At one point the words "Kingdom of God" became the most important phrase in my life. One day, during the time when I was in a Roman Catholic seminary studying to become a priest, I read Luke 4:43 where Jesus said "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose. Jesus believed that the reason that he was sent into this world was to preach about the Kingdom of God. If that was his purpose I had to find out what that statement meant. I searched and searched through the bible. I found every statement in the entire bible where the phrase kingdom of God occurred; and yet I could not find out exactly what was meant by the phrase, until finally I came to the last place in the bible where the phrase occurs, and I found the definition. The Kingdom of God means. . . Wait a minute. Why should I tell you that right now? That would be like telling you who did it just as you were about to read a mystery novel. No. I invite you today to come on a journey with me through the bible. We will visit very briefly every place in the bible where the phrase "Kingdom of God" occurs and then you will have a deeper understanding of that phrase.

Before I begin I will just make one quick observation. In the Gospel of Matthew the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is used rather than "Kingdom of God" but it means the same thing. Matthew was Jewish. Some Jews hold God in such respect that they will not even say the word "God". One of the 10 commandments says "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in Vain". Many Jewish people believe that the name of God is so sacred that one should not even say the word "God:. If you look at a Jewish newspapers today, often the word God is not even spelled out. It is spelled G-d. I personally like this idea. If God is supposed to be infinite, how presumptuous of us to use His (or Her) name so freely.

Anyway, that said, let me begin the search for the meaning of the Kingdom of God.

The phrase, Kingdom of God, only occurs one time in the entire old testament but that was only in a poem in the book of psalms. The phrase is used frequently in the New Testament, therefore I suspect that it was an idea invented by Jesus to explain some reality. But what reality? To make it easier to examine this reality I plan to look at it under six headings: Importance, Proclamation, To Whom, What it is Like, Nearness, and Power.

First, is the Kingdom of God important? Mark 9:46 says "If your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye than with 2 eyes to be thrown into hell." One likewise should be willing to cut off a foot or hand or Matthew even says "there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 13:44-45 the kingdom is compared to a pearl that a person sells all he owns to obtain. "Once you have set your heart on the kingdom you need nothing else since all these other things will be given you as well" Matt. 6:33. I agree with this passage. If you have the kingdom of God then you know that you need nothing else.

My second point is proclamation. In Mark 1:14 Jesus says that it is good news. In Matt. 13:17 he says that these are the words the prophets and holy men have been longing to hear. And how does one respond to this proclamation? "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2) Now the word repent is actually poorly translated. In Greek the word is metanoia. This has nothing to do with sorrow or repentance. What it means is to totally change your heart.

Point 3: Who is to change their heart? 1 Cor 6:9, Gal 5:21 and Eph 5:5 give lists of those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God such as the immoral, idolaters, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers and robbers. But whom does it belong to? Ah this must surely tell us exactly what the Kingdom of God is. One must simply find out what all the following have in common. The Kingdom of God belongs to:

children Mark 10:14, Matt 18:1; 19:9

tax collectors & prostitutes Matt 21:31

the poor Mark 10:23 Luke 6;20 Matt 19:23

to those who have(faith) Luke 19:11; Matt 13:11

the apostles Mark 4:11

the poor in spirit Matt 5:3

those who don't look back Luke 9:62

those persecuted in the cause of right Matt. 5:10

those who do the will of the father Matt. 7:21

I don't know about you but if that is the list of the people to whom the Kingdom of God belongs I still am not sure what this kingdom could be.

Now we come to the old Universalist message: it is said that the call is going out to all in Luke 13:28 and Matt 8:11, & 20:1. It is like "a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind" as in Matt 13:47.

The kingdom will come only to those who produce its fruit. Gal 5:21 states what the previous list of people have in common. These people produce the following fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Now I come to my fourth point: What is the Kingdom like?

Are we going to suddenly be raptured into the sky to partake in these fruits? No, several parables say that the Kingdom of God is hidden like the leaven in bread (Luke 13:20; Matt 13:1)or a seed growing secretly (Mark 4:26) from small beginnings (Mark 4:26,30; Matt. 13:31; Luke 13:18)

I don't know about you but by this point in my search I was becoming very frustrated. While searching for the true meaning of the Kingdom of God, I kept coming across parables. The Kingdom is like this. It is like that. But what is it?

It became even more mystifying when I came across passages that spoke of its nearness (Point 5). In Luke 17: 21 Jesus says "The coming of the Kingdom of God does not admit of observation, and there will be no one to say look here, look there, for you must know the Kingdom of God is among you." Some bibles translate this passage the Kingdom of God is within you. The Greek word used here means both within and among. therefore the Kingdom of God is something that is within but it must also be something that can be among people. This gets more mysterious all the time.

In Mark 1:15 Jesus says that "the Kingdom of God is at hand". I would say that this glass of water is at hand. I can reach out and take it. Thus the Kingdom is so close that we can, if we wish, reach out and grasp it.

It is not something past or in the future. It is in the present as can been seen from passages like "The law and the prophets were until John, since that time the Kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it." (Luke 16:16; Matt 11:12) and "There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come with power." (Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27). And I say as I look around at the people in this room: I say to you there are some sitting here today who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.

That brings me to my sixth and final point: power. 1 Cor 4:20 says that the Kingdom of God is not just words it is power. It is the power that Jesus used to cast out devils (Matt. 12:28; Luke 11:20). It is the power he hands to Peter with the Keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16:19) What power is this?

In Mark 14:25; Matt. 26:29 and Luke 22:18 at the last supper Jesus says "I tell you solemnly I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink new wine in the Kingdom of God. When does Jesus next drink wine? Let me read John 19:28 "After this, Jesus knew that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture) 'I thirst.' A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on a hyssop (stalk) and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, 'It is finished': and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

Offering someone a drink of vinegar seems strange until one knows that this vinegar was not vinegar as we know it today but a sour wine mixed with water that Roman soldiers drank. Then dying on a cross is the Kingdom of God? To explain how this can be, I must explain my theology of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane with his followers. Soldiers ambushed them looking for Jesus. Jesus stepped forward saying let the others go I am the one you want. Some gospels say the soldiers were so surprised that they "fell to the ground". They couldn't believe that anyone would give up his life to save his followers. When the apostles write that Jesus died for us. I believe that they were referring to that moment when Jesus out of love gave up his life to save his followers. I don't believe that Jesus had any idea of saving anyone in the 20th century. He saved his followers. this explains the sentence "Greater love hath no man than he give up his life for his friends" Thus the kingdom of God has something to do with loving others so much that you would die for them.

I won't keep you in suspense any longer one of the last places in the bible where the phrase Kingdom of God occurs is Romans 14:16-17. The Kingdom of God means righteousness (that state that makes one acceptable to God) and peace and joy

The Kingdom of God is within and among. Do you always do what you truly believe is good and right and just, or do you ever carry guilt within when you do what is wrong. Do others feel from you that you always treat them with justice and goodness?

Do you carry peace in your heart, and do you give that peace to others.

Do you carry joy in your heart. Do you spread that joy to others.

If you have justice and joy and peace then you have the Kingdom of God, and nothing else really matters.

(Sung) The Kingdom of God you cannot see coming. Let all your searching cease. The Kingdom of God is found among you. Its justice and joy and peace..