What did Jesus mean by the kingdom of God according to Pope Benedict XVI? In my judgment, the whole mission of Jesus is summed up when one clarifies what "kingdom of God" means, and there are many who talk about kingdom but don't take the time to work through the Gospels to see what Jesus meant by it. Here's Benedict's statement:
Notice this: "The question about the Church is not the primary question. The basic question is actually about the relationship between the Kingdom of God and Christ. It is on this that our understanding of the Church will depend" (49).
There are three basic views of kingdom today: the christological view (Jesus is the kingdom himself), the mystical view (the kingdom is in our hearts), and the ecclesiastical one (the kingdom is the society God wills).
He sketches the Liberal view of Harnack (individualism, moral behaviors), the eschatological view of Weiss (imminent and apocalyptic), and the "regno-centric" or secularistic view (justice and peace).
The problem of the last view: God disappears. (And he's right on this; too often God does disappear.) Kingdom for Jesus is about God -- not just peace and justice.
Again, he christologizes: kingdom is found in and through Jesus.
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I was not necessarily equating the KOG with either of those concepts. I am just trying to understand the KOG as Jesus taught it and modeled it.
He said that he only did and said what the Father told him. This must mean that he was sensitive enough to the Father's "voice" or guidance and then willed to do it. I take it that this happens at the level of the heart or spirit. How did he do this? His pattern seemed to be to slip away on a semi-regular basis to spend a chunk of time in solitude and prayer. He probably did not go into those times with a list, but rather to get a list, which would require lots of listening and discernment. He then reengaged with the world with an incredible mindfulness, undistracted.
Maybe that is kingdom living and the good news is that we can do the same. Maybe that is how we are able to bring His will on earth.
Again, if there is any validity to any of this, then we need to be discipled in how to live the way Jesus lived. I don't see lots of this kind of discipleship going on. Consequently, we often observe an unimpressive, impotent institutional church.
Seems the real impressive work of Christ's church happens with that group of people that have learned to live in the kingdom like Jesus did. But, the birds tend to nest in the trees, the goats mix with the sheep, and the weeds grow alongside the wheat.
I think you're on to the truth of sharing in the KOG on earth, MarkE. If we agree that the Holy Spirit is the medium then it would logically follow that, prayer and fasting are the means. Certainly, as you point out, it was the method employed by Jesus.
Does this suggest a radical seperation from modernity. Should Christians consider seperate communities devoted to a more contemplative prayer and worship relationship with the Almighty? Can we still engage with the "Great Commission" being in the world, but not of the world? What do we really have to offer when, who we are and what we do is no different, more or less, than those who have not received Jesus Christ into their lives.
Speaking for myself, I am sometimes angry with and sad about what passes for "Christian Community". For the most part I see us as the young man in scripture; knowledgable, faithful and compassionate but only willing up to the point where our material/worldly selves aren't compromised.
In an external examination of my community I see reason for others to conclude that we are not who we say we are. In the interior examination of myself, sadly this same condition persists.
I throughly enjoyed reading all the comments...so much good stuff. I couldn't help but stop though, and laugh a bit at how complicated Jesus' message seems to be. The whole KOG thing has thrown me for years. The more I think about it the more ignorant I become;). Great comments and post...thanks for helping me think about this some more!
Paul (#33):
Using Jesus as a model, I would say no, we should not cloister. He did slip away on a semi-regular basis. All we know about these times is that they were often in solitude, of several hours in duration, and he prayed. I somehow doubt all he did was intercessory or petitionary prayer during time. On the contrary. Perhaps lots of contemplative prayer. Other than those times, he was very busy and engaged in the world. However, it was the way he was engaged that seems so impressive. He seemed totally focused on the present moment, attentive to life as it was unfolding (e.g., Mark 5:30).
How about the church providing training in contemplative practices and mindfulness from a Christian perspective? Seems entirely consistent with what Jesus did.
.."How about the church providing training in contemplative practices and mindfulness from a Christian perspective? Seems entirely consistent with what Jesus did..."
A big heartfelt Amen! to that idea, brother. Thanks.
As for your response to #33, I agree with it as it pertains to Jesus, but does it neccessarily stand as the best instruction for our human communities and how they should be configured? Bluntly put, we are of sin and Jesus was not. His ability to withstand the exposures of corrupted forms of culture were/are a lot greater than ours. Do you not feel yourself and your community in open defiance of our Lord as a consequence of a culturally inspired self interest?
So much of what western Christianity speaks to today seems to intrinsicly mollify our personal/ democratic/cultural perogatives before it speaks of the Gospel truths. Jesus was strong enough in of himself to withstand the tide of cultural perogative. Fragmented as we are, I don't think we have the same power.
If our communal sunday services are in any way spiritually productive, how much more productive would we be if we worshipped together daily? If we lived together, worked together, played together and "broke bread" together, in His name?
MarkE, please don't understand me to be advancing some kind of self serving(speaking communally) ascetic seperation from the rest of mankind, I'm certainly not. What I broadly envisage and am advocating is a less fragmented, culturally defined, Christianity and replacing it with what our best understanding of what a true Christian community should look like.
I don't pretend to know what that looks like, but in the end, if it is of truth, the communities we create would offer ongoing re-affirmation and support to all our citizens while at the same time offering to those weary of human political structures a discernably tangible alternative; A real "Jesus community".
I believe this much for sure; about 2000 years ago a small, impoverished Jewish sect, not unlike many others at the time, were part of a provincial messianic movement. Rather than being quashed, reabsorbed and relagated to the annals of esoteric study, they shaped the future destiny of mankind.
Something about the way this group co-operated wholly with the Spirit of God changed the world.
Can the vast millions of people, with all their material wealth, who preport to be the living legacy of this little community make the same claim? I think not.
Something is really, really wrong.
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