Jesus’ talk about love, justice, and the dignity of all people may give the impression of him as a sagely peacenik, wandering around ancient Israel in a prayer shawl and Birkenstocks. But if we look at his teachings in context, a different picture emerges. And Jesus is very clear about that context:

And the people sought him [Jesus] and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:42–44 emphasis added)

The Jewish people at that time understood this good news to mean that a new king from the line of David was coming at last to bring about the kingdom of Israel’s God. Their current ruler, Herod, was a ruthless puppet king for the oppressive Roman Empire.

So, to understand Jesus, we have to wrap our heads around the significance of the kingdom of God concept. But that’s hard to do in our modern democratic world that equates freedom with individual autonomy and self-rule.

The idea that the Messiah is a king who invites us into God’s kingdom sounds weird, and maybe even oppressive. Wouldn’t I lose my right to choose how to be happy if I allowed God to be my king?

On one level, the answer is simply yes. If we want to live with and know our loving Creator, we can’t expect him to be less than who he is—King of the universe. But on the flip side, the kingdom that Jesus is talking about is surprisingly liberating.

To understand why, we can look at what traditional Jewish sources tell us about God as king.

The Jewish View of God as King

The Hebrew Scriptures link God’s right to rule with his role of Creator of everything in general,1 and of Israel in particular.2  Many traditional prayers open with this link between creator and king, “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created …”

God’s role of king is also paired with his role as our father.3 We see this reflected most poignantly at Yom Kippur, through the prayer/song, Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father our King).4

Our Response to God’s Right to Rule

Long before the Jewish people existed, humanity had rebelled against God’s loving authority (See Genesis 1-11). We didn’t think we could “be all that we could be” within the wise boundaries he had set. But rejecting God did not enhance our quality of life, and what’s more, it also made us fearful of him.5

So instead of enjoying God for who he is, we tend to see him as a barrier to our own desires—or else a necessary means to get what we want. God’s plan to restore us to a natural and healthy relationship with himself and each other included a promise to Abraham: his descendants6 would become a people set apart to know, love, and be ruled by God—and to make him known to all the peoples of the world.7

That was to be the destiny of the Jewish people.

But the majority of our people were not satisfied to be ruled by God. We wanted a king like the other nations had: a human being like us but better—someone we could see and rally around and say, “Look! That’s our king!”8

Once again, God had a plan that would address our issues without compromising his right to rule. But first, he showed us what it was like to be ruled by the kind of king we would choose for ourselves. He had Samuel anoint Saul as king. Saul, by outward appearances, would be ideal, but he quickly proved to be ill-equipped for the job. He was much more focused on serving himself than on serving God or God’s people.

This Messiah king would be gentle and humble.

God chose to replace Saul with “a man after his own heart,” so he told Samuel to anoint one of the sons of a man named Jesse. God warned Samuel not to judge the sons by appearances, because “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”10 And so David, the youngest son, the shepherd boy who had been marginalized and overlooked, became Israel’s most iconic ruler.

King David was far from perfect, but he really did love and trust God—and God promised that his throne would be established forever.11 That promise has always been understood by our people to mean that the Messiah would be a king and a descendant of David. And though this Messiah king would have power beyond that of any mere human,12 he would be gentle and humble.13

Jesus fulfilled these prophecies and many, many more. He was “the son of David,” from the tribe of Judah,14 and as the ultimate shepherd king, he said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”15 But what were the specifics of that kingdom?

An Upside-Down Kingdom

The kingdom Jesus talks about is counterintuitive, countercultural, and seemingly upside down.

The first thing we see Jesus saying about this kingdom16 is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”17

“Repent” means to turn away from our sin and toward God. Sin is rejecting God’s goodness and authority, and it creates a huge chasm between us and him. Yet if we turn back to God, we discover that he is not calling us to meet him in some distant land—his realm and his rule are near. So how do we get in? Jesus says only those who receive the kingdom of God “like a child” can enter.18 Children know their limitations and trust others to teach and care for them. Our society often marginalizes whoever is not self-sufficient, but God’s kingdom is just the opposite.

Most “kingdoms” (or even VIP rooms or clubs) gladly welcome people who are wealthy and high on the social ladder. But Jesus says it is extremely difficult for people “who trust in riches” to enter the kingdom of God.19 Jesus also says that the “last” (low in status) will be “first” (highly honored) in the kingdom of God, and the first will be last.20 So, money and social status might earn you a place at the end of the line, while being marginalized or overlooked can get you a spot near the throne.

Similarly, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the “poor in spirit,” meaning those who know they fail to live up to God’s standards, and who have the humility to admit it.21 But paradoxically, Jesus also says that only those whose righteousness “exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees” can enter the kingdom.22

God sees past outward appearances.

How can people know they fail to meet God’s standards and, at the same time, be more righteous than the holiest rabbis? It sounds impossible because it is. But in this upside-down kingdom, the righteous king Messiah pays the penalty for our acts of rebellion, so it’s through his righteousness that we gain entrance.

This upside-down kingdom shows how God still sees people differently than we see ourselves—He sees past outward appearances and values those overlooked by others. He is not impressed by self-sufficiency and is not fooled by self-righteousness. He is generous to those who are ready to receive his favor as a gift but turns away from those who feel entitled to it.

The Liberating Kingdom

The kingdom of God is where God’s right to rule and our freedom are finally reconciled. And His kingdom is incredibly liberating for three reasons:

First, we are not free now. We might think we’re free to the extent that we get to do what we want with ourselves and our lives. But ironically, that creates a more subtle and pervasive kind of oppression, because we hand over control of our lives to the things that we want.

You can see this play out in our compulsive behaviors, our obsessions with personal fulfillment or career success, or even just in our inability to go five minutes without checking our phones.

These are symptoms of a deeper truth: We are ruled by whatever is most important to us. Maybe that’s our own needs, desires, and expectations, or maybe it’s the needs, desires, and expectations of others. As Bob Dylan famously sang, “You gotta serve somebody.” So, when we run away from God’s rule in our lives, we quickly find ourselves ruled by other things and people.

We don’t have to be afraid that we don’t measure up.

Second, God’s kingdom frees us from fear. We don’t have to be afraid that God is angry with us for rejecting him when we see the gentle and compassionate way that Jesus deals with anyone who admits their need for God and wants to turn back to him.

We don’t have to be afraid that submitting to God means living a dull and joyless life because God created us to enjoy and reflect his amazing goodness.

We don’t have to be afraid that we don’t measure up because Jesus came in the most humble way possible, and he was drawn to and identified with those who were poor, marginalized, and rejected.

And we don’t have to be afraid of being marginalized by all the other “kings” or “kingdoms” because we know the value that God, as our father and our king has placed on us.

Finally, God’s kingdom frees us to hope. The promise of the kingdom of God is that the most powerful authority in the universe knows and loves us, and welcomes us to know and love him in return. That hope breaks our dependence on all the things that preoccupy and bind us. As subjects of God’s kingdom, we can depend on him and not on ourselves.

For reflection:

Are there desires, people, or things in your life that you can’t say no to?

What do you think you could lose or gain by accepting God as your ultimate king?

 

 

Postscript: How can we believe in a kingdom we can’t see?

We don’t see the wind, but we see the trees bend and sway as it touches them. The kingdom of God is like that—for now.23 Jesus brings peace to those who believe him, and we offer that peace to others. We believe that one day he will return to defeat evil and at that point, the kingdom of God will be seen and experienced throughout the world—as predicted in the Tanakh.24 In the meantime, the changes that the kingdom of God makes in our hearts can help us navigate what’s going on around us with compassion and courage.

Maybe you have “seen” hints of the kingdom of God in the lives of friends who have told you about the difference Jesus has made in their lives. We also offer a collection of videos if you are interested in stories of how and why all kinds of Jewish people are following Jesus today.

Endnotes

1. Jeremiah 10:11–12

2. Isaiah 43:15

3. Isaiah 63:16

4. Rabbi Akiva is said to have originated the prayer in this form: “Our Father, our King, we have no king other than You. Our Father, our King, for Your sake, have mercy on us.” See more: Our Father, Our King

5. Genesis 3:8–10

6. through his son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob

7. Genesis 12:1–3, see also Gen 15 and 17.

8. 1 Samuel 8

9. 1 Samuel 13:14, see also Psalm 89

10. 1 Samuel 16:7

11. 2 Samuel 7:8–29

12. Isaiah 9:6 (9:5 in Hebrew)

13. Isaiah 42:1–4

14. Matthew 1:1–17

15. Luke 12:32

16. The kingdom of God is also referred to as the kingdom of heaven

17. Matthew 3:2

18. Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:14–16

19. Mark 10:23–25

20. Matthew 19:30, 20:16

21. Matthew 5:3

22. Matthew 5:20

23. Luke 17:21

24. The Messianic promises in the Jewish Bible describe a humble servant who takes the penalty for our sin, but they also describe a conquering king, who brings justice and peace throughout the world.

Some think this means that the Messiah will either come as a suffering servant (Messiah ben Joseph) or a conquering king, (Messiah ben David) and God will decide which to send, depending on our level of faithfulness. But we believe that Jesus fulfilled the promises of the suffering servant who radically changes the lives of all who trust him—and that he will return as the conquering king to radically change the whole world. We’ve written about this at length. For more background see: Can Jesus Be Messiah if He Didn’t Bring Peace?