But that interpretation caused me a whole different problem. Have you ever noticed that Jesus seems to spend so little time talking about Salvation by Grace, and so much time talking about our behavior? In fact, the difference between Paul's emphasis on Grace and Jesus' emphasis on works has led some theologians to claim that there were (at least) two totally different types of Christianity in the early church: one that believed in grace, and one that believed in works.
And the difference is significant. After all, look at an inventory of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7):
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If the message of Jesus is all about going to Heaven, then why does he spend so much (almost all) of his time talking about how we live on this earth? And how can we claim that Paul taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ if Jesus is all about works and Paul is all about grace?
The solution lies in the concept of the "Kingdom of Heaven," and it starts with this point: the Kingdom was a Jewish concept. Jesus was not the first person to preach it. John preached about the Kingdom of Heaven before Jesus was ever baptized (Matthew 3:2). Jesus mentions it several times in his first sermon without any explanation of what it means. In fact, if you look at how Jesus speaks about the Kingdom, you'll notice that he seems to be clarifying the concept to people who have already heard it, rather than defining a new term. So what would the Jews have meant by "The Kingdom of Heaven?"
Last time we talked about how God had called the Israelites to live out his original design by ruling over the Promised Land with the Law of Moses. In this way they would restore the Divine Ecosystem: humanity rules over the Earth, and God rules over humanity. Once this divine order was restored in Israel, it could be established everywhere else. But, of course, the Jews failed in their calling, and God sent them into exile--but they longed for a day when God would bring them back and finally restore his design.
Now, of course, the idea of an "ecosystem" is fairly recent, so we can hardly expect the Jews to have used the metaphor I have chosen. So what other image might they use for this idea of God ruling over his people, while his people rule over the land? Not a metaphor at all, but the literal term for such an arrangement: when all answer to a few, and those few answer to one person, ancient people called that a monarchy--or a kingdom.
After all, that is one of the images that the prophets used for the day when God restored Israel:
The solution lies in the concept of the "Kingdom of Heaven," and it starts with this point: the Kingdom was a Jewish concept. Jesus was not the first person to preach it. John preached about the Kingdom of Heaven before Jesus was ever baptized (Matthew 3:2). Jesus mentions it several times in his first sermon without any explanation of what it means. In fact, if you look at how Jesus speaks about the Kingdom, you'll notice that he seems to be clarifying the concept to people who have already heard it, rather than defining a new term. So what would the Jews have meant by "The Kingdom of Heaven?"
Last time we talked about how God had called the Israelites to live out his original design by ruling over the Promised Land with the Law of Moses. In this way they would restore the Divine Ecosystem: humanity rules over the Earth, and God rules over humanity. Once this divine order was restored in Israel, it could be established everywhere else. But, of course, the Jews failed in their calling, and God sent them into exile--but they longed for a day when God would bring them back and finally restore his design.
Now, of course, the idea of an "ecosystem" is fairly recent, so we can hardly expect the Jews to have used the metaphor I have chosen. So what other image might they use for this idea of God ruling over his people, while his people rule over the land? Not a metaphor at all, but the literal term for such an arrangement: when all answer to a few, and those few answer to one person, ancient people called that a monarchy--or a kingdom.
After all, that is one of the images that the prophets used for the day when God restored Israel:
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.
(Obadiah 21, ESV)
And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
(Zechariah 14:9, ESV)
Why would the prophets say that God is going to become king? Isn't God king already? In a way, yes, but a king isn't really a king unless his subjects actually obey him, is he? After all, during the Civil War Abraham Lincoln still claimed to be the president of all the Southern States--but he sent in an army because they weren't actually obeying Federal Law. In an important way, Lincoln wasn't their president as long as they rejected the authority of the Federal government. In the same way, because God granted us the ability to reject his authority, he gave us the ability to reject him as king. When did Lincoln become the president of the Southern states again? When they finally started obeying Federal law again. And once we give up our rebellion and start obeying God, he becomes our king again. Hence why Jesus prays the way he does.
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
(Matthew 6:9-13, ESV)
That phrase is a couplet--it's two ways of saying the same thing. "Your kingdom come" means the same thing as "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." So when Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven is coming, he's saying that the kingship of Heaven--of God--is coming. Or, in modern language, "God is becoming King!"
This is why Jesus spends so much time talking about how we live our lives: because that's what the entire Gospel is about! Salvation is by the grace and mercy of God; it cannot be earned by works. But Jesus isn't talking about how to be saved, he's talking about how to live in the Kingdom of Heaven that is coming! The Sermon on the Mount is a blueprint for the kingdom--it's a campaign speech from the King himself. The Sermon on the Mount shows us what it looks like to live out the rule of God in your own life, which is the task of every Christian.
But notice: the things Jesus talks about are everyday things: anger, lust, divorce, revenge, etc. He's talking about our everyday behavior in everyday situations. When we reduce the Kingdom of Heaven to Heaven itself, then the only things we can do to advance the Gospel is by making more Christians--like some kind of pyramid scheme. This is why we seem to think that pastors, missionaries and evangelists are "special" soldiers who advance the Kingdom more than the rest of us. But the truth is that God calls all of us to advance the kingdom, not by going out and becoming missionaries, but in the place where God has put us. God has given us each our own territory--a sphere of influence, a patch of land, a group of friends, a family circle--and the Gospel calls us to rule that territory in God's name, as we were always supposed to.
For some of us (like me, for instance) this means entering the ministry. My In-Laws, on the other hand, are corn farmers in Illinois; for them, advancing the Kingdom means being good stewards of the land they've been given--in addition to the way they raised their children, lead AWANA, and do everything else that God puts in their paths. My dad was a pastor before I was born, but he changed careers not long after. When that happened, my dad didn't leave the service of the Kingdom of Heaven, he just transferred territories. How he handles his clients money and cares for them as people is as much a part of the rule of God on this planet as how he preaches in the pulpit. See, somehow we've gotten the impression that the things we do outside of evangelism are somehow neutral to the Kingdom of Heaven. James hardly agreed when he took his readers to task for their dishonest business practices:
This is why Jesus spends so much time talking about how we live our lives: because that's what the entire Gospel is about! Salvation is by the grace and mercy of God; it cannot be earned by works. But Jesus isn't talking about how to be saved, he's talking about how to live in the Kingdom of Heaven that is coming! The Sermon on the Mount is a blueprint for the kingdom--it's a campaign speech from the King himself. The Sermon on the Mount shows us what it looks like to live out the rule of God in your own life, which is the task of every Christian.
But notice: the things Jesus talks about are everyday things: anger, lust, divorce, revenge, etc. He's talking about our everyday behavior in everyday situations. When we reduce the Kingdom of Heaven to Heaven itself, then the only things we can do to advance the Gospel is by making more Christians--like some kind of pyramid scheme. This is why we seem to think that pastors, missionaries and evangelists are "special" soldiers who advance the Kingdom more than the rest of us. But the truth is that God calls all of us to advance the kingdom, not by going out and becoming missionaries, but in the place where God has put us. God has given us each our own territory--a sphere of influence, a patch of land, a group of friends, a family circle--and the Gospel calls us to rule that territory in God's name, as we were always supposed to.
For some of us (like me, for instance) this means entering the ministry. My In-Laws, on the other hand, are corn farmers in Illinois; for them, advancing the Kingdom means being good stewards of the land they've been given--in addition to the way they raised their children, lead AWANA, and do everything else that God puts in their paths. My dad was a pastor before I was born, but he changed careers not long after. When that happened, my dad didn't leave the service of the Kingdom of Heaven, he just transferred territories. How he handles his clients money and cares for them as people is as much a part of the rule of God on this planet as how he preaches in the pulpit. See, somehow we've gotten the impression that the things we do outside of evangelism are somehow neutral to the Kingdom of Heaven. James hardly agreed when he took his readers to task for their dishonest business practices:
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (James 5:1-4, ESV)
Let me put it this way: the Kingdom of Heaven has no National Guard. It has no "weekend warriors." The Kingdom of Heaven uses only professional soldiers. Every Christian, no matter who pays them, or for what (moral) work they are being paid, is being paid to do the work of the Kingdom. And I'm not talking about evangelizing while you're on the clock. I mean that when you are honest and trustworthy, when you conduct yourself with integrity, when you ensure justice, treat people with kindness, and show mercy, you are advancing the Kingdom. When you make your territory a place where God is king--where, for instance, the Beatitudes are true, and the meek/merciful/peacemakers really are blessed--you are fulfilling your calling as a Child of God.
This is the Vocational Gospel: the good news that God has called you to serve him in every part of your life, and has sent his Son to give his life to you so that you can fulfill that call. So what are you waiting for? Dig your hands into the soil of this planet, and get to work!
This is the Vocational Gospel: the good news that God has called you to serve him in every part of your life, and has sent his Son to give his life to you so that you can fulfill that call. So what are you waiting for? Dig your hands into the soil of this planet, and get to work!
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