relationships and the kingdom of god
Repent, for the kingdom of God
is at hand.
Much research and scholarship has been devoted to these nine words found in the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Most scholars today believe Jesus' proclamation that the kingdom of God is at hand sets the tone and basis for Jesus' ministry. If this is so, then our understanding of relationships must be bound with this concept of the kingdom of God. In order to understand this kingdom, we must understand, as closely as we can, how a person in the first century would have understood this concept. For this, I turn to the scholarship of Dallas Willard, Glenn Stassen, David Gushee, Stanley Grenz, and John Franke. Each of these scholars adds a unique and essential view to the kingdom of God.
In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard gives the background for the kingdom of God found in Matthew's Gospel. Matthew is thought to have been a devout Jew. Thus, you rarely see the name God in his gospel because he revered this name to the extent that he did not want to write it. Instead of the kingdom of God, he uses the phrase "the kingdom of heaven." Willard breaks down the two parts of this phrase to illuminate its first century meaning. First, "of heaven." He maintains that first century people understood this kingdom to be all around them because the phrase "of heaven" (Greek: tou ouranou) simply referred to the air surrounding them. This kingdom surrounded their everyday life.
Furthermore, when attaching "the kingdom" to "of heaven," the phrase no longer became a tangible place that someone can grab a hold of because the phrase became an action. The kingdom of heaven became the action of God's rule. Therefore, first century people understood the kingdom of heaven as the rule or reign of God that surrounds their every moment. Additionally, Willard claims that the phrase "is at hand" (Greek: eggiken) literally translates as "has come" or "has approached." Thus, this kingdom was not a future reality that was hope for. Rather, this kingdom was the rule of God surrounding their everyday life. It was a present reality.
When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven," Willard believes Jesus was encouraging his disciples to invoke the kingdom of heaven to earth. In other words, in saying this prayer we take part in establishing the kingdom of heaven in areas where God's rule has been lost or hidden. I agree with Willard's interpretation, but I think his language needs some cleaning up. I talked to a professor last quarter about this very concept of us establishing the kingdom of heaven in areas where it is not, and she corrected me. She said, "It is not that we are establishing it because God has already established his kingdom on earth through Jesus. Rather, we are pointing to or participating in the kingdom of God in areas where people have stopped participating in it." She gets these concepts from Glen Stassen and David Gushee.
In their book Kingdom Ethics, Stassen and Gushee establish a holistic, character ethic based on the announcement of the kingdom of God and Jesus' teachings from the sermon on the mount in Matthew's Gospel. I discuss more of their book in the next part of this series, but, for now, let me say that they characterize the kingdom of God as participative or performative. They maintain that God inaugurated His kingdom on earth with Jesus, and as part of being a disciple of Christ, He calls us to participate in this already inaugurated or established kingdom. Therefore, with this kingdom of God being the rule of God all around us as a present reality, we are to participate in and point to it in all areas of life. Especially in areas where people do not expect it.
You probably see where I am going with this, but one vital aspect of this kingdom has not been enumerated. The ground upon which the kingdom of God stands in the New Testament is community. Stanley Grenz and John Franke, in their book Beyond Foundationalism, argue that community forms "the content of the kingdom of God" in the New Testament (235). In other words, only through community and relationships can we rightfully point to and participate in the kingdom of God. If we are not invested in other people's lives as part of a community, then we are short changing the rule of God on earth. Our individualism, autonomy, and "I can go it alone" mentality limits the kingdom of God on earth.
By the fourth part of this series you are going to be tired of hearing this, actually I hope not, but this concept regarding the necessity of community for the kingdom of God shows our contingency. God intended for us to participate in the kingdom he inaugurated through Jesus. God intended for participation in this kingdom to be rooted in community. Consequently, God intended for us to be in meaningful relationships with one another so that we can participate in His kingdom, showing it to people where they least expect it. This is the Gospel Jesus called us to live. peace
table of contents
equality or mutuality/interdependence?
In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard gives the background for the kingdom of God found in Matthew's Gospel. Matthew is thought to have been a devout Jew. Thus, you rarely see the name God in his gospel because he revered this name to the extent that he did not want to write it. Instead of the kingdom of God, he uses the phrase "the kingdom of heaven." Willard breaks down the two parts of this phrase to illuminate its first century meaning. First, "of heaven." He maintains that first century people understood this kingdom to be all around them because the phrase "of heaven" (Greek: tou ouranou) simply referred to the air surrounding them. This kingdom surrounded their everyday life.
Furthermore, when attaching "the kingdom" to "of heaven," the phrase no longer became a tangible place that someone can grab a hold of because the phrase became an action. The kingdom of heaven became the action of God's rule. Therefore, first century people understood the kingdom of heaven as the rule or reign of God that surrounds their every moment. Additionally, Willard claims that the phrase "is at hand" (Greek: eggiken) literally translates as "has come" or "has approached." Thus, this kingdom was not a future reality that was hope for. Rather, this kingdom was the rule of God surrounding their everyday life. It was a present reality.
When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven," Willard believes Jesus was encouraging his disciples to invoke the kingdom of heaven to earth. In other words, in saying this prayer we take part in establishing the kingdom of heaven in areas where God's rule has been lost or hidden. I agree with Willard's interpretation, but I think his language needs some cleaning up. I talked to a professor last quarter about this very concept of us establishing the kingdom of heaven in areas where it is not, and she corrected me. She said, "It is not that we are establishing it because God has already established his kingdom on earth through Jesus. Rather, we are pointing to or participating in the kingdom of God in areas where people have stopped participating in it." She gets these concepts from Glen Stassen and David Gushee.
In their book Kingdom Ethics, Stassen and Gushee establish a holistic, character ethic based on the announcement of the kingdom of God and Jesus' teachings from the sermon on the mount in Matthew's Gospel. I discuss more of their book in the next part of this series, but, for now, let me say that they characterize the kingdom of God as participative or performative. They maintain that God inaugurated His kingdom on earth with Jesus, and as part of being a disciple of Christ, He calls us to participate in this already inaugurated or established kingdom. Therefore, with this kingdom of God being the rule of God all around us as a present reality, we are to participate in and point to it in all areas of life. Especially in areas where people do not expect it.
You probably see where I am going with this, but one vital aspect of this kingdom has not been enumerated. The ground upon which the kingdom of God stands in the New Testament is community. Stanley Grenz and John Franke, in their book Beyond Foundationalism, argue that community forms "the content of the kingdom of God" in the New Testament (235). In other words, only through community and relationships can we rightfully point to and participate in the kingdom of God. If we are not invested in other people's lives as part of a community, then we are short changing the rule of God on earth. Our individualism, autonomy, and "I can go it alone" mentality limits the kingdom of God on earth.
By the fourth part of this series you are going to be tired of hearing this, actually I hope not, but this concept regarding the necessity of community for the kingdom of God shows our contingency. God intended for us to participate in the kingdom he inaugurated through Jesus. God intended for participation in this kingdom to be rooted in community. Consequently, God intended for us to be in meaningful relationships with one another so that we can participate in His kingdom, showing it to people where they least expect it. This is the Gospel Jesus called us to live. peace
table of contents
equality or mutuality/interdependence?
Comments
I have no clue what my original response was, but a second reading of this is inspiring the same thoughts...
Basically, here is my huge lingering question and my challenge (only because i want to know the answer myself)...
How do we do it? How, in an existence where we so desperately and deeply need fellow travelers, do we remain so independent? In a seminary where all of us are learning how to walk with God and with the people of God, how do so many people still feel alone? How is it possible to walk into a church, the body of Christ, and feel more criticism and division than acceptance and community? How do we reach a level of trust and vulnerability with our community in a way that impacts our lives and leads to change...in the course of only a few years? Nobody wants to remain stagnant while we are preparing to serve God and people for the rest of our lives...yet without community we do remain stagnant. You and I, along with others of like heart and mind, have a responsibility to foster the love, openness, and genuineness needed in our community. So many are being torn down and dried up by the academic...and while we all give value to it, that can't be all there is...
Maybe its continuing talks about James and his exhortation to build each other up with our words...maybe its having worship times in the center of campus to glorify the One who started all this and will bring it all home...I think God is stirring up some stuff... what do you say we check out what its all about?
Also, we are told to seek you first the kingdom of God. If church members are already in the kingdom, why seek it?
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom, so there is no literal kingdom that has come.
If I have a kingdom or government inside, as Dallas Willard puts it, then I put myself on the throne instead of Christ.