The coming of the kingdom of God

ASKED by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by his generation.”

REFLECTION THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD CANNOT BE OBSERVED. The Kingdom of God or the day of the Son of Man will not come with observable signs nor can one pinpoint where it will be, for, as Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is among you.” Behind these words lies a sense of exasperation on the part of Jesus against those who constantly seek for signs but then, after seeing the signs, still refuse to believe.

What does it mean for the Kingdom to be in our midst or among us? Jesus may be referring to his presence, words, and works in our midst that we fail to recognize. But it could also point to the inner quality of the Kingdom. One should not look for its signs outside; rather, one has to look into oneself. Or it could mean that it is found where communion or community is experienced.

The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf (1 Cor 10:16-17).