The Upsidedown Kingdom

John 18:36‭-‬38

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."  Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."  Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him."

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The Creator has been put in chains. Our Maker has been betrayed by his closest friends. The King of the universe stands humiliated before the governors of men. Moments before, he was describing the glory he shared with the Father before the world began. Now, he is condemned by a kangaroo court and rejected by a crowd who preferred a known murderer. What does he say in his defense?

My kingdom is not of this world.

As we have seen time and again, the Gospels portray a Savior who is not what we expected. From his humble birth by an unwed teenager, to his obscure upbringing in Nazareth, to his ministry of parables and dining with sinners -- this is not the Davidic Messiah that they were hoping for.

John 18 brings this upsidedown narrative to its climax. Clearly Peter thought that striking the high priest's servant with a sword was fitting with Jesus' mission. The disciples had lived through decades of government oppression, unable to worship and govern themselves freely. Other zealots and insurrectionists had come and gone, offering a rebel's hope against the monolithic Roman empire. And Jesus had proven his supernatural power before their very eyes. Surely he would turn that power against the injustice of Rome and free Israel once and for all!

But this hope was false and it shows how our biases can deceive us, even when the truth is explained over and over.

No, the kingdom of Jesus would not come through violent force, but through a humble sacrifice. Our Darwinian intuition, that might makes right, had blinded us to the beauty of a better way. What we really needed, more than a political Savior, was the forgiveness and new heart that only a resurrected Jesus could offer. Our sights were set too low -- why would Jesus defeat one Roman ruler when he had the power to destroy death itself for all time and open up eternal life to any one who believes in him?

What does this mean for us today? Even for those who know and love this upsidedown gospel message, are we quick to put our trust in political promises? Or even more likely, do we forget to turn the other cheek, and instead hold a grudge or take revenge on others in small subtle ways? Each day we are offered choices between the way of the Cross and the way of the world. If our King was willing to swallow his pride and take a hit for us, surely we should expect to do the same. He even promised it would be so.

Lord, give me grace today to be more like Jesus. Help me to love even my enemies who are right now working to hurt and ruin me. Let me be a faithful citizen of that kingdom which is not of this world.

King or Fool?

Mark 15:37-39

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

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We began our journey through the Gospel of Mark with the clear and simple proclamation: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). We have traced the life of Jesus in quick broad strokes, seeing his teaching and healing ministry, his rejection by religious leaders, and especially Mark's emphasis on the kingdom of God. This kingdom was taught in parables, perpetually misunderstood even by Jesus' closest followers, and eventually proved so radically different than expected that Jesus is left alone to face his executioners.

In chapter 15, we see our king finally crowned and hailed and recognized by the crowds and the Roman authorities - but all in mockery. The governor, Pilate, hears the charges and is amazed at Jesus' confident silence. He asks if he is truly the king of the Jews, to which Jesus says, "You have said so." We know from the John's account that this conversation also included Jesus describing his kingdom as "not of this world" (18:36). The arc of this story has gone from announcing the kingdom of God, through dozens of stories and lessons about its true nature, to finally this climactic conversation with the Roman authority. And the world is about find out what kind of king Jesus really is.

This king was condemned by a crowd who cried out "Crucify him!" This king was beaten ruthlessly and mocked by the Roman guard. This king was led out of town and hung by nails to be slowly tortured to death over a 6 hour timeframe. This king watched men haggle over his clothes while gasping for his last breaths. This king continued to be mocked while he hung there in utter humiliation.

"So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him." (Mark 15:31, 32 ESV)

I am struck by how matter-of-fact this chapter is. There is very little theological abstract material here. Just the brute reality of a jail cell, a braided lash, a crown of thorns, a rough-hewn cross of wood, and a few metal spikes. The jeers of the religious leaders are amazingly petty and trite, much like their hardened hearts. The most profound statement in the chapter comes from an unlikely theologian - the centurion.

"Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Whether this soldier had known of Jesus' teaching and healing, or whether he simply marveled at the tearing of the temple curtain, here we have a simple proclamation of faith from a witness of Christ's death. Nothing could be more miraculous than the seed of faith emerging from the rough soil of the human heart, especially among the close thorns and rocky soil of such mockery and punishment. The kingdom of this man must be madness! Not to this soldier. He believed. He believed this was the Son of God!

We are called to this kind of faith. Faith to believe in a humiliated king who reigns over a foolish kingdom. But when the beauty of this kingdom captures your heart and imagination, you will find its foolishness incomparable to its riches and glory. When the story of this sacrificial hero who came to lay down his life for an undeserving world finally grips your heart, you will bear that humiliation and take up your own cross with pride, because you know that it is truly the Son of God whom you serve.

But none of that would matter without what happens next...

The View from the Mountain

Mark 9:33-34, 38

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?" But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest....

...John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us."

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Chapter 9 of Mark's Gospel starts with a literal epiphany and ends with disciples who still don't get it. After rebuking Peter in chapter 8 for not accepting the prediction of Christ's atoning death, we are welcomed onto the mountain of God and given a glimpse behind the curtain of God's plan. Jesus is transfigured before the apostles' eyes, and Moses and Elijah appear in the flesh to discuss the upcoming climax of God's redemptive story. The apostles hear Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and even the booming voice of God from out of the sky, all testifying to Christ's death and resurrection, but they fail to understand! Verses 10 and 23 explicitly say that they don't get it. Then the chapter closes with two stories that really prove they don't get it.

The first story shows that the apostles were still fundamentally confused about the nature of God's kingdom: the power of God is manifested in serving, not in being served - in giving up your life rather than claiming positions of power. We are to become like children, trusting completely in Someone other than ourselves for everything. We are also to receive children and people of no reputation as if they were people of great importance, thus conveying the economy of God's love, where all are welcomed equally into his family through Christ's offer of salvation.

The second story speaks also to this fundamental difference between the mentality of the world and the mentality of the kingdom: those who are not in our clique but use Jesus' name to do good, they should be respected rather than judged. In other words, there is a fundamental graciousness extended within the church community between people of differing opinions. Working out the details of these relationships may involve some hard work and sensitivity to the Spirit, but the starting point, according to Jesus, is grace.

What's the connection between these two anecdotes in Mark 9? I think they should be viewed in light of the Transfiguration, and convict us of how far our natural worldly mentality is from the heartbeat of God - He is working out a cosmic plan to redeem humanity, and we struggle to grasp it, understand it, apply it, or let it inform our view of others. We want first place, even after seeing God in the flesh and hearing the heavenly Voice. We want to judge others, when we've got logs in our own eyes waiting to be removed.

Lord, help me to live as a childlike servant, assuming the best of others, and most of all standing in awe of Your glorious plan of redemption. Help me understand it, treasure it, and live humbly in light of it. All by your grace alone. Amen.

Not Who They Expected

Mark 8:29-32

And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

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Mark 8 continues the itinerant healing ministry of Jesus and his followers, but also contains a couple important stories that reveal the confusion of the disciples.  The first, in verses 14-21, shows that the disciples could not understand even a simple metaphor and were more quick to think about their stomachs rather than the battle between truth and lies, between Jesus and the Pharisees.  Mark ends this passage with "Do you not understand?" - a scathing, unqualified critique of the disciples' obvious disconnect, despite how familiar they were with Jesus and his teaching.

The second story is related above and presents an even more scathing rebuke to Peter and the other disciples. The fact that Peter rebukes Jesus (who he truly believes is the Messiah) is absurd enough, but Mark inserts a little parenthetical statement that makes it even more ridiculous - "And he said this plainly."  Jesus was not being cryptic here or speaking in parables; he was making a clear prediction of how He would be rejected, killed, and raised from the dead.  Peter makes a willful decision to demand his own version of "Jesus," in place of this inconvenient self-description. "The Messiah can't be rejected and killed! He's the king of Israel. I'll set Jesus straight." Bad idea.

Jesus replies to Peter pretty harshly for at least two reasons.  One, Peter's rebuke was in front of others, so Jesus responds in kind, for the sake of Peter, but also for the sake of the other followers.  Peter's misconception had to be stopped before it spread, not unlike the "leaven" of the Pharisees he had recently warned them about.  But, more importantly, the second reason this rebuke was so harsh, was that Peter's denial here struck at the heart of the gospel itself, the very heart of the message of God's kingdom - namely, that God has arrived, not to condemn the world, but to lay down his life as a ransom for many.  The world didn't need another Alexander the Great or Caesar; the world needed someone to pay for the wages of human sin.  Only a divine savior could deal with the infinitely dark consequences of human rebellion and sin.  Only God in the flesh could rescue mankind, open the eyes of the blind, and miraculously give new hearts to a world that was so fallen.  And Peter didn't like it.

Let us be mindful that the gospel message continues to be a radical challenge to our common sense, both inside and outside the church.  People in the world are offended by the crucified Christ, insisting on their own goodness and resistant to anyone who tells them of their desperate need for a Savior.  People in the church continue to resist the cross-bearing nature of discipleship - the fact that Jesus didn't model an easy or convenient way to fix mankind. It will take blood. It will cost you your life.  I pray for myself, that I am careful not to resist the heart of the gospel, that I take up my cross today, whenever the opportunity arises, so that people will see God's determination to redeem a people for himself.

And let's not forget, it doesn't end with death:

...and after three days rise from the dead.

The Kingdom of Heaven, Part 2

Mark 4:21-23

And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

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I call this post "Part 2" because we have already discussed some of the characteristics of the Kingdom Parables in a previous post. These parables reveal to us the surpassing value, the progressive growth, the final judgment, and the hidden quality of God's kingdom. Mark's gospel provides one kingdom parable that is not found in Matthew or Luke: The Lamp under a Basket. Because of this distinction, it seems appropriate to further address the "hiddenness" of the kingdom.

We have countered the popular gnostic claim that Christianity is a secret religion which makes God a mysterious transcendent being, only knowable through ecstatic experience. Gnosticism is repeatedly denounced in the New Testament, both implicitly (in the reality of the Incarnation) and explicitly (in the teaching of Christ and his apostles). We see this in Christ's affirmation of marriage, of eating and drinking, and his overarching interest in physical healing and financial responsibility. The ordinary material matters of life are of immense significance to God, since our obedience to Him in these matters is essentially what being a citizen of the kingdom is all about, albeit by means of faith in Him and a motivation to glorify Him.

Despite this affirmation of the material world, we have readily admitted that God's kingdom has a hidden quality, rooted in Adam's rebellion and mankind's fallen nature. We "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1) and literally blind ourselves to God's glory, revealed in creation and in His Word. Strangely enough, even Jesus' closest followers were often blind to the truth of His identity and His message. Mark is also distinctive in his emphasis on the slowness of the disciples to grasp who Jesus was and what His ministry would look like (see Mark 4:38ff).

Fortunately, the parable of the Lamp Under a Basket reminds us that this hidden quality of the kingdom is only temporary. In fact, Jesus tells us that "nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light." In other words, secrets are not meant to be hidden forever. Jesus' teaching was part of undoing this hidden quality; and his cross and resurrection even moreso. That is why the authors of Colossians and Hebrews can both say with confidence that Jesus himself is the glory of God, in whom "all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell" and in whom we behold "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Col. 1:19 and Heb. 1:3). What is recorded in Mark's gospel is the record of this Incarnate God and what He has provided as a solution to our deepest need. Rather than some fleeting experience, it is our faith in Jesus Himself and the historical space-time sacrifice for our sins that gives us an objectively right relationship to God. Because of who He is and what He has done, we can stand in His righteousness and know with complete certainty that we are forgiven and accepted and renewed by His Spirit. This is the kingdom to which we belong - a lamp once hidden, but now placed on a stand for all to see.

Citizens of the Kingdom

Matthew 21:31

"Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you."

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We have traced the life of Jesus from his birth, through his healing and teaching ministry, up to the point of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We have already seen that his vision of the kingdom of God was in stark contrast to the commonly held beliefs of the time. His teaching was new, in a sense, but it resonated in people's hearts because it was actually the fulfilling of God's laws and covenants of the past. But, the people who liked his teaching the least turned out to be the religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees. These men had traded God's commandments in favor of their own short list of human traditions, upon which they thought God would approve them. Because of Jesus' bold and blunt critique of them as wolves in sheep's clothing, they were already looking for an opportunity to have him arrested and put to death.

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Matthew 21 is a climax of sorts. It is the peak of Jesus' popularity in Judea, as well as the spark that would eventually lead to a blazing conclusion. The Parables of the Two Sons and the Tenants represent more of Jesus' radically different teaching, made in response to the questioning of the chief priests about His authority. In verses 25-27, we get a glimpse into what these religious leaders were thinking, and we learn that their supposedly God-given convictions were really motivated by popularity. So, Jesus tells these parables to make abundantly clear that those who enter God's kingdom are those who bear its fruit, rather than those who merely serve themselves.

What is this fruit that Jesus says is the final criteria for citizenship in the kingdom? The fig tree didn't have it, a foreshadowing figure for the following discourse (21:19). The second son didn't have it, even though he had said he would obey (21:30). The wicked tenants didn't have it, but instead killed the servants who asked for it, even the master's son (21:34-39). So, what is this fruit that is so vitally important?

Faith in Jesus.

While the chapter does not give this answer outright, there are many clues that point toward this conclusion. The main clue, I think, is the celebration of the triumphal entry. Those who had faith that Jesus was truly the "Son of David," that is, the long-expected messiah of God, were those whom Jesus acclaimed in contrast to the doubting Pharisees. When the disciples asked about the fig tree, Jesus commends faith, without doubt, as the answer to their question. When Jesus says that the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom before the chief priests, it is not because of their righteous lifestyle. It is because of their faith in Him. This faith does bring about a changed life, but we must start with the faith that brings it about. This is the fruit that proves one is a child of the kingdom.

Connecting those who bear fruit to those who accept the rejected cornerstone, Jesus concludes:

"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." (21:43-44)

Photo Negative - Part 1

Matthew 19:30

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

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It took me many years to understand some of the most fundamental aspects of the Christian life. The reason for this delay, I believe, is that one must have a photo negative view of the world to even make sense of the teachings of Jesus and his followers. When I used to read Matthew 19 and similar passages, I would come away with this basic application: Go sell everything you own and become celibate for the kingdom of God. I'm exaggerating a little. But, only a little.

In reality, this passage is quite radical, but not exactly in the way it appears on first glance. The main point, which as usual can be deduced from the concluding statement, is that many who are first will be last, and vice versa. In other words, God has no favorites, whether they be ethnic, economic, or age-related. The culture puts someone on a pedestal, but that means little to God. Notice, this conclusion is not causal, but merely observational: God is NOT saying that those who are first in this life WILL always be last. He's merely observing that it is the case, and fairly often, that the culture gets things backwards and esteems certain people for the wrong reasons.

This chapter gives three examples of how God's kingdom is a photo negative in comparison to the standard cultural practices of the time.

(1) Divorce. The people think that because Moses allowed divorce, therefore God must be okay with the practice as well. But, Jesus reminds them that this practice was not a positive good prescribed by God, but rather an unfortunate practice that was allowed due to their hard hearts. Then, Jesus equates divorce with adultery. This is the photo negative, and understandably the disciples are shocked.

(2) Children. The people brought their children to Jesus so that he could pray for them. The disciples did not approve and tried to rebuke the people. So, Jesus rebukes the disciples. He gives them the photo negative: The kingdom of heaven belongs to little children. The disciples, and most of the culture, were looking for a messiah who would conquer the Romans and bring an earthly reign of peace. Jesus, especially in Matthew, brings a vision of God's kingdom that is shocking and unexpected.

(3) Money. Riches were probably considered one of many signs that God's favor was upon you. This is instinctual as a cultural norm and is still common among advocates of the "prosperity gospel." When this young man approaches Jesus, the disciples probably thought he would be the most likely to be honored and esteemed by Jesus. He had kept the commandment. He had acquired wealth. He was the envy of all. But, Jesus again brought the photo negative. It is virtually impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. This too, was a great shock to the disciples, revealing their preconceived notions about what was pleasing to God: "Who then can be saved?"

If riches, age, and ethnicity are of no value in gaining favor with God, then who can be saved? It is a logical question. The cultural norms were a powerful force in shaping people's thoughts and expectations. But, more than that, these standard practices, then and now, become a representation of what people believe about God. Therefore, we must take the utmost care that our own cultural tendencies are not at odds with the teaching and example of Jesus. If they are, we may one day soon be standing with the disciples in shock when Jesus brings the photo negative to us.