The King and His Kingdom

The King anticipates a future fulfillment of His Kingdom ()

Explanation: Jesus has been in the city of Jerusalem for several days. During those days Jesus cleansed the Temple, cursed the fig tree for its barrenness, and taught many parables concerning the delay of His kingdom, along with the nature of His final return during the End Times. Now Jesus is preparing His disciples for the Cross.

He has called the Twelve together for the purpose of celebrating the Jewish Feast of Passover. This solemn observance was set up by God through Moses at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. God instructed the Israelites to kill a lamb and put the blood on the doorposts so that the Death Angel would pass over their homes.

At this gathering with His disciples, Jesus is instituting a new tradition. As a King with Authority, Jesus is changing the Passover meal into what we know as the Lord’s Supper. No longer are the people to look back to the Exodus; this is a new beginning - a new covenant that addresses the nature of the New Kingdom.

As Jesus is observing the reality of the Supper with His disciples in the present, He is also talking about the future. Jesus uses the word until two times and He also states that there will be a time when the Kingdom comes. This is language in the future tense, and it reveals the reality that the Kingdom, while present spiritually, will also arrive in the future in a fuller sense.

Argument: Jesus spent much of His recorded teaching during passion week focused on the interval of time that would pass before the fulfillment of the Kingdom. The parables of the vineyard and the talents and the ten maids all contain the passing of time. Jesus was preparing His followers to help them understand that an unknown (to us) amount of time would pass before He Returns to set up His Kingdom on earth.

The disciples listened to the teaching of Jesus, but they did not get this particular truth. After His Resurrection and at the point of the Ascension they ask Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” () Jesus has to tell them again not to focus on the time of fulfillment, but to focus on the mission ()

Application: We live between the times, in the “already - not yet.” The Kingdom of Jesus is now and is present in believers through the Holy Spirit. Yes we should long for and anticipate the arrival of Jesus as the King of Glory - it is our blessed Hope! ().

We should not, however, be idle and negligent while we wait. In those same parables in which Jesus taught of the time lapse before His return He also taught about present responsibilities.

Matthew 24:46–51 ESV

Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:

The King Sacrifices Himself for His Kingdom people ()

The King Sacrifices Himself for His Kingdom people ()

Explanation: Jesus also emphasizes the uniqueness of His kingdom. People can become citizens of earthly kingdoms by natural birth or immigration, but entry into the Kingdom of Jesus is supernatural and comes only through the New Birth (). Jesus has taught the disciples this truth at different times (one such is ), but he uses the elements of the supper to highlight His immanent sacrifice.

Jesus tied the elements of the bread and the wine to portray His own body that would be placed on the Cross. His body would be broken, His blood would be shed on the behalf of others. The Supper was to represent the greatest outpouring of sacrificial love this world has ever, or will ever witness!

Illustrate: many in the medical profession are placing themselves at risk during the Coronavirus pandemic. Some have contracted the disease as they are treating others, and some have even died in the service of their country and their profession. While we honor their ethic and their sacrifices, their deaths do not (in and of themselves) alter eternity for anyone.

Argument: We are not Jesus - we cannot achieve what He achieved, even if we sacrifice our lives on behalf of others. We can, however, model the sacrificial nature of Jesus. His death had power in that He died in our place and paid our sin debt. He who knew no sin became sin “so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” ()

Application: We are most like Jesus when we place the welfare of others before our own. Living out our faith during this pandemic gives us opportunities to demonstrate the sacrificial nature of Christianity. Are you simply focused on yourself (us four, and no more) or are you willing to serve others? Now is a great time to help others in the Name of Jesus

The King Rejects Personal Ambition in His Kingdom ()

Explanation: It is more than a bit ironic that while Jesus is having this deep teaching time on the sacrificial nature of His kingdom,His disciples are having a blow out about which of them will be top man. The word for dispute carries the meaning of deep-seated desire and having a contentious nature. This is evidenced on an earlier occasion when Jesus had to reel them in when they were arguing and fighting over who would get the top spots ()

Argument: Jesus immediately shuts down the argument. He tells them that are acting in the same way that the world (kosmos) thinks (v. 25). The way of life in Jesus’ kingdom is upside down from the way the world thinks. Jesus stresses the servant role, not the prestige and power role. Jesus uses Himself as an example in this. The Twelve have come to understand that He is the Son of God and is greater than any of them, and yet He is among them as a servant.

Application: Jesus declared that even “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (). You do not have to fight and claw and be willing to step on others to get ahead. The Child of God is to be removed from this way of thinking - it doesn’t belong in the Kingdom. Instead, trust God to take care of you while you focus on serving others in His Name.

The King will Reward His faithful servants in His future Kingdom ()

Explanation: Jesus finishes this teaching time by talking about future rewards. Right after He tells them not to strive or fight for positions of honor, He also tells them that part of the plan is to reward the faithful in the Eternal Kingdom

Argument: God is not a kill joy! He is not about seeing how much pain and misery and suffering we can endure while we try to live for Him. God is for us - He loves us and gives us gifts in the present time (cf ; ) for our good and His glory. He has also promised that “we are (present tense) more than conquerors through Him who loved us” ().

Argument: God is not a kill joy! He is not about seeing how much pain and misery and suffering we can endure while we try to live for Him. God is for us - He loves us and gives us gifts in the present time (cf ; ) for our good and His glory. He has also promised that “we are (present tense) more than conquerors through Him who loved us” ().

We are blessed, we are gifted, and we are conquerors right now! But we also still live in a fallen world, and we still struggle with our sin nature. That means that in this world we will have tribulations and trials [ coronavirus and the economic death spiral]. That is why the future promise of Jesus is so special and powerful. Living in this world exposes us to pain & suffering, hardship and loss - but our rewards in the Kingdom are not only secure in Jesus, they are Eternal.

Application: When a young child is given the choice of one candy bar now or waiting 2 hours to get five candy bars, the child will most likely take the one now. We understand that thinking for a child, but the truth is that we as adults think that same way a lot of the time. Our culture is focused on instant gratification, and to many of our young people, a long range plan is tomorrow.

Not so with the believer. You ARE equipped to live in light of Eternity. You CAN make choices that will cause you “to lose” (at least according to the world) in the short run, but will lay up eternal rewards. Jesus taught us to think and to live this way when He commanded us “not to lay up for yourselves treasures in this world where most and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither most nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:19-20).