Kingdoming Well Part 1

As we have been talking about the question, “Do you want to get well”, that Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda, I have said that this question was Jesus offering or extending the Kingdom of God to this man. Which I think leads to another really good question. What is the Kingdom of God?
Throughout His ministry, Jesus proclaims the Kingdom, demonstrates the Kingdom, and offers the Kingdom to those He comes into contact with.
Mark 1:14-15 (NIV)
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Matthew 4:23 (NIV)
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
In the prayer Jesus taught His disciples He reveals His heart about the Kingdom.
Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In Matthew 6:33 we are encouraged to seek first His Kingdom
Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus gives us, His disciples, the charge to carry on this ministry
Luke 10:8-9 (NIV)
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
So, what is the Kingdom of God? Is it here now or is it coming in the future? Is it an actual place or is it more of a philosophy? How would you explain it? How would you demonstrate it? How would you offer it?
Those are the questions we are going to be dealing with in this series I am calling Kingdoming Well.
Let’s begin by coming up with a working definition for the Kingdom of God.
When most people think of a “kingdom”, they think about a place (realm). By that I mean they think of a “kingdom” in geographical terms. An example would be the United Kingdom which includes Great Britain, Scotland, Wales, etc. The people of the kingdom live in its borders. Because of this, we tend to automatically think about the Kingdom of God as a place (realm). While this is partly true, there is a better way of understanding what the Kingdom of God is.
A dictionary definition of ‘kingdom” is:
“The reign or rule a king has over his subjects.”
This meaning is actually closer to the idea which is found in the Hebrew and Greek words for kingdom. In Hebrew the word for Kingdom is malkût (mal-coot). The Greek word is basileia (bah-see-lay-a).
The primary meaning of kingdom contained in the Hebrew and Greek is “the rule, authority and sovereignty exercised by a king”. While a kingdom may indeed be a place (realm); and it may be the people who live within the borders of that place, these are secondary meanings. The primary meaning of kingdom is the sovereignty of the king, his authority to rule and reign. This is demonstrated very clearly in Luke 19:11-12:
Luke 19:11-12
11 As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
In these verses we see that the nobleman already had a place (realm), he needed authority to come back and rule.
This understanding will really help in understanding the primary meaning in the verses about the Kingdom of God.
Mark 10:14-15 (NIV)
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
What is being received? God’s rule and reign.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
What are we seeking? God’s rule and reign.
Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
What are we praying to come? God’s rule and reign.
One more quick thought for today. In Matthew’s gospel, you will also see the term “kingdom of heaven”. The terms “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably. Matthew would sometimes use the term “kingdom of heaven” in an attempt to deal with the tendency in Judaism to avoid the direct use of the name of God. Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20 demonstrates how the terms can be interchanged:
Matthew 5:3 (NIV)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 6:20 (NIV)
20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.