The appearing kingdom
by Tim Castle-Schmidt
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While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once (Luke 19:11).
Read Luke 19:11–27
Do you sometimes wish that the kingdom of God would appear now and that we could transition from the dog-eat-dog world we currently live in to the kingdom that Jesus describes? Because, as we read here, followers of Jesus have been seeking this for millennia.
And yet, we need to look carefully for the unexpected in God’s word.
Just when these early followers of Jesus thought that the kingdom of God would appear at once, Jesus responded with this challenging parable. However, while not dismissing the parable, following this, Jesus immediately enters Jerusalem as the coming king.
And this is the most unexpected! Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a peace donkey, not a war horse!
And by the end of the week, he will be dead.
God’s kingdom has appeared, and it has appeared in a person, in Jesus. Jesus comes, not promising wealth and good health, but faithfulness and mercy.
Whichever way we picture the kingdom of God, we must do it through the lens of Jesus, the suffering servant, the merciful judge, the death-defying Prince of Peace. Our task is not to imagine sitting in the best seat in the kingdom of God, but to know and join Jesus in his mission to the world.
The kingdom has appeared and is in our midst whenever we serve others or are served by others. This is also how we participate in bringing the kingdom in. As we approach the world with the attitude of Jesus – generosity, justice and mercy – the kingdom appears both to us and through us to the world.
Lord Jesus, help us to recognise the kingdom appearing in our midst. Reveal your ways of generosity, justice and mercy both to us and through us. Help us to rest in you, knowing that you are present in every moment of our lives. Amen.
By his own admission, Tim Castle-Schmidt is a broken man. Broken in body, mind and spirit, he says he is learning that God is at work in and through human brokenness. He says that while God has not ‘fixed’ him, God continues to work through his brokenness to connect with the world. Tim is the pastor of Nunawading–Waverley Lutheran Church in Melbourne. After spending many years as a teacher in Lutheran schools, he finally listened to God’s call to the pastoral ministry. Tim is passionate about social justice and engaging the church with contemporary society. Tim shares his life with Fiona, Miranda, and a Jack Russell called Otto.
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