Jesus loved to talk about the Kingdom of Heaven, and who could blame Him. Something so beautiful, so close to His heart would have been hard to be silent about. Let’s just be clear that He was not talking about Heaven. That’s a place we long for, whereas the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God is something so central to the teachings of Jesus. It’s the whole truth of what He came to share with us. The core of the Gospel message. He told great parables about It, and each one is actually so beautiful to me, that I can’t help but smile and imagine the passion in His voice as He told each story. When Jesus told these stories to His disciples and His followers, I almost picture Jesus staring into the distance and His human mind had to describe in human terms, something that is beyond our limited understanding. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom, not as some place far away to go to, but something here and now that we can experience and share. The stories have many similarities around things like ‘soil’ and ‘fields’ and involves people like cooks and fisherman and merchants; so there will be someone we can relate to.
There are many stories of the Kingdom but I’ll just share 2 and let them serve to encourage you and also to maybe help if it’s confusing. Let’s’ go and see what the Bible says:
In Matthew 4:23 it says:
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
This helps us to know talking about the Kingdom of Heaven is so much part of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed and that Christians believe.
Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Jesus reminds us that knowing the Truth about who He is and what it means to have a relationship is something so valuable. Finding and accepting this truth changes you completely and you exchange an old life for a new one. Your life is never the same again. That is incredible, right?
Here’s one more:
Matthew 13:31
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
Another great bit of imagery here, of a big tree, larger than any of the other plants in the garden. You can picture how it represents the biggest part of our lives and how it shelters and shades us as it ‘grows’ in our hearts. The birds and their songs speak of sharing the truth and how it is ‘beautiful’ to those who hear it.
The Kingdom of God is here and now and it is life-changing. For those of us who have experienced its impact in our lives, it’s up to us, like it was for Jesus, to share the truth about it wherever we go. It’s a message for everyone, and it’s the hope of this world and we can’t keep it to ourselves.
What do you believe, and how has it effected your life? Now share that encouragement with others and let us see the Kingdom come in their lives today.