Luke 17:20-21

Luke 17:20-21 – Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or There it is,” because the kingdom of God is within you.”

Before Jesus came people had the idea that with His first coming the kingdom of God was going to come with force and overthrow all other kingdoms. That was a misconception. When Jesus was teaching us to pray in the passage of scripture commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” He instructed us to pray for the kingdom of God to come “on earth as it is in heaven.” Often, I think, we pray this without fully understanding what it means. As we look at this passage we can get a little clearer picture of how God’s kingdom will come to earth.

We are not praying that God’s kingdom come and overthrow all other authority on earth. That will come in due time. What we are praying for is that the kingdom of God be revealed in us. As we see in this passage Jesus explains that you will not “see” the kingdom coming. It’s not like an army that is advancing its ranks against a stronghold. God’s kingdom comes through the hearts of those who Love Him. There is power for sure, but God’s kingdom doesn’t advance through violence but through Love. It spreads by us Loving those around us and sharing all that God has done for us.

So, to answer the question, “When will the kingdom of God come?” I say it is already here. It came with Jesus and has been spreading ever since. Now it is just waiting to be revealed through us as we Love God and Love people.