The Kingdom Within

When I read the parables of Jesus, I notice that many of them begin saying, "The kingdom of heaven" or "the kingdom of God" is like..."

Parallel Scripture from Matthew and Mark show that the terms "the kingdom of heaven" and "the kingdom of God" are often used interchangeably...

"He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Matthew 13:11

"And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:" Mark 4:11

I used to think "the kingdom of God" or "the kingdom of heaven" was something that as a "Christian," I am a part of. So when I read Jesus' parables, I assumed that the "tares" (Matthew 13:24-30) and the "evil trees" that are to be cut down and "cast into the fire to be burned" (Matthew 7:17-19) must be all of the people who aren't "Christians."

But this understanding never sat quite right with me, as I could not in good conscience categorically call myself a "good tree." Sure, a "good tree" is what I aim to be, but God knows I often fall very short of my aim...

If my initial understanding of Jesus' parables was proving wanting, how then should I understand them? I think Jesus' words in Luke 17:20-21 give a clue. He says,

"The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." [emphasis mine]

Many of us have our own ideas of what we think "the kingdom of God" looks like. We may think,

"If everyone would just do this..."

"If everyone would just be like this..."

"If everyone would just believe this..."

"...then God's kingdom would come!"

But Jesus tells us that God's kingdom is not something we can see and measure. It isn't something outside of us that we can point to and say, "There it is!" Instead of thinking of God's kingdom as something that we, as Christians are a part of, Jesus tells us rather that God's kingdom is a part of us. "The kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

Jesus said many more things about the kingdom of God (A.K.A. the kingdom of heaven). Let's take a look at few of His sayings...

"...unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20

The "righteousness" of the scribes and Pharisees was superficial. As Jesus puts it in Matthew 23,

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup...cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also...ye are like unto whited sepulchers [graves] which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." 

Jesus teaches that our righteousness must go deeper than a superficial appearance of goodness. Our righteousness must come from a pure heart, or else it isn't righteous at all.

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." Mark 7:21-23

Let's look at some more of what Jesus said about the kingdom of heaven...

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21

If whoever performs the will of God enters into the kingdom of heaven, we might ask, "What does it mean to perform the will of God? In His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus gives us an in-depth picture of what it means to perform the will of God. In Matthew 21, while talking to some chief priest and elders, Jesus gives us a more concise picture of His teaching, saying...

"A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

In other words, he who only gives lip-service to performing God's will, but who fails to actually perform it, will not enter into the kingdom, while he who gives the "incorrect answer," but who then actually performs God's will, enters into the kingdom.

Some other things Jesus said about the kingdom of heaven are...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3-4

and

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10
 
Jesus said many more things about the kingdom of heaven, many of which are in parables (which I will discuss more in a post to follow). But notice, what Jesus never says is that the kingdom of God belongs only to people who call themselves "Christians."

Therefore, as Jesus says in Matthew 6, "...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness..." which is the righteousness of a pure heart. And while you are seeking, remember, the kingdom of God is within you. All of you. This is the Gospel.
May every heart know it and receive it.