“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist and poured water into a basin. Then…He began to wash the disciples’ feet.” Jn. 13:3-5
He washed the disciples feet!!! Including Judas who had already been prompted by the devil to betray Him!! This was Jesus…the King of kings and Lord of lords! The Lion of Judah!! The same man who told the crowds that the Kingdom of God was at hand! This was the One of whom Daniel prophesied would usher in a kingdom that would crush the kingdoms of the day and would eventually encompass the entire world! The same Person whose government Isaiah foretold would always be increasing. Yet here He was kneeling beside a basin of dirty water doing the menial work of a servant. What kind of kingdom was He bringing? What type of government was this? Certainly nothing that the disciples expected.
And…if we’re honest…nothing like we expected either.
History paints a different story of kingdoms rising and leaders coming to power. Force. Subjugation. Rule. Threat of violence. We hail leaders who carry a big stick. We laud those who have teeth behind their words…teeth that can bite. A kingdom that lasts is a kingdom that wars to maintain its place in the world. Kingdoms are not built by servants, but upon servants.
Or, at least that’s what history says. And, we are good students of history.
But, are we good students of the Bible? What do we read there as to the nature of the Kingdom of God?
We read of a King being born in a stable. We read of One who is as much a Lamb as He is a Lion. We read of Jesus who hung out with the outcasts rather than the movers and shakers. We read of a God who hung on a cross revealing to the world that He would rather die than kill His enemies.
This is the nature of the Kingdom Jesus inaugurated.
We read that if one wants to be great in this kingdom, he must become the servant of all. We read that to be wealthy, we must give everything you have. We read that to live, one must die. We read of forgiveness rather than vengeance. We read of grace so powerful that it transforms the vilest of sinners. We read of a love so powerful to pierce the strongest of hatreds.
This is the nature of the Kingdom we are mandated to advance.
Turn the other cheek? Love your enemies? Give beyond what is demanded of you? Bless those who curse you? Authority that looks more like servanthood?
This is what the King asks of the citizens of this Kingdom.
What happens within our minds as we honestly confront the reality of the kingdom Jesus ushered into the world? What happens in our souls when we honestly ponder the reality of the values His kingdom espouses? If we’re honest, we flinch and are not entirely certain such a kingdom can ever truly encompass the globe…that such a government will ever truly increase continually.
Because it just doesn’t fit the pattern. It violates everything we’ve learned about life. So we have come to accept, even desire, a symbiotic relationship between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. They fulfill those obligations we cannot because our bible forbids it; we offer loyal allegiance and obedience. These two kingdoms are not meant to be symbiotic. The only reason we accept it is because we do not believe the values of God’s kingdom really can defeat evil.
In reality, Jesus inaugurated a kingdom that would be unlike any other kingdom known to mankind. Its culture is radically different than any other culture in the history of the world. Its core values stand in stark contrast to those of any other kingdom ever established. Its methods of warfare…its means of advancement…its strategies of occupation…are violently counter-intuitive to the natural mind. It is only by faith we can embrace these.
The first and greatest difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of earth is that the Kingdom of God would be one marked by love. Love is something familiar to us all, but the standard of this kingdom’s love is not. We are not just to love those who love us, but also those who hate us. We are not just to love those who hate us, but to love them as Christ loves…
A love that holds nothing back…
A love that sacrifices everything…
A love that would much rather die than to kill one’s enemies.