What qualifies a person for membership in God's kingdom?
If I were writing the bylaws of the kingdom of God, I could come up some pretty good entrance requirements. Maybe a person would have to submit a lengthy application with letters of recommendation and a personal interview. Maybe they would have to perform good deed, like helping the poor or bringing peace of the Mid-East. Maybe they would have to successfully play a game of "Name That Tune," using hymns and Michael W. Smith songs. Maybe they would have to run an obstacle course like on that show Wipeout or win a hot dog eating contest.
I can think of a lot of qualities that ought to precede entrance into the kingdom: Personal righteousness. A solid family history. Lots of money. Talent. Intelligence.
And yet, when you read the gospel, you find that the most important qualification for membership in God's kingdom is the realization that none of these things matter. Those who are welcomes into the kingdom are those who recognize that they have nothing to offer but rather are completely dependent on the grace of God.
This doesn't happen in any other sphere of life. When you're applying to a college, you don't want to tell the dean, "I know my grades are terrible, and I certainly don't deserve to attend this university, but I'm hoping you'll let me in anyway." At a job interview, you shouldn't say, "I'm completely unqualified for this job, sure. But maybe you can give me the job out of your mercy and kindness?" And an immigrant who applies for U.S. citizenship shouldn't come to their test saying, "I don't know what that banner is with the stars and stripes on it, and I've never even heard of George Washington."
Everywhere else, citizenship and membership depends on what you do to earn it. But for God's kingdom, membership depends on understanding that nothing you do can earn it.
Jesus begins his Kingdom Manifesto by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the persecuted" (Matt. 5:3-10).
Nowhere in that list does one find "Blessed are the rich. Blessed are the powerful. Blessed are the talented. Blessed are the self-righteous. Blessed are the trophy-winners. Blessed are those in influential positions. Blessed are the ones who have achieved much. Blessed are the stylish. Blessed are the popular." In fact, more often than not, these qualities are what prevent people from entering God's kingdom.
Jesus once said that the kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it like a little child (Lk. 18:15-17). Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of a child is that a child is completely dependent on others. A child can't feed himself; he needs to be fed. A child can shelter himself; he needs to be housed. A child can't get himself places; he needs to be driven. A child needs others in order to survive, and most kids who tried to run away when they were five came to this realization by the time they got to the other side of the street.
Shortly after Jesus welcomes the children, a rich and powerful up-and-comer asks him, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Lk. 18:18ff.) After some back-and-forth between the man and Jesus, it boils down to the command, "Sell all that you have and distribute tot he poor, and yo will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." At this, the man turns around and walks home, unwilling to give up his possessions for the sake of following Jesus. As the man walks away with his head down, Jesus says to his disciples, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
I think it's no accident that the gospels pair this story with the account of Jesus and children. The children receive the kingdom because they are dependent on God and know that they don't qualify for the kingdom by their own rights. The rich man fails to enter the kingdom because, even though he had kept the commandments since he was a boy, was too attached to the treasure he had attained for himself to forsake it and receive a kingdom he could do nothing to earn.
It's the tax collector who prays simply, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" who goes home justified (Lk. 18:13-14). And it's the Laodiceans, who claim, "I am rich. I have prospered, and I need nothing" who are about to be vomited from Christ's mouth (Rev. 3:16-17).
A few weeks ago I preached the funeral for a long-time member of my church. As I talked with her family and friends in preparation for the service, I learned that she had lived in Cincinnati for a number of years but then returned to her small rural hometown in order to care for her ailing parents. During that period of time, she often repeated Psalm 91 to herself. This Psalm begins, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
That's the attitude of the citizen of God's kingdom. Such a person has made God their dwelling-place, their refuge, their fortress, and their trust.
It's a kingdom filled with people who know they don't belong there.
And in God's eyes, that's the best kind of kingdom to have.
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