The Multiple Spheres of Jesus' Kingdom of God

Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God in multiple ways: "The Kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark, 1:15); "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God" (Matthew, 6:33); "The Kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke, 17:21); "The Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the Earth" (Thomas, 113); "the Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke, 17:21). There is a sense of immediacy in every aspect of the notion, and some have mistaken the preaching on this theme meant that Jesus thought that the Day of Doom was imminent. This is to disregard the contexts in which he spoke of it and the related principles he taught. Like anything so transcendent as a spiritual concept of "the Kingdom of God", one must not be surprised that it is multifaceted. For Jesus, it is a complex idea, even as it is a liberating revelation. In John, chapter 3, verse 3, Jesus says, "Verily, I say unto thee: except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." The reality of the Kingdom of God for Jesus seems to be something that is not only of the world's future, or the afterlife, but also of the present, of something (given the faith and the knowledge) that can be perceived in this world and within one's very soul. It is all-pervading, within and without, heretofore, here now, henceforward and hereafter. It is of one's soul, of one's community, of one's ultimate destiny. That is why when Christians today think only of the afterlife, and allow others to destroy this beautiful Earth God created for our joy, well-being and stewardship, they commit the sin of omission. And when Christians ally themselves with political forces which wreck this lovely living world we have been so preciously given, they are committing the sin of commission. The Kingdom of God is our neighbors, and our neighboring species of plants and animals, the whole spiritualizing ecosystem, as well as that into which our everlasting souls will pass after death. The Kingdom of God abides within us, because in each of us is a child of God who carries a spark of God's everlasting energy and being. We therefore should respect ourselves and all things created by God. You see, we did not even need to learn from the American Indians that the Great Spirit wants us to love Mother Earth, and in so doing love each other. It has been in our Bible (as well as in one of its lost Gospels) all along. Amen.