The Kingdom of God Reveals the God Who Mingles With Outcasts

Leaving Nazareth, [Jesus] went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt. 4:13-17)

The kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven, as it is known in the Gospel of Matthew, is the subject of much scholarly debate. What is it? Is it a literal location? Is it the New Jerusalem? Is it the new creation? Is it outside of this creation or within it? Is it demonstrated by miracles of healing or not?

Thus, we move from the salvific movements of creation, exodus, sacrifice, and exile to the mysterious kingdom of God.

While the phrase, kingdom of God, does not appear in the Old Testament, it certainly has its theological origin there, which is why we’ve spent the past month reviewing the salvation of God in the history of Israel. We misunderstand the New Testament if we think the kingdom of God is a new idea to Jesus.

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright describes the coming of Jesus as the perfect storm in first-century Rome:

The winds of Roman rule and oppression.
The counterwinds of Jewish religious doctrine, which advocated for Israel as a sovereign, chosen nation.
The third wind, the breath of God, clashes with the winds of Roman and Jewish politics.

The three winds collide in the perfect storm by which Jesus is made known to the world—not only to first-century Roman-occupied Palestine, but to the four corners of the earth and millennia beyond.

I highly recommend Wright’s work on the kingdom of heaven, especially Simply Jesus and How God Became King. Other excellent resources include The Bible Project’s video Heaven and Earth and Scot McKnight’s Kingdom Conspiracy.

In short, I offer nothing new in this article. At the risk of repeating what other far more brilliant people have said, I’ll say this and a little more:

The kingdom of God, glimpsed through the ancient faithful kings, David and Solomon, comes to earth through Jesus of Nazareth.

The prophets prophesied this coming king:

Zechariah 14:9 – “The Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”
Isaiah 9:6–7 – “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end... on the throne of David and over his kingdom.”
Psalm 103:19 – “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”

Even while Israel languished in corrupt rule and exile, the prophets promised a coming king who would set the throne right again. By all rights, the King of Israel was their God whom they had rejected; in response, he sends his Son to claim the throne, not as a revolutionary leader set to overthrow the mighty Roman Empire, but as a baby born to poor parents who descended from the royal line of David.

The King came down to earth and ate with sinners. He touched the lame, lepers, unclean, blind, and outcasts. He mingled with women. He welcomed the poor and demon-possessed.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (Matt. 4:23-25)

How could they not follow him, this man who took the time to see them in ways that the Jewish religious leaders failed to do? This man was worth leaving fishing boats, farms, and families. This man was worth their very life and worship.

The Greek word sozo is the same word used for both salvation and healing. Thus, when Jesus healed them, he saved them.

One really cannot fault the Jewish religious leaders for calling blasphemy upon Jesus. I imagine that many of those who claim to hold the ‘right way to heaven’ would look askance at the man or woman who would mingle with the homeless, substance-addicted, and mentally ill who populate most city cores, not to mention proclaim deity.

Jesus’ kingdom calls down woe upon these self-righteous, self-acclaimed elites. Seven woes he utters in the Gospel of Matthew, each hammering another nail in the coffin of the Jewish religious leaders who insist that the kingdom of God is accessible only to those who obey all the rules.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matt. 23:13)

These are the ones who, when they have seen the Son of the King, plot to have him killed. He’s a troublemaker, a rabblerouser, a preacher who preaches not quite the right things.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” (Matt. 23:15)

Now, that one gets a little personal; Christian traditions—Protestant and Catholic alike—have spent millions in resources and lives to 'preach the gospel to the savages and barbarians of distant lands.’ We all know how well that turned out. It didn’t.

Canada bears the scars of colonialism in its still-deeply embedded racism toward its Indigenous populations. I know Canada isn’t the only one; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina, Nepal, Sierra Leone… I could list every colonized nation in the world and still have only scratched the surface of the damage done in the name of converting souls to Christianity.

The kingdom of God isn’t about saving souls. It’s about bringing God’s way of life to earth so that humanity might live in wholeness with him again.

This is the creation mandate. It’s the Exodus Way. It’s the promise of every sacrifice ever offered at the Tabernacle and Temple. It’s the anxious waiting of the Exile.

Jesus, being fully God and fully man, was finally able to embody the hope of the kingdom of God. He showed us how to live in this kingdom. He redefined all of our relationships.

Money doesn’t matter.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:19-20)

Family is more than the person who gave you birth.

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)

Love is always the answer, even—especially—when others treat you badly.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:43-45)

Evangelicals tend to skip past Jesus’ life on earth in their hurry to get to the cross.

We’re all sinners. We’re doomed to hell! But Jesus died for our sins on the cross and forgave us.

Yes, we’re all sinners, and the King sat down at tables with us. He preferred the company of sinners over those who judged themselves without sickness.

No, he never once preached judgment to the sinners. His judgments were reserved for the religious elite who considered themselves above those who rested at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus first came to show us the kingdom of God. He brought heaven to earth as he mingled among us. He healed us, body and soul; he saved us.

His sole purpose was not to die for us, but to show us the reality of God’s kingdom on earth.

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9-10)

The epitome of this kingdom is Jesus going humbly to his execution when he had done no wrong—he who had preached blessings to the poor and humble. He embodied everything that he preached, and he preached what he embodied. His final act of surrender was fully integrated with who he was in his life and ministry; it was an extension of his teaching on what it looks like to bring the kingdom of God near.

It’s an upside-down kingdom. It is not one that looked like the Roman Empire or the Jewish districts. It doesn’t look like the Empire of Great Britain or the United States of America.

God’s kingdom is other. It sets a precedent for living and being in a new family and a new way of life that considers others better than oneself, cares for those who are socially outcast, and loves those who would injure the vulnerable. It doesn’t excuse wrong, but seeks justice in the wrongdoing by seeing the wrongdoer as a person created by God for good works.

It is the inaugurated kingdom of heaven, not yet fully realized. But one day, it will be. This is the Christian hope—that we will one day see the full realization of Heaven on Earth. All made new. All restored. All forgiven.

But for now, we wait and, by the power of the Spirit given to us by the submission of Jesus Christ to the ruling powers, we participate in the kingdom of God here and now. This is salvation—not only for me and mine, but for everyone in this whole, wide, wild world.

The Cross and the Quill is all about diving deep into various theological topics and considering how the biblical and historical context informs how we think about these things. If you liked this article, consider sharing it with your friends or subscribing to the newsletter below!

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

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