Last week it seemed that Jesus was a bit cranky in the Gospel reading. We talked about why that might, the possibility that the crankiness came from a sense of urgency because his time was short. He was on his way to Jerusalem to be killed, and he felt that he needed to get the message of the Good News out there. I think part of what triggered that crankiness was the Disciples not understanding, yet again, because he had been with them quite a while. Jesus must be thinking, I can’t convince these guys, I don’t have much time, I have 35 cities I want to get to. How am I going to get people on board with this?
In this week Gospel, I think Jesus is a little bit less cranky, and part of that is because he has figured out a possible solution to his problem: He has decided to gather 70 of his followers and send them out ahead of him to those towns he intends to visit. I think the idea is that they will till the soil and get the people ready to hear the message when Jesus finally shows up.
So Jesus sends them out, and he tells them they need to proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come near. When they welcome you and invite you into their homes and feed you, talk to them about the Kingdom of God coming near. And if they reject you and send you away, tell them the Kingdom of God has come near. Tell everyone, those who welcome you and those who reject you. Tell them the Good News, the Kingdom of God has come near.
What is this Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is God’s dream, God’s vision for this world, the way God intends this world to be when he created it. We see glimpses of that Kingdom throughout Scripture, no better than in the Prophets, especially Isaiah. He gives us so many beautiful images of what that Kingdom is like. For instance, he says it is a world of peace, a world in which the weapons of war are turned into the tools of agriculture so that every single person can have enough in this world, and everyone can thrive and flourish. It is a world in which the predator and prey are so transformed that they can eat together because the lion has become a vegetarian and the lamb is no longer worried they are the centerpiece of the meal. They are so comfortable that they eat straw together, and can even rest and fall asleep in each others arms. It is a beautiful image that Isaiah offers us of what this Kingdom is like.
Our first reading today from Isaiah is a part of this vision. It is the final chapter in the Book of Isaiah, the final image that Isaiah gives us. In this image, Isaiah spends time showing us not what is going on with the people in this Kingdom, but what is going on with this King. The King, of course, is God, but this King does not act like earthly kings. This King does not take all the power and use it to rule over, to lord it over others. Instead, this so-called King is more like a mother, inverting that image. Rather than a king that lords it over, this is a King that comes underneath and supports and cares. This King, this God, is our mother, and we are her children. We are protected and cared for by this loving, caring mother, our God who nurses us, carries us in her arms, dandles us on her knees. This is a God who loves us completely.
The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of comfort and care and compassion and love which every single person made in God’s image has the dignity and respect that they were made with. Every single person gets to enjoy and flourish and thrive. It is a beautiful image. This is what those 70 people are meant to go and proclaim, the Kingdom of God has come near.
So, when is it going to show up? That is what the people keep asking Jesus: when is this Kingdom coming? A few chapters down the road, when the question is asked, Jesus’s answer is going to be: the Kingdom of God is already among you. It is within you. The Kingdom of God is so near that it is already here, and you can start living in this Kingdom right now. It is among you, it is within you, it is right here in this room. Look to the left and to the right, it is here among you. The Kingdom of God is so near that it is inside of you. You can look there and find that peace, that transformation, that love that God, who is like our mother, has for you. It is caring for you and protecting you.
Some people like to call this the “Kindom” of God because it is not so much a chain of kings, but it is like a loving family that surrounds us.
So, my friends, in this world where it is so hard to see the Kingdom, where there is so much pain and suffering that we are reminded of every single day, the Kingdom of God is near. It is among you and within you, and you can start living within it and inviting people into it. You can start sharing that love that God has shared with you. You can be like a mother caring for people, loving them, living in the Kingdom that God has set forth.
So, my friends, my siblings, in this Kingdom, in this Kindom, I encourage you to start looking for it, to open your eyes to see it, and to live your life within it.
AMEN
