The Kingdom: Value

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Against, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46)

The value of a thing is revealed by what you're willing to give up to attain it.

I love these two little parables that Jesus tells in Matthew 13. Everyone dreams at some point about stumbling across some sort of treasure. We want to be Jed Clampett, shootin' at some food only to discover a bubblin' crude. And if you're like me, sometimes you acquire an old coin, maybe a nickel minted in 1968, and you think, "Hey, I bet this is worth a lot of money!" But then you find out it's only worth five cents.

I've never found treasure in my backyard or in my piggy bank. But the man in the parable does. (I always wonder exactly how he discovered this treasure in the field. I imagine he tripped over a corner of a treasure chest sticking out of the ground and did a face-plant there in the field. Because face-plants are always funny, even in Jesus' time). But when he recognized the value of the treasure (maybe it was a whole box of Honus Wagner baseball cards), he goes home, sells all his stuff (certainly not a safe or conservative financial decision) and buys the field so that he can acquire the treasure.

It's the same story with the merchant. While rummaging through the merchandise at the market, he comes across a fantastic pearl, and realizing its worth, he also sells all he has and buys it. Perhaps he then kept it with him at all times, called it "My Precious," and began referring to himself as a plural.

Jesus says his kingdom is like the treasure and like the pearl. It is the most valuable thing imaginable, so any sacrifice is worth attaining it. The value of the kingdom is a common theme in Jesus' teaching. As he travels around Galilee among people caught up in family responsibilities, the need to make a living, and difficult political situations, he tells them that the most significant thing they can do is enter into God's kingdom. The value of all else pales in comparison.

Other passages in the gospel highlight the value of the kingdom. There are some who have made themselves eunuchs--that is, abstained from marriage--for the sake of the kingdom (Matt. 19:12). If your eye causes you to sin, you are told to pluck it out it's better to enter the kingdom with a pirate-y patch than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell (Mk. 9:47). And those who leave "home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom" will receive back exponentially more (Luke 18:29).

There are some in the gospels who fail to recognize the value of the kingdom, so they refuse to make sacrifices in order to be part of it. The rich young ruler wants to follow Jesus, but he's too attached to his wealth to give it up. And the bad news is that many people today, especially in American culture, frequently look more like the young ruler than anything else.

We all want a kingdom that can fit in with our lives as we've already crafted them. But the reality is that the kingdom doesn't fit into our lives. The kingdom demands our lives.

But the wonderful thing is that the kingdom is worth it. No amount of money, popularity, pleasure, or power compares with what is gained by citizenship in the kingdom. Why? Because God's kingdom is where God reigns, and he's the only king who is truly just, righteous, and loving. And that's worth buying the field.

The Kingdom: Future

Oh hey!

So I've been sadly, though probably not noticeably, absent from the blogging scene for some time. I feel that a lame attempt at an excuse is necessary. You see, I got really lazy for a while...and then that laziness resulted in me becoming really busy for a while. But now, the busyness is done, and the laziness is being overcome for the next half hour at least, so it may be time to write a new post.

Before my hiatus, I had said I was going to write a series of blog posts on the topic of the kingdom of God. A couple months ago I performed a simple inductive study on the uses of the phrase "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" in the New Testament, and I was impressed by some of the themes that weave their way through biblical discourse on this topic. In my first post, I pointed out that the kingdom of God is imminent. In Mark 1:15, Jesus begins his ministry by preaching, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel." In some way, the kingdom became present with the advent of Jesus, and it continues to be so today. This is different from the way many, including my younger self, think of the kingdom. The "kingdom of God," isn't just another name for heaven or eternal life. It's present now and has contemporary relevance on our lives.

Does this mean, however, that the kingdom as it exists today is the extent of its nature? Is this all there is? I don't think so. The New Testament is adamant that the kingdom is a present reality, but at the same time, it is also still to come. It exists now, but it will exist in a fuller sense later on. The kingdom will be consummated, brought to full realization.

In Matthew 24-25, Jesus speaks of "that day and hour" and "the coming of the Son of Man." In the midst of this discussion, he begins a parable by saying, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom" (Matt. 25:1). The kingdom of God, therefore, has something to do with the return of Christ. In another instance, when someone asks if only a few will be saved, Jesus replies that the time will come when the master will shut the door, and those outside will "see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the people of the kingdom of God" from the outside. There is a sense in which the kingdom is still to come.

When you look at the book of Revelation, you see this kingdom coming. Revelation shows that God is on the throne now (Rev. 4-5), so the kingdom is also now. But evil still infects the world. However, hope comes in the fact that the king will return (Rev. 19:11-16), and Satan, along with all of his minions, will be thrown into the lake of fire with death itself (Rev. 20:10, 14). Then there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and king will declare, "Behold, I am making all things new!" (Rev. 21:5).

I think we all need to be reminded of this scene somewhat regularly. While the kingdom is imminent, and while the Holy Spirit currently dwells within those who belong to Christ, we all know from experience that the world is not as it should be. Jesus is on his throne, but for now, he allows Satan to continue to do his thing. That's the issue with which the people of Revelation are struggling ("How long before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"). Our hope rests in the fact that the kingdom will be brought to fulfillment--evil will be destroyed, death will be no more, and we will be with God. Otherwise, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Cor. 15:19).

Last night I watched the movie Les Miserables. I thought the movie was very good and would recommend it, unless you really hate music or France. I think the most powerful scene in the film is the song "I Dreamed a Dream," sung by the character Fantine after she is forced by financial desperation into prostitution. She cries out, "I had a dream my life would be / So different from this hell I'm living / So different now from what it seemed / Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."

As the final credits rolled across my TV screen, I was struck with the knowledge that Fantine's fictional story is so often experienced in reality. There are millions, maybe billions, of people around the world who are living hell. The dragon seeks to destroy God's creatures. Children are forced into prostitution, women are enslaved, babies go hungry, couples get divorced, teenagers suffer loneliness. The world is not as it should be.

But the king is coming. Wrongs will be righted, justice will be meted out, and the enemy will be vanquished.

I love being a citizen of this kingdom. And I look forward to the day when it comes in all its fullness.