“Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee . . . preaching the good news of the kingdom.” - Matthew 4:23
Trying to succinctly define the kingdom of heaven is like attempting to define wind or your favorite novel. One of my favorite seminary professors describes it as “the in-breaking of God into history to realize his redemptive purposes,” and I find this helpful. He goes on to explain that Christ’s kingdom “is a reign more than a realm, a power rather than a place.”If I can attempt to put it into my own words, I would say it’s anything having to do with Christ’s being, character, or actions made manifest in our broken world, primarily through His people, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as a result of Christ’s coming to earth. I shall receive no extra points for brevity or precision.
To use the old adage, the kingdom is a concept better caught than taught. This must surely be why Jesus spoke of it in parables when trying to explain its nature. It’s like a mustard seed, He said, yeast working its way through dough, a hidden treasure, a merchant seeking a priceless pearl, a fisherman’s net!
For all its complexities, it’s good to be reminded that one way Jesus described the kingdom is simply that it is good news.
In what area of your life do you yearn for the kingdom of heaven to come? Where do you want the in-breaking of His goodness, peace, and “rightness” to touch down in your life? Where are you desperate for His presence?
Which brings us to another important aspect of the kingdom of heaven—it is at hand (Matt. 4:17). It is within our grasp, close enough to touch, accessible enough to enter (Matt. 7:13, 21). We must leave behind our notions of slogging it out on earth in our own strength until we get to some way faraway place called heaven when we die (though resurrection and heaven on earth are surely coming for us one day). We have the power and the goodness and the beauty and the righteousness of God’s kingdom available to us now because the presence of the King is among us.
What specifically does this look like, you may wonder. It looks like having the power to love those who have wronged you, possess joy through adversity, cast off anxiety when there’s lots to worry about, commune intimately with God when sin used to be a barrier. It is a brand-new way of living in the power of the Spirit, wholly counter to the empty promises of the world in which we live. In a word, it means to live the life Jesus called blessed.
The secret to living in this glorious kingdom, you ask. The arrival of the King.
Dearest Jesus, give us a vision of Your kingdom as we study your wise teachings and compassionate actions. Show us what it means to live the blessed life according to Your Word and how it can change our lives now.
Excerpt taken from The Blessed Life by Kelly Minter, B & H Publishing Group, Nashville TN. Copyright © 2023 Kelly Minter. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
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