Mark is the gospel account I come back to time and again to refresh and deepen my understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus. Mark’s account is pithy and moves along, with frequent use of the phrase, “and immediately ...”; no lack of action for those of us with a short attention span. Within the first few verses Jesus is baptized, tempted in the wilderness and proclaims the beginning of his public ministry.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14,15 ESV
In the opening few verses Mark summarizes what he believes to be core elements of Jesus’ message: (1) the kingdom of God is at hand, or has come near; (2) a call to repent, or change one’s mind; and (3) believe, or trust this good news. Much has been written about the kingdom of God, and I do not intend to summarize that body of work here. I do, however, want to thoughtfully consider what Jesus means when he proclaims the kingdom is at hand and calls us to change our minds.
To begin, I’d like to shift our attention to Matthew chapter 5 and following to better appreciate the meaning of the kingdom of God from Jesus' perspective. Long, in his commentary on Matthew, likens the Sermon on the Mount to the U.S, Constitution, and the Beatitudes to the preamble, in that they define the vision of the church of Jesus Christ, and the sort of citizenry it hopes to embody. To quote Long, “The Beatitudes proclaim what is, in light of the kingdom of heaven, unassailably true. They describe the purpose of every holy law, the foundation of every custom, the aim of every practice of this new society, this colony of the kingdom (emphasis mine), the church called and instructed by Jesus.”
The Beatitudes declare that the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers are the ones who are truly blessed. That the Beatitudes are totally and completely antithetical to prevailing cultural values that idealize the self-sufficient, the assertive and those wielding power is unassailable. A starker contrast cannot be drawn between the values of this world and the traits of the citizens of the kingdom of God.
The Beatitudes express a now and not yet promise of hope and ultimate blessing. Each beatitude begins with, “Blessed are …”; that is those who are blessed are joyful now. However, in six of the beatitudes the reason for their blessing and joy lies in the future (“they will …”). In regard to these six, the source of our joy does not arise from immediately observable changes in the world around us, but in the sure and certain promises of God and His ongoing redemptive and reconciling work in the world in and through the church, the Body of Christ. For those who’ve placed their trust in Christ, the kingdom is a present reality manifest in His continuing presence, giving strength and encouragement for the work to which we’re called.
The first and eighth beatitudes are exceptions relative to the others in that they maintain the present tense throughout: “blessed are …”, and “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Yet these two beatitudes are not in fact theologically distinct if one remembers that the Christian community has both the promise of the coming kingdom, and can and will experience the breaking in of the kingdom in the here and now.
It is in the power of Spirit and the sure and certain promise that all creation is being brought to fullness and unity in Christ that we find blessing and joy in hopeful service now, seeking justice and showing mercy to the marginalized, the poor and the stranger.
It is the intent of this and future posts to explore the now and not yet nature of the kingdom: the implications for the kingdom outpost, the Church, and for a world in turmoil.
May you know the love of God and peace in His presence as we celebrate Christmas 2020 and the coming of Christ Jesus in glory.
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