A Neglected Teaching

A most fascinating, if surprising discovery for Christian researchers, is that the subject of the Kingdom of God has been one of the most neglected doctrines throughout the centuries, despite the fact that it is the central theme of Scripture. This does not mean that it has been totally ignored, for that would be untrue. It has been considered periodically, mostly by scholars who have come to a variety of views and interpretations, but it was never considered important enough to be recorded as a major theme of Scripture, nor an important factor in every Christian’s life.

Searching through historical, evangelical literature reveals only scant reference to the Kingdom of God in popular publications and any clear description or definition of its meaning is difficult to find. For example, this writer has never seen a book of systematic theology which has included this Biblically prominent subject in its contents, including modern – late 20th or even 21st century – systematic theology books.

 Progressive Revelation

That is not to attribute the responsibility for this neglect to our theologians or leaders. It’s more likely that God has maintained the secrets of this amazing topic until the end of the age.  God has always revealed himself by ‘progressive revelation’ through the Old and New Testaments. Our understanding of Christian doctrine has also developed progressively. The great doctrines of the Person of Christ, of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity took some centuries to become comprehended and defined. It took another millennium before the evangelical truths of the authority of God’s Word, justification by faith and the nature of the Christian ministry began to unfold. There followed divine illumination on the importance of missions, the work of the Spirit in sanctification, the doctrine of the church and comparatively recently, ecclesiology and pneumatology – issues of church practice, church government, worship, the place of the Holy Spirit in our church and in our lives. But during the last century, no doctrine has been so vigorously debated by astute scholars, who have produced such a bewildering diversity of explanations.  Perhaps now is the time for this great revelation of the Kingdom of God, in preparation for the final evangelistic push prophesied by Jesus at the end of time: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” Matthew 24:14

Interpretative problems of The Kingdom of God

 It is no wonder that scholars have emphasised so many different aspects of the Kingdom. The Scriptures present the Kingdom of God in so many different ways, like a spiralling kaleidoscope of diverse themes. Biblical teachings on the Kingdom of God are similar to a multi-faceted diamond, which highlights a variety of emphases or aspects as it turns and reflects varying degrees of light.

Studying the Bible texts can be confusing. The sheer complexity of Biblical teaching about the Kingdom of God is vast and varied, making attempts to specifically define it virtually impossible.

Consider these biblical statements

The Kingdom is both a present reality and a future hope

Matthew 3:2 The Kingdom is at hand. I interpret this as implying ‘within your reach’ ‘accessible.’ Yet it is something which will be available at some time in the future. Luke 17:20–21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There! for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’” You can be brought into it now Colossians 1:12-13.

 Luke 19:11–48 ‘As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately…’ Here Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom will appear in the distant future and that, during the intervening time, those who were candidates for the Kingdom would be tested regarding the qualities and characteristics that will be required the enter the Kingdom. The Parables of the Wheat and the Tares and the Dragnet convey similar ideas Matthew 13:24-30, 13:47-56

Its secret and imperceptible – but evident for all to see

It’s growth is slow and imperceptible like a seed in the ground Mark 4:26-29, It is insignificant Matthew 13:31-33, but it is also visible and blatantly obvious. Matthew 12:28.

It is a gift of God’s grace but there are keys to receive it

It’s the Father’s pleasure to give it Luke 12:32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. But there are things you have to do to enter it eg prayer Matthew 6:10, childlikeness Matthew 18:4 and Mark 10.15 (humility, obedience, faith), but flesh and blood can’t inherit it 1 Corinthians 15:50.

It is available personally – but it has universal application

It has to do with personal experience and lifestyle Rom 14:17 (rightness, peace and joy) but it also has universal relevance Rev 11:15.

Childlikeness is essential but so is manly violence!

Recipients of the kingdom should adopt the lowly position of a child Matthew 18:4. But the force of violence is also advocated by Jesus as a valid, even commendable approach to the Kingdom od God. Jesus ascribes ‘greatness’ to both approaches.

Then there are the parables

It must be understood that Jesus deliberately used parables to conceal, rather than clarify his teachings. Matthew 13:34 ‘All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.’ He made his intent clear: In Matthew 13:11-16 he tells the disciples they hear and understand because their hearts were open, but others of ill intent or spiritually resistant heard, but did not understand. Jesus often concluded His parables by saying, “He who has ears, let him hear,” undoubtedly frustrating those who didn’t understand!

But even amongst those who have open hearts, the meaning of parables has to be searched out! ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.’ Proverbs 25:2

The New Testament records 30-37 parables that Jesus employed as a teaching device. 13 these, were specifically about the kingdom of heaven. Others may be reckoned as ‘Kingdom’ parables when read in their context.

But what a confusing bunch of teachings they appear!  There are financial analogies, cooking stories, agricultural refences, a fishing tale, as well as treasure troves, a world-class pearl and two feast (party) events!

Thrown in the midst of these are eschatological comments about feasting in heaven and suffering hell-fire!

Is it any wonder that there has been confusion when attempting to discern the true meaning of the Kingdom of God? How can we make sense of such a bewildering array of Jesus’ teachings?

Many of the greatest theological efforts to discover the meaning of the Kingdom of God, have been made by men who had long lost their belief in the authenticity and reliability of the Word of God and had little or no spiritual understanding of God’s revelation. You can read of some of their conclusions in the article entitled ‘Interpretations of the Kingdom of God.’

It’s not difficult to understand how such diverse interpretations have arisen in the history of theology. Obviously, no simple explanation can do justice to such a rich but diverse variety of teachings, but once we see the Kingdom of God clearly, it is not too difficult to see how all these different aspects have a legitimate place in the greater revelation of the Kingdom of God.  The key is to see the Kingdom of God as one single reality, the main theme, and then consider how all the peripheral comments and statements fit in with this central theme. All the varied parables, teachings and statements are simply aspects of the one united theme. They are not contradictory but complementary, providing further understanding of this greatest of all provisions of God.