Jesus ushered in an upside-down kingdom. This is why people were so confused by his purpose, plan, actions, and speech. Even his disciples who spent the most intimate time with him didn’t understand a lot of what he said. His kingdom is a turn-the-other-cheek, give-them-the-shirt-off-your-back, go-the-extra-mile, love-your-enemies, pray-for-those-who-persecute-you, first-will-be-last, pick-up-your-cross-and-die-daily kind of Kingdom. Jesus took everything we thought we knew about life and flipped it upside-down.
It is shocking when we live this way as followers of Christ. We have bought into the lie that his Kingdom is a be-nice, vote-correctly, attend-church, live-a-quiet-life kind of Kingdom, but Jesus’s kingdom is shocking. His call to consider others above ourselves requires us not just to forgive our enemies or ignore our enemies or tolerate our enemies, but love our enemies. How do we love our enemies? We look to Jesus who died on the cross for his enemies, all while they mocked and taunted him.
It is our job to advance this same Kingdom that Jesus established. When we start cursing those who disagree with us, spreading hate, putting ourselves above others, fighting back, and withholding our possessions, we start spreading the kingdom of the enemy instead. We have to know and be a part of God’s Kingdom in order to advance it. Are you a part of the kingdom?
Reflection/Discussion Question: What comes to mind as you think about the different kind of Kingdom that Jesus came to bring?
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