Thy Kingdom Come

March 13, 2020

Lent 2020

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“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I [Jesus] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28)

In the original Lion King movie, the hyenas are so scary-looking and genuinely dangerous; all of their intentions are evil. But when the lion (the king of the jungle) shows up, they cower in fear and back down immediately. Likewise, in the New Testament, the demons trembled in fear at the sight of Jesus. They knew that He had all power and their strong- holds could no longer protect them.

We each have areas in our life that can become strongholds for evil, but Jesus is stronger! In Micah, Jerusalem and its magnificent temple became a “pile of rocks” when God allowed the Assyrians to invade and cleanse the land of Israel’s sin. I can have hope that everything is subject to God’s authority. The song “Over All I Know” by Vertical Worship captures this truth:

You tell mountains they must fall, and they fall.
You tell oceans to be still, and they’re calm.
You tell sickness it must leave, and it’s gone.
In my weakness, God I know you are strong.
You are the One above it all,
I stand in awe.
You’re the God over all I know.

Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God. He had the power to dispense justice, confront evil, and win. He stood up to the hypocritical religious leaders of the day and they could not deny His supernatural power. The people loved His miracles, but His Kingdom was confusing to them.

What is the Kingdom of God like? The Kingdom of God is so unlike our world. Whether in Micah’s time, in Jesus’ time, or in our time, selfishness and injustice abound. This is the way of Satan’s kingdom. But Jesus showed us another way. His Kingdom is marked by justice, compassion, love, mercy, righteousness, and selflessness. Let Thy Kingdom come!

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