Day 10: Your Kingdom Come
In 605 BC a young jewish man was taken into captivity in Babylon along with many of his fellow Israelites. He served in the king's palace and learned a new language and culture while maintaining unwavering faith in the God of his people. His name was Daniel and God gave him knowledge and understanding of visions and dreams that foretold the future of his people and their captors.
Daniel told of an everlasting kingdom, one more powerful than all others. What was a message of doom to his captors was a message of hope for his own people. The King of Babylon and his captors heard the message loud and clear; "the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever."*
The people of Israel held this hope and watched with anticipation for this coming kingdom throughout the time of their captivity. Even after being freed and returning to Jerusalem the people continued to await this kingdom ruled by the anointed one...Messiah.
In the final written words of the Old Testament, the people are told that the Lord is going to send his messenger to prepare his way. The people are encouraged to watch and wait. And they do.
For 400 years. Long quiet years where no prophet comes forth with more words of the LORD.
Just silence. And waiting. And watching.
Until the opening lines of the gospel of Mark, the second book of the New Testament, which is believed to be the earliest gospel written. It begins with the same opening words of the Old Testament, "The beginning..."
And it is! It's new creation, and it's breathtaking. A man, Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee, who is also said to be the Son of God, is declaring that finally..."the kingdom of God has come near!"** The day foretold by the prophets...it's here! He keeps talking to people about it. A lot. There are only 16 chapters in the gospel of Mark, and Jesus manages to talk about the kingdom 18 times! It's his favourite subject. In fact, the heartbeat of Jesus' message on earth flowed out of this idea, that the kingdom of God had come near. So it shouldn't surprise us that he teaches his disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come." However, what might be unclear to us, is what exactly that means.
And we're not alone. Time and time again in the gospels we see Jesus' followers confused about the specifics of this new kingdom. Jesus is constantly reminding them that his kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world. And time and time again they fight for power and position, urge Jesus to do the same, and wait "patiently" for Jesus to overthrow the Roman government, take his place as the rightful king of Israel and free them from Roman occupation.
Except He doesn't. He walks humbly in the land and urges people to live as good citizens, love the foreigner and pay their taxes. The only people he seems to want to subvert are the Jewish religious leaders themselves, and in the end they have him crucified at the hands of the Romans (who seriously wonder what he ever did wrong!)
Thing is, we have the same trouble Jesus' disciples did understanding the kingdom. Some people assume that the kingdom is something that will come about at the end of time in some spiritual realm("Heaven"), but it’s important to see that Jesus saw the Kingdom as coming in the present and not only in (the) heaven(s), but also here on earth. More about that next week. Others assume the kingdom of God is just another way to describe the Church, but the Church wasn't even established yet when Jesus was going around saying the kingdom had come. These days, many people believe the kingdom of God needs to come through politics, even though Jesus clearly demonstrated his kingdom as non-political. It wasn't to play out as a powerful nation state...but instead as a family.
Scholars often talk about the Kingdom as God's rule and reign, the spiritual reality where Jesus is the true king. He inaugurated the kingdom when he came to earth, was crucified, resurrected and ascended to the throne as King, and will someday ultimately reign over all creation. Dallas Willard is known for describing the kingdom as "where what God wants done is done." Because I think the theme of kingdom is a thread running through the whole Biblical story, I like to define it as God's people living in His presence under His rule.
Which brings some clarity at least to Jesus' instruction to pray "your kingdom come." This line ushers in a posture of a humble servant, desiring the King to have his way. The purpose is one of submission to this long awaited good King. If you're listening closely, this will probably make you squirm. And that's okay...because we'd all be honest to admit it'd be much easier to pray "my kingdom come."
But friend, you must believe that the benefits of the kingdom await. So “fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."***
Let us not forget that we have come to a truly good and compassionate Father, one so beyond our comprehension in magnificence and yet draws near in love, one who longs for His child to see the beauty and goodness of His holiness.
For the one who has apprehended that initial truth in the Lord's prayer, who has been with that good Father, seen his beauty, and now longs for all creation to be transformed by Him as they have...
That child walks confidently forward into this line of the prayer, arms wide open, and unabashedly shouts, "Your. Kingdom. Come!"
Baby steps friend. We'll get there.
Today let's meditate on the King and His Kingdom. We're going to go back to a Psalm we read earlier when contemplating the transcendence of God and read it through the understanding that this transcendent God is the One True King. As you read Psalm 145 today, ask God to speak to you through it about His Kingdom. Make a note of everything you learn about your good King and His reign.
Consider all you have learned thus far about the posture and purpose of each line of The Lord's Prayer. As you pray, let that understanding shape your thoughts and words to Him. Go slowly, line by line. Make your body resist all the temptations to hurry up and move on to other work of the day. When your mind wanders, just go back to the prayer and thank God for His grace in steering you back. Stop and linger where you need to today. Ask Him to continue to form your heart as you are present with Him in prayer. Your King delights in you.
Our Father...
In Heaven...
Hallowed be Your name...
Your kingdom come...
Let your observations from Psalm 145 guide you in prayer today. You might just want to pray a part or all of the psalm back to the King. Don't be afraid to talk to him about your fears in submitting to his rule over your own. We will spend the next few days thinking through this, but for now honest confession is a good start.
May your weekend bring rest and delight as you continue to reflect on all we have learned this week. Thanks for praying with me friend!
*Daniel 2:44
**Mark 1:15
***Luke 12:32
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