The kingdom...out of this world?
Ok, maybe I got a bit carried away with my quotations. Sorry. But it was good for me to get them recorded though. I hope some of you actually read them and reflected on them.
This idea of a contrast society living among the nations is intriguing. I'm not sure we think of ourselves as a new society. I think our view of the church rarely goes beyond a group of believes that holds meetings a couple times per week. We don't think of ourselves as a new society, new creation, or a new humanity. (I will return to these topics another day.)
A society within a society...interesting. "Jesus says about his followers, 'They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world' (John 17:16).... the contrast-society lives in the midst of societies where the deceitfulness of evil has perpetrated degrading social forums." What does that mean, "they do not belong to the world"? They are not ek tou kósmou. They were obviously physically in the world, so it must mean something else.
This is confirmed by the preceding 2 verses "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [ek tou kósmou], even as I am not of the world [ek tou kósmou] . I do not ask You to take them out of the world [ek tou kósmou], but to keep them from the evil one."
We even say "they were in the world, but not of the world. We seem to know what that means.
Then my mind jumped to John 18:36, 'Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world [ek tou kósmou] . If My kingdom were of this world [ek tou kósmou], then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.'
Why do we suddenly make that totally other worldly? Why can't the kingdom also be in the world, but not of the world? Might Jesus be saying, "My kingdom, which is living as a counter kingdom among you, does not function according to your values. If it did, we'd fight you, because violence is part of your kingdom values. It has no place in mine" [McDuda expanded paraphrase]. It doesn't have to mean "because it doesn't really exist here!"
Maybe we are to be a kingdom of priests, shining as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse world. Maybe when Jesus comes we won't be a counter-kingdom, but we will be the (millennial) kingdom, and there will be no counter kingdom!
This has radical implications, I think, for how how we view the "kingdom" work of the Church.
Please, share your thoughts. Am I off base on this?
This idea of a contrast society living among the nations is intriguing. I'm not sure we think of ourselves as a new society. I think our view of the church rarely goes beyond a group of believes that holds meetings a couple times per week. We don't think of ourselves as a new society, new creation, or a new humanity. (I will return to these topics another day.)
A society within a society...interesting. "Jesus says about his followers, 'They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world' (John 17:16).... the contrast-society lives in the midst of societies where the deceitfulness of evil has perpetrated degrading social forums." What does that mean, "they do not belong to the world"? They are not ek tou kósmou. They were obviously physically in the world, so it must mean something else.
This is confirmed by the preceding 2 verses "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [ek tou kósmou], even as I am not of the world [ek tou kósmou] . I do not ask You to take them out of the world [ek tou kósmou], but to keep them from the evil one."
We even say "they were in the world, but not of the world. We seem to know what that means.
Then my mind jumped to John 18:36, 'Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world [ek tou kósmou] . If My kingdom were of this world [ek tou kósmou], then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.'
Why do we suddenly make that totally other worldly? Why can't the kingdom also be in the world, but not of the world? Might Jesus be saying, "My kingdom, which is living as a counter kingdom among you, does not function according to your values. If it did, we'd fight you, because violence is part of your kingdom values. It has no place in mine" [McDuda expanded paraphrase]. It doesn't have to mean "because it doesn't really exist here!"
Maybe we are to be a kingdom of priests, shining as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse world. Maybe when Jesus comes we won't be a counter-kingdom, but we will be the (millennial) kingdom, and there will be no counter kingdom!
This has radical implications, I think, for how how we view the "kingdom" work of the Church.
Please, share your thoughts. Am I off base on this?
posted by Gary McDuda at 5:45 PM
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