The Bible’s first mention of a kingdom shows up in a reference to Babel and a strong man named Nimrod (Gen 10:10).
In the clamor that followed Babel’s attempt to build its own greatness (Gen 11:1-9), competing regimes tried to enforce their will on one another.
Eventually a new kind of nation was born out of bondage, nursed in a no man’s land, and raised in a place of promise. Protected and provided for by an unseen king, the citizens of this favored people tired of being ruled by a leader they couldn’t see or control. So they got what they asked for— a big man who, in their eyes, stood head and shoulders above the rest— and soon turned into a shrinking, jealously fearful, wild-eyed madman.
By the time Jesus began talking about “the kingdom of God”, Israel’s short-lived taste of greatness was a tearful memory. Yet when the Teacher from no-where offered his manifesto for a better social order, his idea of a citizen who could look him in the face and say “My Lord” ended up being voted down.
Even after Jesus’ surprise victory, those who knew him best had a hard time settling for the new kind of kingdom he envisioned for them (Acts 1:3). Right up to the end his closest friends were still focused on their lingering hope for nationalistic power, security, and material greatness (Acts 1:6-7).
Years later, when the Apostle Paul wrote letters that ended up being read all over the world, he occasionally referred directly to the kingdom of God. But when he did, he made it clear that the rules of definition and engagement have changed (Rom 14:17) (Col 1:13).
As Paul lived out his last days under house arrest, waiting for a hearing before a self-professed lord of lords, he boldly talked about a new kind of citizenship in a better kind of kingdom (Acts 28:23). In the shadow of the Roman emperor, he all but ignored the authority of Caesar—in ways that rose above political and military prowess, partisan antics, moralistic sentiments, and nationalistic pride.
Like Jesus, Paul spent his last days talking about the heart and Spirit of a Kingdom within the kingdoms of the world— that transforms religious bigots and murderers into worshippers of a Shepherd King who washes feet, forgives his enemies, and teaches his own that they will know us by our love.
In our best moments, isn’t this what we all long for?
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