The prophet Jeremiah helped people think about the kingdom of God in a new way.  Up to his day, the kingdom was limited to the nation of Israel, ruled by a righteous king, being the chosen channel for God’s work.  But in Jeremiah, there was a shift.  Judah’s kings tried their best to usher in a golden age but fell short.  Jeremiah saw a new day with a new ruler.

Yes, the exiles would return and rebuild.  Even the temple would rise from the ashes, but it was so small at first sight that it made them want to cry.  Jeremiah pointed forward to something much more glorious.

Jeremiah 30:21-22 – “Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them.  I will bring him near and he will come close to me…So you will be my people, and I will be your God.”

Jeremiah saw a new leader ruling with grace over sinful hearts, changing broken people from the inside out – “So you will be my people, and I will be your God.” The promised leader was Jesus, who began preaching a unique message.   

Mark 1:15 – “The time has come,” he said.  “The kingdom of God has come near.  Repent and believe the good news!”

The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God, the place where His will is accomplished on the earth.  Jesus brought salvation from sin, deliverance, and healing – opening blind eyes, strengthening crippled legs, restoring shriveled hands, and removing shame.  He brought the dead to life, and even calmed storms with his voice, bringing peace to a created order bound by the curse.

But while the kingdom began to spread like yeast in a lump of dough, we still see Jesus suffering.  He had family problems.  His siblings thought he was crazy.  His critics said he was a blasphemer.  They plotted to arrest and kill him.  His disciples would all betray him.  And in the end, Jesus died, crucified on a cross between two criminals.

We must be careful not to make the kingdom of God another name for the prosperity gospel.  When the disciples asked Jesus for seats at his right and left, they had their version of the prosperity message.  The kingdom meant place, prominence, power, and wealth.  

But Jesus said, “You don’t know what you’re asking.  Can you drink the cup I’m going to drink?” (Matthew 20:22).  This was the cup of his suffering.  Then he said in verse 28, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Yes, in Jesus, the kingdom of God came to our sinful world, but it is far from being fully realized.  We are living in the middle, in the tension of the already but not yet.  That’s where Jesus lived too.  

I’m just thinking about my mother cooking fried chicken.  As a kind, the aroma filled the house, and you could taste it, but it wasn’t time for dinner yet.  We all had to wait to taste the delicious crispiness.  Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can all experience a foretaste, but the main course, the wedding supper of the Lamb, is yet to come (Revelations 19:6-9). 

While we wait, we follow the example of our Savior Jesus and see the kingdom advance through acts of love, service, and suffering.  Jesus doesn’t need any more rockstars.  He’s looking for humble servants who can give their lives away, who can have the attitude John the Baptist had, “He must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

Suffering happens when life doesn’t live up to our expectations or doesn’t cooperate with our 5 year plan.  When we stoop down to pet the cute kitty and, it bites us on the hand.  Sickness, setbacks, difficulties, and hardships in all their many forms will come.  The losses of life can make us bitter and turn our focus away from what God wants to do in us for his glory.  The Bible tells us to rejoice, because at our lowest point Jesus is doing a powerful work in us.  

1 Peter 4:13 – But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

We need more cross carriers, and fewer grasping for scepters to waive.  Jesus’ suffering on our behalf made resurrection possible for everyone by faith.  God works in new ways in our sinful world, when we are willing to go to the lowest place and serve.  Our prize is not the praises of people, but the “well done” we’ll hear in glory.  

Philippians 3:10 – I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

More to come….