and say of it: ‘Look, here it is! There it is!’ See, the kingdom of God is among you.”
And Jesus said to his disciples, “The time is at hand when you will long to see one of
the glorious days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Then people will tell you:
‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go with them, do not follow them. As lightning
flashes from one end of the sky to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man.
But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Reflect
Jesus tells the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is among them. Wherever Jesus
is present, the kingdom of God is there. Jesus became flesh to proclaim and usher
in the kingdom. Whenever we act to make Christ more present in the world, we help
to proclaim the kingdom of God.
But what does that kingdom look like? Jesus cautions against those who expect that
the kingdom of God will look like earthly kingdoms with their focus on power and glory.
The kingdom of God is a kingdom of justice and peace, a kingdom where all have
enough and none have too much, a kingdom where the powerful are humbled and the
lowly are raised up.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to proclaim the kingdom as well. We proclaim
the kingdom each time we act with justice, assuring that the poor and the vulnerable can
live with dignity. We proclaim the kingdom each time we act as peacemakers, helping
people find forgiveness and reconciliation. We proclaim the kingdom when we show mercy
to our brothers and sisters in need. Lord, may your
kingdom come.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023