In the Midst of Many Kingdoms

Welcome, my dear readers, to the conclusion of the first chapter of the book. It's only taken three weeks, but we made it, with much more to look forward to in the weeks to come. I did not feel the conclusion took a natural path from the previous portions; however, it does contain my favorite analogy from the book.

Ever since opening the gospels I have been confounded by Jesus' continuous statement:

"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!" (Matthew 3:2)

Other versions reword it as:

"Turn, for the Kingdom is at hand!"

What does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be near or at hand? We've talked at great lengths of kingdoms and queendoms, and by now I have a fairly good understanding that God, too, must have a kingdom of influence.

Right beside and among the kingdoms that are not God's stands his kingdom, always "at hand." It is that of Jesus and his heavenly Father. It can be ours as well. 


But again I ask, what does it mean for it to be near? Can I reach out and touch it? Is it all encompassing? Is there a door or a castle? Isn't heaven in the clouds and not here on earth? Perhaps we shall learn more by reading a bit farther.

One thing that may mislead us about the meaning of "at hand" in Jesus' basic message is the fact that other "kingdoms" are still present on earth along with the kingdom of the heavens... So, along with the "already here" there obviously remains a "not yet" aspect with regard to God's present rule on earth.

Very well, God's kingdom is here in the midst of many other kingdoms. Yes, we've discussed those previously. Yours, mine, and everyone's we know. Plus I imagine quite a few kingdoms that we do not even realize. Kingdoms of darkness and kingdoms of hell. But that is a topic for another time.

Now that I have established the presence of God's kingdom, I enter the next piece of Jesus' proclamation. Repent. Turn. Change. What does it mean to repent? It's such a familiar word that it has lost all meaning. We often consider repentance only in the form of sin, as a means of apology and a request for forgiveness. I do not think this is what Jesus was saying in his original message of repentance. Certainly it involved sin, but rather than focusing on the penitent heart, I propose that the emphasis was on entering the new kind of life that awaited. This is where Willard offers such a beautiful analogy as to cause me to repeat it to everyone.

Think of visiting in a home where you have not been before. It is a fairly large house, and you sit for a while with your host. Dinner is announced, and he ushers you down a hall, saying at a certain point, "Turn, for the dining room is at hand," or more likely, "Here's the dining room." Similarly Jesus directs us to his kingdom.

What a beautiful, simple image that is. God's kingdom stares us in the face as we walk by. Jesus calls out to us. "Turn!" he says. "Enter in! My kingdom awaits your presence." And how many times do we wander by, trying to focus on the hallway in which we wait and marveling at all the other doorways. There is a matter of having to leave the hallway in which we currently reside, but how dull and drab that must seem compared to the room with a warm heart, a banquet table, and a dear friend on the other side. 

This, I believe, is the most profound explanation I have ever received on entrance into "The Kingdom of Heaven." It is profound in its simplicity. I have for years sought a clear, precise definition of what "repent" and "turn" and "near" meant, when all I had to do was look up and walk through. 

But perhaps even this simple image is to complicated when discussing what is really at hand. We live in our kingdoms. God's kingdom is at hand, right in front of us. We have access to it through Jesus who invites us in. All we have to do is accept and open the door. 

You cannot call upon Jesus Christ or upon God and not be heard. You live in their house. We usually call it simply "the universe." But they fully occupy it. It is their place, their "kingdom", where through their kindness and sacrificial love we can make our present life an eternal life.

Nothing more needs be said. Until next time, I bid you good reading.