His Kingdom

We think of Jesus in so many ways.  We might think of Him as the small baby lying in a manger.  Perhaps we think of Him when He was 12 years old sitting in the temple teaching the Jewish priests.  And certainly we think of Him as He went about teaching and preaching, or as He sat at the table with His apostles.  And we remember Him as the suffering servant who was tried, tortured and crucified on a cruel cross.  But we need to also see Him as a triumphant king who rose above all of the challenges that came while He was on earth and now reins over everything in heaven and earth.  Just before leaving this earth Jesus said,

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."  There was nothing that He didn't, or we should say, doesn't have power over at this time.

And Jesus taught about the kingdom to come while He was doing His ministry.  Note some of these statements from Matthew 13:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed......."

"The kingdom of heaven is like leaven....."

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field..."

"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price...."

"The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind..."

And when being tried, as recorded in John 18, Pilate said to Him, "What have you done?"  Jesus said to him, "My kingdom is not of this world."  Jesus taught a lot about His kingdom throughout His life.  And He wanted His followers to understand that the kingdom was coming.  Right before He left them, as we read in Acts chapter 1, He was with His apostles:

"Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'  And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.' "  They were thinking "Kingdom" as though it would be some earthly restoration of power to Israel.  But Jesus was establishing a Spiritual kingdom of which He would rule forever....from heaven.  And it is over this kingdom that He Now Reins!

What a wonderful kingdom......and King!

Thanks for reading.  Have a blessed week.