Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” (Lk 17:20-21)
We are a very “hands on” kind of people. We tend not to believe in anything unless and until we can see it, hear it, touch it, or taste it. If it is “other worldly”, we have a hard time grasping the reality of it.
Jesus spoke much about the Kingdom of God. As He spoke about it, His followers began to look forward to it. Some of those who listened to Him questioned Him about when it might come about. Jesus bowled them over when He indicated that it was already among them.
Where?
We have heard that the Kingdom of God is among us; however, it cannot be seen. In many ways, it must be taken as a matter of faith. Just because we cannot see it does not mean that it is not real.
We do not see air. Yet air is all around us. It surrounds us, it cushions us. It comforts us. It sustains us. No one can say that “air does not exist”. If it did not exist, neither would we.
The same holds for the Kingdom of God. It is all around us. It surrounds us. It comforts us. It sustains us. If we say that the Kingdom of God does not exist, we would be telling a falsehood.
Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God into the world the day that He was born. He showed the reality of the Kingdom of God each time that He healed or raised from the dead. That Kingdom gives us life as it speaks to us.
We, for our part, need to embrace it and live as faithful citizens of that Kingdom.
FAITH ACTION: Ask the Lord the reveal the Kingdom to you as you go through your day today.