“The Kingdom of God Has Come Near” Yeah, Say that!
“Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you...say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ... But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, say...’we shake the dust off our feet as a warning to you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’”
At the beginning of Luke 9 Jesus sent out the 12 apostles in mission, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Now at the beginning of chapter 10, Jesus sends out 70 more in a symbolic mission, one for each of the 70 nations of the world.
On this fourth of July weekend our Gospel reading calls the church to remember her mission. The church has inherited the mission of the 70 to proclaim the Goodnews of the kingdom of God to the nations.
I say, “remember,” because as of late, Christians in America have forgotten the substance and goal of their mission. In Protestant America this has been occurring in both Evangelical and Mainline Churches.
Many conservative churches have made it their mission to “Make America Great Again.” Many “liberal” churches have made it their mission to oppose this movement in order to save American democracy. Alien wisdom once again divides the Body of Christ.
On the surface these opposing missions look very different, but they are in fact fundamentally the same. They both believe, implicitly or explicitly, that the church’s mission is to save America but not through proclaiming the Gospel.
As different as they may seem, they are both forms of Christian Nationalism. The politics of the Donkeys and Elephants continue to displace the politics of Jesus in the life of the church.
The first task of the church is to be the church. As a holy nation it has a unique mission among all the nations of the world, including America. That mission is to be a sign, witness, and foretaste of the Kingdom of God in both word and deed.
The church is the world under the powers of redemption. In contrast to our common life under the rulers of this age, by God’s grace the church shows the world what it looks like to live as resident aliens under the rule of Christ the king – and calling others to it.
In Scripture the kingdoms of this world are lumped together and, under the influence of the principalities and powers, are characterized as existing in opposition to the kingdom of God and its King (Psalm. 2). American democracy is clearly no exception to this!
Scripture contrasts the kingdoms of this age with the Kingdom of the age to come that Christ brings. One is temporary, the other everlasting; one is penultimate, the other ultimate; one is ordered by violence and death, the other by peace and life.
But this contrast is not just ‘there’ for all to see. It is in no way obviousthat in the End, “the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”
This is the truth that the church announces. Put differently, the church is to announce that through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus of Nazareth has been made Lord, not of another world, but this one.
Paul tells us that “all (Jew and Gentile alike) who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” But then asks, “And how will they hear (that Jesus is Lord) without someone to proclaim him?” (Rom. 10)
The Risen Lord now makes this assertion through the witness of his church which proclaims his just and peaceable Kingdom has drawn near. This is not justice-in- general or peace-in-general, but justice & peace in Jesus’ name. He is the justice of God, our peace.
When the church proclaims through word and deed that the kingdom of God has drawn near in Jesus Christ - when faithful sermons are proclaimed week in and week out, when the church gathers around the table to receive the bread and wine - it generates/reveals the distinction between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God as an ongoing historical event/deed.
The proclamation of the kingdom as God’s good future is the only hope we have beyond the kingdoms of this age powered by forces that oppose not only God but human flourishing.
“Jesus is Lord,” is not a democratic confession but a theocratic one. We didn’t vote Jesus into office - our response was “we have no king but Caesar!” But the Father has elected his only Son, raising him from the dead by the Spirit of life, installing him as King.
How is it that we can announce a theocratic reign to a secular age dominated by a democracy? How do we jump into the middle of our public affairs with the news that Jesus has made a definitive claim on those same public affairs?
The key is the nature of the King and the Kingdom. It does not come by force but by invitation. This is a peaceable King who comes to reign through peace, not peace through strength but suffering love. His rule is not one of coercion, but beauty.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring goodnews!”