Thoughts on the Kingdom of God

 The Kingdom of God is at Hand

In the gospel reading for last week, the first week of Advent, Jesus urges us to be alert, on guard, be fully ready for his coming.  This week the Sunday readings highlight our reasons for doing this. It begins with the ministry of John the Baptist and follows with the beginnings of Jesus' ministry with both proclaiming "that the “kingdom of God is at hand."

We know that throughout the public life of Jesus he will frequently speak about the kingdom of God. It is not an exaggeration to say that to a great extent the Gospels concern this kingdom, how one becomes a part of it, what are its requirements, and so on. In fact, Jesus' whole way of life can be summed up as the heart and soul of the kingdom. Why do all four gospels begin with Jesus and/or John the Baptist proclaiming that the kingdom of God, the reign of God is at hand, is now present?   

Religious Jews never forget that they are a people who had become a nation, one peculiarly dear to God. This had come about not because of what they had done but because of what God had done for them, how God had acted in their midst. They had these beliefs: that as a people they would one day be re-established as a nation, as a kingdom, as in the time of King David and Solomon. In this kingdom, they would become the channel of God's life and salvation for all peoples (a light to the gentiles). This is their destiny as God's chosen people. 

How will this happen? This will literally be God's endeavor, God's project. Some believe that the Lord would send a great leader like David, and of David's lineage, a messiah who will bring about the re-establishment of this kingdom.

And as all of this begins to take place it is summarized in the saying: the kingdom (or reign) of God is at hand, and all of God's past dealings with his creation are coming to climax and fruition. God's reign of peace and justice for all people is now being re-established. This is the final intervention of God into our history, God’s culminating endeavor to bring peace and justice to our world. At the beginning of his public life, Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom is beginning now, and is at hand in his ministry.

Advent is a time for us to recall and appreciate how Jesus comes to his people and how he has come and is coming to you and me. Let us pray for the faith and hope to look forward to his final coming when his kingdom will be fully established and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

 

Jim Blumeyer, S.J.