I know I was not the only one to notice the Scripture verse on his arm…..