The World As It Should Be: Week 3

Big Investment,
Big Payoff

Jesus tells us the Kingdom is like a hidden treasure or a valuable pearl. He challenges us to go all in -- the cost is high -- because the payoff is immensely high. God's dream for us is one of joy: joy in our hearts, in the world around us, and at the end of our lives.

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Kingdom Treasure

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

“Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

Jesus asked, “Are you starting to get a handle on all this?”

They answered, “Yes.”

He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”

Matthew 13:44-46, 51-52, The Message by Eugene H. Peterson
(Compare to NRSV and NAB.)

The Cost of the Kingdom

Seeking the Kingdom is expensive. It can seem paradoxical to reconcile the cost of discipleship with our knowledge that God's grace is freely given to us, before we have done anything. But fully receiving that grace and making the Kingdom present requires us to loosen our grips on everything that gets in the way. Jesus invites us to go "all in."

There is no such thing as low-cost Christianity. Following Jesus means swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and selfishness
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 5, 2013

Jesus calls us to costly discipleship--to expensive decision-making. Following Jesus means not only turning over personal habits and practices, but turning to a new way of thinking. This new kingdom logic counters much of what we take for granted. Jesus calls for reformation of values, behavior, and thinking. To follow Jesus, to be converted, means turning around, and joining a community anchored on kingdom norms and values.

This becomes clear when Jesus says his followers may appear to have lost their lives in this world. Our overriding temptation is to save our lives in both systems. We want to save our life in this world and in the kingdom of God. We want to succeed by secular standards and by kingdom values. Making it in the kingdoms of this world often requires accommodation and compromise. Jesus draws a hard line when he says that those who strive to save their lives may lose them--may find their lives evaporating. And that those who lose their lives in basin [service] ministries may discover new joys and life eternal.

Amid such hard talk shines a big word of hope. The cross is not the last word.... God's final word is the empty tomb.

Donald B. Kraybill, The Upside-Down Kingdom, p. 252

The Rich Young Man

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”

He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”

Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”

The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”

Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

Mark 10:17-31
The Message by Eugene H. Peterson
(Compare to NRSV and NAB.)

The Joy-Filled Jackpot

Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel has a lot to say about the Kingdom, and especially the "big payoff" which comes in three ways:

The Good News of the Kingdom is first experienced in our hearts as a sense of joy. Pope Francis writes: "The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew." This does not mean that there will never be sorrow in our lives, but we can be centered in an inner peace -- "a source of authentic personal fulfillment" -- and see that sorrow turn into joy.

As Christians, we go forth and bring the Good News of the Kingdom with us into the world to transform it. "Reading the Scriptures also makes it clear that the Gospel is not merely about our personal relationship with God," writes Pope Francis. "Nor should our loving response to God be seen simply as an accumulation of small personal gestures to individuals in need, a kind of 'charity à la carte', or a series of acts aimed solely at easing our conscience. The Gospel is about the kingdom of God (cf. Lk 4:43); it is about loving God who reigns in our world. To the extent that he reigns within us, the life of society will be a setting for universal fraternity, justice, peace and dignity. Both Christian preaching and life, then, are meant to have an impact on society."

Living into the Kingdom now is our preparation for the full experience of God's reign in heaven and at Christ's return. We have a lot of work to do in anticipation. "We are far from the so-called 'end of history'," writes Pope Francis, "Since the conditions for a sustainable and peaceful development have not yet been adequately articulated and realized." "True Christian hope," he continues, "Which seeks the eschatological [end of the world] kingdom, always generates history."

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Kingdom Payoffs

If the kingdom of God potentially costs so much, why be part of it? Well, it does cost a lot, but it also pays off big in many ways.
Jesus was not shy about talking about this payoff, although over the centuries his promise of eternal life seems to be the one most remembered. But the kingdom of God is primarily a plan for this world, and as such, it has immediate payoffs here and now.

The first payoff is for Christians themselves. Jesus promised us what every human being is looking for: happiness, acceptance, and community.... [They] receive another thing that all humans crave: a sense of purpose, a mission worthy of their lives....
There is another entity that gets a big payoff from the kingdom of God, and that's the world itself. The world needs a plan if it is not going to self-destruct....The kingdom of God is a plan for the world as it should be and comes equipped with a group of people committed to help bring it about. This is indeed good news and a big payoff.

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce, The World as It Should Be

Songs for the Kingdom

Music is one good way to let the Good News enter our hearts. Throughout this series we are suggesting songs from a variety of genres for reflecting on the Kingdom. Take a listen and see what speaks to your tastes and heart.

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