Jesus was not about himself but about the Kingdom of God/Reign of God. What is this Reign of God that was the meaning of the life of Jesus and for that matter the whole meaning of the Synoptics? Some would say that this theme is the central one for the whole New Testament or Christian Scriptures.
Jesus never defined what he meant by the Kingdom of God. He talked in parables and similes (Mt. 13; Mk. 4) and in concepts like life, glory, joy and light. Theologians also are not so sure what Jesus meant. The best biblical description we can find and which might even be considered a definition is given by Paul:
“After all, the Kingdom of God is not a matter of whether you get what you like to eat or drink, but the Kingdom of God is a matter of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rm 14:17)
Albert Schweitzer regarded the above quote from Romans as “A Creed For All Times.” Note that in this quote from Romans, the definition of the Kingdom, does not refer to the future, but to the present, the Now.
The concluding words of this Roman quote “in the Holy Spirit” are to be attached to all three words – justice, peace and joy. Justice, Peace and Joy are for Paul the content of the Kingdom of God. And Paul sees these to be already present in the community of faith, who follow the Way of the Rabbi Jesus.
The Kingdom defined in a brief formula, is nothing other than justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. These are not just feelings or sentiments but realities in this world. This Pauline phrase can, therefore, correctly by regarded as a “Creed for all times” for, after all, wherever Christians try to achieve justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, there the Kingdom makes itself present. However it is necessary to know what these words mean for us in these our times. And that is the task of the reader visiting this blog.
From another perspective, when one takes the Christian scriptures in hand and meditates on their meaning, one notes that the “sin” of the Scriptures – both Jewish and Christian – is idolatry. It is a direct reminder from the first of the Ten Commandments. Yet how many of us ever confess or consider ourselves living a life of idolatry? Most of us are not biblical people. We are at best people of the Catechism. We are not of the Spirit but of the Law. John has much to say about this:
“The hour is coming and is in fact now here when you will neither worship on the mountain nor in the temple but in Spirit and Truth.” (John 4)
What does this mean for us today? Another task for our reader to discern. Idolatry and the Kingdom of God are the central thematic of the Scriptures. They must give us food for thought when we reflect on our lives today in terms of Christian discipleship. Many of the values operative in our lives today are not of the Way of the Jesus nor at the heart of the Reign of God.
We are called to be disciples of the Reign of God. We are called to become followers of The Way. We are to live those attitudes of being known as the Beatitudes. Justice, Peace and Joy in the Spirit are the heart of that Way.