My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here. Jesus. John 18:36.
Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is the first of 30 Days Reflecting on the Kingdom. My kingdom is not of this world. How easily followers of Jesus have forgotten this reality. Every last one of us can be seduced by the enchanting lure of power. Now I’m not talking about any kind of power. There are powerful things. That are good. Beautiful. A mother’s love. A friend’s courage. A father’s sacrifice. A community’s solidarity in the face of overwhelming difficulty. There is a different kind of power, however, that is seductive, dark: The power to control others against their will. The power to manipulate financial systems to our advantage. Sexual power—used to get what we want. Physical force used to crush and dominate. Words used to demoralize or manipulate. This is power used to advance our own interests at whatever cost to others. This power, is dark power—earth and demon power. It is the kind of power Jesus rejected as he forged his new kingdom. Jesus was introducing another kind of power. See, if Jesus had chosen the earthly kind of power, Jesus’ followers would have fought to defend him. But they didn’t. Because Jesus’ was introducing a new kind of power, for a new kind of kingdom. Power from outside earth. The power of love.
