missing out
There is a line in Lord of the Rings, in which a character doesn’t recognize or know that the man he is talking to is the rightful king.
“And what would a ranger know of this matter?”
“This is no mere ranger, he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, you owe him your allegiance.”
Just imagine making a comment like that and then realizing the brevity of the situation. One might feel foolish or think about that feeling when you miss out on a moment while everyone else experiences it. The worst part is when you miss out because of your own actions or lack of awareness.
Jesus tells a parable about a king that leaves money with three servants. Two of them invested the money while the other servant buried the money, ensuring he would be able to give it back. When the king returned, he was pleased with the two and their investments, as they produced more. The last individual was disappointed and angered the king because of his apathetic and lazy actions. He missed the opportunity to build for the kingdom.
Think about all that our King has given us. We have been given an identity and commission for the Kingdom. Our lives and investments now make kingdom impact. I wonder if the man was truly living unaware of the whole situation. His master was going away to be made king and the act of giving money was not to just bury it but to use it for kingdom investments. He lived oblivious to the surrounding reality. Had he recognized the situation and been aware of his master’s actions, life may have turned out different.
I appreciate Luke’s Palm Sunday account because of the contrast of people’s awareness and lack of awareness. God was LITERALLLY entering into Jerusalem in the same fashion God, via the Ark of the Covenant, did before, see 2 Samuel 13. There were some that were aware and savored that moment and then there were some unaware and slightly annoyed. Mical, Saul’s daughter told David to stop, and the Pharisees wanted Jesus to tell his followers to stop. Now there are a bunch of sticks in the mud that have no clue of the brevity of the situation around them. They were missing out because of their own pride and stubborn hearts. The Kingdom was literally unfolding before their eyes and the Pharisees tried to stop the celebrations. God was entering the city and they couldn’t see.
The King has already claimed His throne. If we are not careful, we can be caught unaware and miss some beautiful kingdom moments unfolding before us NOW. The Kingdom of God is here. We are the servants in that parable and if we are not careful, we will end up like that third servant. Theologian N.T. Wright uses the phase, Building FOR the Kingdom. The church is not God’s Kingdom nor can we build the Kingdom; the sole responsibility for that is God’s. we can build FOR the Kingdom. Like the servants, God has given us gifts and his expectation is for us to invest in them NOW, for the purpose of building FOR the Kingdom.
It is easy to look at the horrific circumstances we often see around us and think, “There is no way this is God’s kingdom.” While that is true, we also know that God’s Kingdom is that mustard seed that is slowly growing and covertly overtaking the kingdom of this world. I am sure it was just as easy for the Pharisees to look around and dismiss Jesus because they saw Rome was still there and the Kingdom he was announcing was not to their liking nor expectations. Yet it still happened and it unfolded before them. God had come and dwelt in their midst. (Just like he promised!)
God has come and dwelt in our midst (just like he promised) in the unity with the Holy Spirit. The work of the cross and resurrection made this possible. Now, where we get tripped up is that it isn’t what we expected, but when does God ever do anything to our limited liking? He has a better plan that is unfolding around us. Let’s not be caught unaware. Even more, let’s be the two servants that recognize the situation and act on the King’s behalf. We celebrate this week because our King has claimed the world’s throne and yet we are compelled to not get complacent or apathetic and act in the name of King Jesus. My friends, Let’s build for the Kingdom because God is planning to come once again and dwell with us here. We have work to do to prepare!
