Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Mark D. Roberts

Home
Evangelical
Background to the Confusing Kingdom: Inspiration from the High Calling

Background to the Confusing Kingdom: Inspiration from the High Calling

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:34 pm by Mark D. Roberts

Background to the Confusing Kingdom: Inspiration from the High Calling 2015-03-13T15:34:31-05:00 Mark D. Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Background to the Confusing Kingdom

Psalm 110:1-7

The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem;
you will rule over your enemies.

Psalm 110:2

Psalm 110 can help us understand why so many of Jesus’ contemporaries were confused about his message and ministry. It also undergirds one of the deepest mysteries of the Gospel.

Psalm 110 celebrates the power and victory of a future king of Israel. Under this human Lord, the Lord God will “humble” the enemies of Israel (110:1). Through the king, God will “punish the nations” (11:6). Moreover, God will extend the “powerful kingdom” (literally, “staff” or “scepter” as a sign of royal authority) from Jerusalem to the kind will rule over his enemies.

When Jesus proclaimed the presence of God’s kingdom, people expected him to fulfill the prophetic vision of Psalm 110. He was supposed to vanquish the enemies of Israel and to rule with God-given authority. Yet, Jesus refused to pick up the sword and lead armed rebellion against Rome. Worse still, from the perspective of a first-century Jew, Jesus was willing to be crucified by the Romans. The cross was the ultimate sign of Roman domination and cruelty. Jesus’ crucifixion seemed to be utterly inconsistent with the hope of Psalm 110.

Yet, it was precisely through his death on the cross that God defeated the greatest enemies of all: sin and death. The apparent defeat of the cross was in fact the guarantee of God’s victory. Because Jesus overcame the power of our enemies, he opened to us the way into the kingdom of God. You see, Jesus did not die only to offer you and me forgiveness for our personal sins. His death and resurrection served the broader purpose of breaking the power of evil and establishing the reign of God throughout the cosmos.

This means that you and I can begin even now to live in the kingdom of God, even as we look forward to the fullness of the kingdom that is yet to come. We can choose today to serve God as our king in every facet of life: in our private prayers and in our public actions, at church and at work, among our family members, and with our friends. In this way, we participate in the ongoing extension of God’s kingdom.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Can you understand why people in the time of Jesus were confused by his message of the kingdom? Do you find it confusing? Why or why not? How might you live today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next as a citizen of God’s kingdom?

PRAYER: All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, because you defeated sin and death through your sacrifice on the cross.

All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, because you have inaugurated the reign of God on earth.

All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, because, through you, I have been welcomed into the kingdom of God as a citizen, and not just as a citizen, but also as a servant, an agent, and a co-ruler.

All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, because, one day, all nations will bow before you and proclaim you as Lord and God.

Hallelujah! The Lord God omnipotent reigns! Amen.

_________________________________________________

Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?

Here’s how . . . .

This devotional comes from The High Calling: Everyday Conversations about Work, Life, and God (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace. The High Calling is associated with Laity Lodge, where I work.

Inspiration from the High Calling

kingdom of God

Psalm 110

Previous Post

February 10, 2012

How Ash Wednesday Enriches Our Lives and Our Relationship with God

Next Post

February 13, 2012 How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God: Introduction to Lent

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Advent Calendar Alissa Wilkinson Archeology Art and Faith Ash Wednesday Bible Books Business Business and Faith Christian Year (Liturgical or Church Year) Christmas Christmas according to Dickens Christmas, Culture, and Christ Christmas: Keeping Christmas Well Church and Culture Church and Ministry Church and Technology Church Life Church: What is a Church? Cities Code of Ethics for Pastors Contentment Creativity Cultural Commentary Culture Daily Reflections Dallas Willard Deliberating on Digital Dignity Easter Education Ephesus and the New Testament Ethics Eugene Peterson Evangelical Existential Questions Faith Faith and Work Family Food Friendship Fun Good Reads Gospel Centered Christianity Grace Handel's Messiah Harvard University Health High Calling History Holidays Holy Spirit Holy Week Hospitality How Does God Guide Us? Hunger Games Insights for Leaders - De Pree Center Inspiration from the High Calling Jesus Jesus: Following Him as a Disciple Jesus: Seven Last Words Jesus: Was Jesus Married? Jesus: What Was His Message? Jesus: Why Did He Have to Die? Laity Lodge Leadership Leadership Conversation Lent Les Miserables Life for Leaders Linda's Advent Doodles Linda's Lenten Doodles Living Well Loving Neighbors Max De Pree Center for Leadership Mental Health Mission of God and Missional Church Money Moral Dilemmas Mormonism Movies Nature New York City Pastors and Churches Pentecost Photos to Share Poetry Police Blotter Politics Prayer Preachers Portal Preaching Presbyterian Church Quotations Reading the Times Recommendations Reflecting on Technology Religion and Culture Ruminations Sabbath Science Seven Last Words Sexual Harassment Social Media Something to Think About Spiritual Warfare Sports Stations of the Cross Stephen Hawking: Heaven and Faith Stories Technology and Culture Technology and Education Technology and Mental Health Technology Bits Texas Thanksgiving The High Calling Thin Places Uncategorized Vocation Women Words Work Worship

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 April 2015 March 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 November 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to Hebrews, without what is it impossible to please God?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Obedience Love Sacrifice Faith