The Delay of the Kingdom of God

Now we are gathered here today as Christians who are waiting for the return of Christ. Jesus has been absent now for nearly 2000 years. Yet he left us clear proof that he meant what he said. The Kingdom of God that he preached did not come, but it turned out that this was all in the plan of God. In the meantime, we are to be about the tasks he has left us. He gave us meaningful service, not busywork. In other words, as we live our lives we have the enormous privilege of doing things that will matter whenever he does return. You will have a blessed and important life when Jesus returns, but there is one thing you will not be able to do - you will not be able to be one of those who are privileged to prepare for his coming, once he has already come. You can only serve Jesus in anticipation of the Kingdom of God today. There will not be another chance like this ever again.

But for those who are not ready, the delay is God’s great mercy. Jesus is again appealing to Israel to repent while He continues to wait until the right moment. That window of opportunity for salvation will not be forever, and no one on earth knows how long it will last. You cannot afford to miss this, so repent today.

Has Anything Changed?

Now this is the first detailed miracle story since chapter 9; we have seen clashes like this before. The miracle itself was not remarkable. The woman was bent over not due to illness but due to a disabling spirit. Jesus commands and immediately she is healed. Now there is no evidence that the woman came there with the intent of being healed. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, after all, and Jews were supposed to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. No, the woman isn’t healed because of anything she did; she is healed because Jesus notices her and chooses to heal her.

The problem was that the ruler of the synagogue believed that miraculous healing was working. Now I’m not really sure Moses had miracles in mind when he forbade working on the Sabbath. The Rabbis did recognize that certain activities must be performed on the Sabbath - leading your animals to water, as they have to drink; anything that is necessary to preserve life. But a bent-over woman could wait until Sunday to be healed. One more day isn’t going to do that much difference.

But the point is that this is pretty much the same clash about the Sabbath that Jesus has faced before. Nothing has really changed, and that is the point. The people have had the chance to choose whether they will follow Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath or not, and the leaders still do not admit that Jesus has the authority to do that.

Jesus argument is that everyone there will lead their animals to water on the Sabbath, since, of course, animals need to drink water on Saturday, too. There is an unstated assumption, that human beings are more valuable than animals. There is a secondary assumption that the purpose of the sabbath was to give rest not merely to the men of status, but to others as well. This is something Moses clearly stated.

Exodus 23:12 NKJV

Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

Notice that one of the purposes of the Sabbath was to be refreshed from a busy week - for everyone, not merely for the head of the household. That is, the head of each household was given the responsibility of enforcing the Sabbath so that everyone can be refreshed.

Jesus’ argument is that since healing is absolutely refreshment, and since you take basic care to water your animals so they can truly be refreshed, therefore miraculously healing a woman on the Sabbath was very much in the spirit of what God wanted the Sabbath to be.

Jesus is claiming to have the authority to interpret what could and could not be done on the Sabbath, and therefore he is saying that miraculous healing of this woman is not breaking what the Sabbath was meant to do. But if healing a bent-over woman isn’t breaking the Sabbath, then any miraculous healing is permitted.

Furthermore, Jesus is saying that doing basic care for animals, because they need to be refreshed too, and yet forbidding the refreshing of being healed to humans who are so much more important, is hypocrisy. They are not actually wanted to keep the Sabbath; instead, they want to look like they keep it before others, so they have a double standard.

I should say again, that it is not necessary for Christians to keep the Sabbath.

Colossians 2:16 NKJV

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,

That is, since Jesus has died, the Mosaic Covenant has been abolished. Since the Sabbath was one of the ways Israel was supposed to show God that they were keeping that Covenant, it is no longer necessary to observe it as a religious observance.

Now, since Jesus did say that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, it is wise to take one day off of work a week. If you cannot do this, you do not sin; however, I think you will find that if you do work seven days, you’ll end up paying for it and being less productive than you could have been if you worked six. In other words, it is still wise to take one day off, since human nature hasn’t changed, but this is a matter of wisdom, not a matter of religious observance.

Like Mustard seed and Yeast

Jesus from this to give two parables about the Kingdom of God. Both of these parables have the same meaning.

in the first parable, someone takes a mustard seed and sows it in his garden; once it grew it became a tree big enough for birds to make nests in it. The point is that the mustard seed was the smallest seed in their everyday experience, yet it becomes a large bush, indeed big enough for birds to nest in. Notice that first, the seed is sown and disappears so completely, that you could not find it again. Jesus does not focus on the growth process at all. The very next image is of the fully grown plant.

In the second parable, a woman takes leaven and hides it in three measures of flour - about 60-75lbs of flour; enough to feed 160 people. (A “measure” is the transliteration of an Aramaic Word σάτον. It’s about 4.75 gallons, which would be about 20-25 lbs of flour; time three equals 60-75lbs.) That is she hides a small batch of leaven in an enormous batch of dough; once it is all mixed in, you cannot find the leaven anymore. But whenever you are making bread, you mix up the dough, then leave it and come back later when it is all ready.

Both parables focus on the beginning and end of the process. At the beginning, it is really small, and it is hidden so thoroughly that you won’t be able to find it anymore. But despite appearances, a process has started that will inevitably lead to something very big.

In the same way, Jesus is saying that right now the Kingdom of God is really small - The king is here, but he is only going around and teaching. There is no actual ruling taking place. He is saying that soon, it will appear like the entire thing is lost. The King will die, and it will seem like the kingdom of God was just a beautiful dream. But the death of the King will not be the end. Instead, that is the beginning of a process, the end of which is the full Kingdom of God. The point is that this process is automatic. You can’t stop it, nor can you make it come any sooner. Jesus has gone away into heaven. He is not currently reigning on the earth. But the Kingdom of God is not gone; instead, Jesus is preparing the world for that kingdom. The day will come when everything will be ready, and then the King will come.

Will Those Who are Saved Be Few?

Luke includes a question asked him; but notice that he specifically states that this happened sometime during Jesus trip towards Jerusalem. It did not happen during the same teaching session as the miracle. Luke includes it here because it fits his theme. Jesus is getting people ready for a world without him. Now this person is obviously asking a sincere question. Jesus sometimes got hecklers, but his answer shows that this person is genuine. He really wants to know, are only a few saved from the wrath of God to enter the Kingdom?

But notice that Jesus does not actually answer the question directly. He does not say if those saved will be few or many; rather, he focuses on urging each individual to make sure they are among the saved.

He tells people to “strive to enter through the narrow door.” This implies that gaining entrance is not common. But the “strive” does not mean that you have to work to deserve heaven, as if such a thing were possible. Instead it means that you must feel the urgency of gaining heaven, and be willing to listen and believe. You really only must believe, but that step is a rather big one. It means humbling yourself and admitting you aren’t good. It means admitting that there is nothing you can do to deserve God’s favor, and you must accept what Jesus has done for you.

He uses another illustration, that of a feast with invited guests. Once the party has begun, the doors are shut and no more guests will be admitted - it is much the same thing as when a movie is being shown or a concert is going on. Once it starts, the doors are shut.

The point is, however, once Jesus actually does come, everyone will want to be part of it, because you will see just how amazing it is going to be. but only those who are ready will enter.

When Jesus says “I don’t know where you are from,” that means he does not recognize their right to be there. When they think this means he literally does not know who they are, they try to jog his memory. “We ate and drank with you, you taught in our streets. How come you don’t know us?” But that’s not what he will mean. He means he does not have a relationship with you. That is, you are strangers to him still. And those who are strangers will be consigned to the same place as all the other workers of evil. Where is there weeping and gnashing of teeth? Hell, that’s where.

But the lost will see everyone else enjoying the Kingdom of God - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Prophets. Also are “those” who come from all corners. That is, the Gentiles will be there too.

To “recline at table” was what you did at a feast. This is another illustration. The Kingdom of God is a whole world, not just a party. But it is enjoyable and restful and fun like a party, where all the redeemed will fellowship together forever.

And at this Kingdom Feast, the old world rules of status do not apply. Many of those who had been important will be thrust out of the Kingdom, or at least not particularly important if they are there. Many very minor, unimportant people will be elevated to positions of great power and influence.

Go Tell That Fox.

At the same time, some Pharisees tried to scare Jesus into leaving - they claimed Herod wanted Jesus dead. Now if you know about the Herods, you know there were a lot of them, and they were all named Herod. This is Herod Antipas. And this Herod did eventually see Jesus.

Luke 23:8 NKJV

Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.

Does that sound like someone who wanted to kill Jesus? It doesn’t, does it? So that means the Pharisees are lying to Jesus. They don’t like him and are just trying to get Jesus to leave.

Jesus calls Herod “That Fox.” meaning that he knows that Herod is quite devious, and he has little use for the man. Those people who are first now and will be last? Herod is one of those people. He likely never trusted Christ, so though he was very important in this earthly life, in the next he won’t even be there.

Jesus knows very well that the Pharisees are lying, but he humors them. He states that he must perform miracles. Why does Jesus state this? Because he wants to remind the Pharisees that he does miracles, and that those miracles prove he was who he claimed to be.

But the “third day”? and the second “today, tomorrow, the day following?” That is Jesus being deliberately cryptic again. He is talking about his resurrection.

But he states that “it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.” Jesus is claiming to be a prophet, and also implying he knows that the Pharisees want him dead; that he fully intends to go to Jerusalem to die, so he does not fear death, and knows that he cannot die until he gets there.

Yet this is a bit of an odd statement. Jesus does seem to be specifically talking about a violent death. Elisha died outside Jerusalem, but he died of old age. There were some prophets who were executed outside Jerusalem, but they were killed by the Northern Kingdom of Israel, not Judah (1 Kings 18:4

1 Kings 18:4 NKJV

For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)

But when you limit the prophets specifically to those prophets who were killed for their proclamation, and who prophesied to Judah specifically, then yes, every prophet of whom we have record did die in Jerusalem. Those prophets are Uriah, Zechariah, and Isaiah

Jeremiah 26:20–23 NKJV

Now there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled, and went to Egypt. Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and other men who went with him to Egypt. And they brought Urijah from Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

2 Chronicles 24:20–22 NKJV

Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The Lord look on it, and repay!”

As for Isaiah, his death is not directly recorded in Scripture, but Jewish legend claims he was sawn in half by Manassah; The Bible does say that Manassah shed a lot of innocent blood, and possibly the author of Hebrews alludes to Isaiah’s death

2 Kings 21:16 NKJV

Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord.

Hebrews 11:37–38 NKJV

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

Thus, the tradition that Isaiah was sawn in half is very likely correct.

He is claiming to be God, for the times when He would have gathered Israel together were the many many times in Israel’s history when Israel wandered away from God, before the Son of God took up humanity. But they were not willing. That is, the reason Israel suffered so is they did not want the protection God offered if they submitted to his rule.

He declares that your house is forsaken; it will be about 40 year later that the Romans would come through and destroy Jerusalem.

The announcement is a quotation of Psalm 118:26. Now Israel did say that in the triumphal entry

Luke 19:38 NKJV

saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

However, makes almost the exact same lament after the Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:41-44. In other words, Jesus is telling them that Jerusalem is not actually ready for the coming of the King; they would welcome a political figure, but Jesus insists on repentance and heart transformation before that is possible. The repentance hasn’t happened, so Israel will reject her King. Jesus refuses to be simply another political leader seizing power without regard to the morality of the people. So the people will cheer, but the praise will be empty. And after the price of sin has been paid, and Jesus rises from the dead and ascends to heaven, then will come the hour of judgment for Jerusalem, an hour that could have been avoided if Israel was ready for her King.

Luke 19:41–44 NKJV

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”