Hope Now: 27 Days to Peace, Healing, and Justiceਨਮੂਨਾ

Hope when the kingdom comes near

Hope shines brightly when the kingdom comes near and when King Jesus is present. Jesus brought the kingdom during his ministry on Earth, and he also spoke of a kingdom in the future. His kingdom delivers a transformative impact and uniquely blends the heart of evangelism and social ministry for the here and now as well as the yet to be.

The command of Jesus in Luke 10:9 is to “heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you." (Luke 10:9 NIV). What does it mean for the kingdom to come literally near to those we serve?

First, who is Jesus as King? What does his kingdom mean in practical terms?

Kingdom literally means “kingship,” a relationship between the king and his subjects. What does it mean for followers of Jesus to follow him as king and to live out the king’s commands and instructions? To know Jesus as king may look different from knowing him as savior, redeemer and lord. There are practical implications for living in relationship to a “king.”

Serving Jesus as King would resemble the weight, the responsibility and the privilege of serving an earthly monarch with great consequence. Knowing what Jesus taught, lived and demonstrated about the kingdom helps us know the King and his kingdom.

The origin of the idea of the kingdom of God can be traced to the covenant God made with the people of Israel, who were to become a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6 NIV) as described in Exodus 19:5-6. This idea became a reality when King David became king of Israel. The people of Israel had a king who ruled in splendor and majesty. When Jesus said, “kingdom of God,” he was not referring to a geopolitical reality.

Rather, he referred to a “fellowship of men with God and with one another in love” (1 John 1:3; 7 NIV). Even so, it’s challenging for us today to capture the essence of what it means to serve a king 21 centuries later.