When Will The Kingdom Of GOD Come?

 "The Pharisees asked JESUS when the kingdom of GOD was to come.  HE answered, 'The kingdom of GOD is not like something you can observe, and say to it, 'Look, here it is!' or 'See, there it is!' for the kingdom of GOD is within you.'

And JESUS said to HIS disciples, 'The time is at hand, when you will long to see one of the glorious days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.  Then people will tell you, 'Look there!  Look here!'  Do not go with them, do not follow them.  As lightning flashes from one end of the sky to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man; but first HE must suffer many things, and be rejected by this generation.'" - Luke 17:20-25

 

(When will the kingdom of GOD come?  It does not come as a revolution or the change of the seasons each year: it is at work in people who have received the Good News.  Those who believe already enjoy the kingdom.

Then come the words of JESUS concerning the end of Jerusalem and HIS second coming [Mark 13:14].  We should not speak about the end of the world in every time of anxiety.  JESUS gives us two comparisons: the lightning [verse 24] which is seen everywhere and the vultures [verse 37] which gather without fail wherever there is a corpse.  In the same way, everyone, without fail, will be aware of CHRIST's return.

Yet HIS return will catch off guard those who are not expecting it [just as in the days of Noah].  Judgment will separate the elect from the condemned--nothing separated them in daily life--from two people working side by side, one will be taken, the other left behind.

In Matthew 24:17 the reference to someone outside HIS house is connected with the end of Jerusalem, and here it means it will be necessary to escape quickly.  In the present text this has another meaning: when the end of  the world comes it will be too late to worry about saving one's life or possessions.)

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No True Wisdom Without Religious Truth

 "Listen, O kings, and understand; rulers of the most distant lands, take warning.  Pay attention, you who rule multitudes and boast of the numerous subjects in your pagan nations!

For authority was given you by the LORD, your kingship is from the Most High who will examine your works and scrutinize your intentions.

If, as officials of HIS kingdom, you have not judged justly or observed HIS law or walked the way GOD pointed out, HE will oppose you swiftly and terribly; HIS sentence strikes the mighty suddenly.

For the lowly there may be excuses and pardon, but the great will be severely punished.

For the LORD of all makes no distinction, nor does HE take account of greatness.  Both great and lowly are HIS work and HE watches over all, but the powerful are to be judged more strictly.

It is to you then, sovereigns, that I speak, that you may learn Wisdom and not stumble.

For those who keep the holy laws in a holy way will be acknowledged holy, and those who accept the teaching will find in it their defense.

Welcome my words, desire them and they will instruct you." - Wisdom 6:1-11

(Here begins the "discourse to the kings about wisdom."  As we said in the introduction of Ecclesiastes, it was common to attribute the Books of Wisdom to Solomon.  This can also be seen in his book: the author pretends to be Solomon and puts the words about wisdom on Solomon's lips.)

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The River That Flows From The Temple

 "The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the temple and flowing eastward.  The temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the temple, from the south side of the altar.  He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside, to the outer gate facing the east; and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.

He said to me, 'This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul smelling water, the water will become wholesome.  Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful; and the seawater will become fresh.  Wherever it flows, life will abound.

Near the river of both banks, there will be all kinds of fruit trees, with foliage that will not wither; and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop, because the water comes from the temple.  The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.'" - Ezekiel 47:1-2. 8-9. 12

(Note the vision of the river which makes the land fruitful and starts from the place where GOD is present.  The invisible GOD manifests HIMSELF in the life which HE gives to people.  The Holy Spirit, imaged in the stream of living water [see John 7:38], makes all the seeds of life blossom again in the world.

The stream flows to the Salt Sea or the Dead Sea.  [Its waters are so salty that there are no fish.  No plants can grow on the shores.]  This serves as an image of the healing that GOD brings to a world, sterile because of its sins.  The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.) 

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Seek Life; Know GOD

 "Love justice, you who rule over the world!  Think rightly of GOD, seek HIM with simplicity of heart, for HE reveals HIMSELF to those who do not challenge HIM and is found by those who do not distrust HIM.

Crooked thinking distances you from GOD; and HIS Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.

Wisdom does not enter the wicked nor remain in a body that is enslaved to sin.  The Holy Spirit who instructs us shuns deceit; it keeps aloof from foolishness and is ill at ease when injustice is done.

Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man, and will not leave the blasphemous unpunished, because GOD knows his innermost feelings, truly sees his thoughts and hears what he says.

For GOD's spirit has filled the whole world; and HE who holds together all things, knows each word that is spoken." - Wisdom 1:1-7

(GOD is more present to us than we are to ourselves.  We need not look very far for authentic wisdom: it appears as spirit coming from GOD that becomes present to us interiorly but is only revealed to the just.

How can we express the nearness of the in-accessible and holy GOD?  Here the author speaks of Providence, Wisdom, Justice, the Spirit of GOD.  He speaks of them as if they were persons sent by GOD to look after us.  In fact, it is a way of presenting GOD HIMSELF who, though HE preserves HIS mystery, is close to people and to events.)

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The Widow's Offering

 "JESUS sat down opposite the temple treasury, and watched the people dropping money into the treasury box; and many rich people put in large offerings.  But a poor widow also came and dropped in two small coins.

Then, JESUS called HIS disciples and said to them, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who gave offerings.  For all of them gave from their plenty; but she gave from her poverty, and put in everything she had, her very living.'" - Mark 12:41-44

 

(The poor widow was the only one from among so many worshipers who made retribution to GOD as HE deserves.  She was the personification of those uncountable poor, who have practically nothing but somehow find a way to give part of the little they have.  The humble person is capable of sacrificing part of his paid time to study or participate in common activities in order to help his companions.  The small salary he loses is worth much more than the big salary that wealthy people are not willing to lose.  GOD calls on the poor before anybody else, because only the poor give all that they have to live on.)

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Money Is Something That People Acquire And Lose; It Does Not Make Anyone Greater

 "'And so I tell you: use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that, when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes.

Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones.  So if you have been dishonest in handling filthy money, who would entrust you with true wealth?  And if you have been dishonest with things that are not really yours, who will give you that wealth which is truly your own?

No servant can serve two masters.  Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt.  You cannot give yourself both to GOD and to Money.'

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at JESUS.  HE said to them, 'You do your best to be considered righteous by people.  But GOD knows the heart, and what is highly esteemed by human beings is loathed by GOD.'" - Luke 16:9-15

(We are not owners but administrators of our wealth and we must administer it for the good of all.  Money is not a bad thing as long as we use it as a means to facilitate exchanges.  JESUS, however, call it "unjust" [we use the word filthy] because money is not a true good [it is not money that makes us just before GOD];  and because it is impossible to accumulate money without failing in trust in the FATHER and without hurting our neighbors.

Money is something that people acquire and lose; it does not make anyone greater.  Therefore, money is not part of the goods that are our own.

The Pharisees, heard all this and sneered at JESUS.  More than the other evangelists, Luke notes the incompatibility between true religion and love of money.  The Pharisees could justify their love of money by quoting some saying from the Scripture.  In fact, in the beginning the Jews saw wealth as a blessing from GOD.  It seemed just to them that GOD should reward in this way those who are faithful to HIM when they know how to deal with the riches of this world.  Then, with the passing of time, they came to see that money was more of a danger and that, often, it was the privilege of those without faith [Psalm 49, Job].

Nevertheless, as soon as someone has money he is convinced that he possesses truth, and thus the Pharisees felt authorized to judge and decide on things of GOD.  After them, many Christians belonging to influential circles have wished to use money and power for the service of the kingdom of GOD and quickly established themselves as managers.  Money in turn possesses those who possess it.  Very soon one is ready to approve a moral order that justifies one's own privileges and forgets the Gospel values of justice, humility and poverty.  In the end, it is the Church itself that is despised by those who seek GOD .

Why have so many people of humble origin felt inferior to the rich in the church?  They got used to seeing the rich heading church organizations and accustomed to receiving the word of GOD from them, in spite of JESUS' warnings.)

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The Crafty Steward

 "At another time JESUS told HIS disciples, 'There was a rich man, whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service.  He summoned the steward and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you?  I want you to render an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.'

The steward thought to himself, 'What am I to do now?  My master will surely dismiss me.  I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg.  I know what I will do: I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be people who will welcome me into their homes.'

So he called his master's debtors, one by one.  He asked the first debtor, 'How much do you owe my master?'  The reply was, 'A hundred jars of oil.'  The steward said, 'Here is your bill.  Sit down quickly and write fifty.'  To the second debtor he put the same question, 'How much do you owe?'  The answer was, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  Then the steward said, 'Take your bill and write eighty.'

The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness: for the people of this world are more astute, in dealing with their own kind, than are the people of light.'" - Luke 16:1-8

 

(JESUS is not concerned about condemning the improper actions of the administrator, but rather points out his cleverness in providing for his future: this man was able to discover in time that friends last longer than money.  In the same way, in promoting a new way of living, the people of light must strip money of its halo as Supreme Good.  It seems that putting money in a safe place is the best way to assure our existence and our future.  On the contrary, JESUS tells us to use it and to exchange it without hesitation for something much more valuable such as bonds of mutual appreciation.)

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Triumphant Trust In GOD

 "YAHWEH is my light and my salvation

--whom shall I fear?

YAHWEH is the rampart of my life;

I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of YAHWEH, one thing I seek--

that I may dwell in HIS house all the days of my life,

to gaze at HIS jewel and to visit HIS Sanctuary.

I hope, I am sure,

that I will see the goodness of YAHWEH

in the land of the living.

Trust in YAHWEH, be strong and courageous

yes, put your hope in YAHWEH!"

- Psalm 27:1. 4. 13-14

(In the struggles of this life, the believer is not discouraged, but clings to the hope the LORD has in store for us at the end of the conflict.  A trust without limits: Though my father and mother forsake me, yet will the LORD receive me.  To such a GOD, the psalmist can say: One thing I seek... [to] dwell in the house of the LORD.  All the struggles, trials and temptations will not let us forget the house of the LORD at the end of the road.)

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The Cost Of Following JESUS

 "One day, when large crowds were walking along with JESUS, HE turned and said to them, 'If you come to ME, unwilling to sacrifice your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be MY disciple.  Whoever does not follow ME, carrying his own cross, cannot be MY disciple.

Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost, to see whether you have enough to complete it?  Otherwise, if you, have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent?  And if not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers for peace talks.  In the same way, none of you may become MY disciple, if he doesn't give up everything he has.'" - Luke 14:25-33

 

(JESUS thinks about people who, after becoming enthusiastic about HIM and giving up their personal ambitions to dedicate themselves to the work of the Gospel, turn back to seek what ordinary people see as a more "normal" and secure life.  JESUS needs disciples who commit themselves once and for all.

Why this comparison with the king going to war?  Because the person who frees himself for the service of the Gospel is, in fact, a king to whom GOD will give greater rewards than anyone else would give [see Mark 10:30].  He must also know that the fight is against the "owner" of this world, the devil, who will stop him with a thousand unexpected tests and traps.  Had he not totally surrendered, the disciple would surely fail and be worse off than if he had not even begun.

If he doesn't give up everything he has.  JESUS asks some people to give up their loved ones and their family problems.  To all HE shows that we shall never be free to answer GOD's call, if we do not want to rethink our family links, our use of time and all that we sacrifice in order to live "like everyone else." 

Unwilling to sacrifice for your father and mother, your spouse and children...  This is found in Matthew 10:37.  Luke adds: your wife.)

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If GOD Is With Us, Who Shall Be Against Us?

 "What shall we say after this?  If GOD is with us, who shall be against us?  If HE did not spare HIS own Son, but gave HIM up for us all, how will HE not give us all things with HIM?  Who shall accuse those chosen by GOD: HE takes away their guilt.  Who will dare to condemn them?  CHRIST, who died, and better still, rose, and is seated at the right hand of GOD, interceding for us?

Who shall separate us from the love of CHRIST?  Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword?  

No, in all of this, we are more than conquerors, thanks to HIM, who has loved us.  I am certain, that neither death nor life, neither angels nor spiritual powers, neither the present nor the future, nor cosmic powers, were they from heaven, or from the deep world below, nor any creature whatsoever, will separate us from the love of GOD, which we have, in JESUS CHRIST, our LORD." - Romans 8:31-35. 37-39

(Who shall be against us?  Paul is thinking of the evil surrounding us that frequently drags us down.  He is thinking of the Day of Judgment when the accuser, the Spirit of Evil, could face us with the faults we have committed.  He thinks of our troubled conscience that often brings us remorse.  None of these will be stronger than the love and forgiveness of CHRIST.  The believer should not be alarmed at his repeated faults or doubt the love of GOD, but try to live according to the truth.)

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