On the Tuesday of Holy Week, the Bible records Jesus telling his followers what the Kingdom of God is like. But of course, in his typical fashion, he turns everything upside down. What the world treasures and values has no place in God’s Kingdom – what the world deems acceptable and perfect is often empty and corrupt.
So he tells us that in the coming kingdom, people will be living their lives in their normal pursuit of the things the world values but when the Son of Man comes they will see how hollow and full of pain that way of life truly was. The rulers of the nations of the earth will fear the coming of God’s Kingdom because it means their power-plays and oppression of others will come to an end. For in God’s Kingdom, it is when we embrace imperfection and upside-down living that we find joy and abundant life.
Jesus compares this abundant life to a great banquet thrown by a King. The rich and powerful of the land shun the invitation to join in on this King’s upside-down way of life. But true to form, the King extends the invitation to the poor and the suffering of the land. The oppressed and the powerless are treated as honored guests in this Kingdom. The old corrupt ways of the world have no place there.
And he tells the story of an absentee landowner that gave his workers talents (money). When he returned he punished the one worker who refused to break the Jewish law against charging interest on his money. Jesus says in the oppressive spirit of the world, yes, the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer, but that is not the way it is supposed to be. The landowner may have punished the worker for sticking to his values, but to Jesus it is these very value-driven people who he will welcome into his kingdom – those who when he was hungry gave him something to eat, when he was thirsty gave him something to drink, when he was a stranger invited him in, when he needed clothes clothed him, and when he was sick looked after him.
To live in the Kingdom of God, it is required that we embrace imperfection. That we resist the siren calls of wealth and power (earned at the expense of others, the destruction of creation, and the oppression of the poor). That we turn the world upside-down and value the things Jesus values instead – caring for the suffering, providing healing for the sick, food for those who hunger, and welcome to those without a home. Everything our culture rallies against we must swallow our pride and embrace. Everything the world scoffs at as imperfect, we must treasure for that is the Kingdom of God.
This week I will be cross-posting the reflections I wrote for Journey’s IFC’s blog relating the events of Holy Week to our church’s value statements. Some of these have appeared in different forms here at onehandclapping in the past. Image “The Poor Invited to the Feast – Africa”