The King’s Kingdom

It goes without saying that a king has a kingdom. Palm Sunday is a celebration of Jesus the King. King Jesus has a kingdom, too. I would like to offer a few brief biblical observations about the kingdom of King Jesus.

First, in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven (Matt 13:31-33), Jesus taught that His kingdom starts small and seemingly insignificant (a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth and a small rag-tag group of guys) but grows to universal invasion and impact (the global christian mission). His is a kingdom on the move.

Second, Jesus spoke of His kingdom as being both present now (“…the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Luke 17:21) and still to come (“Your kingdom come, your will be done…” Matt. 6:10). His is a kingdom we experience in the Spirit (Rom 14:17) and expect with hope (1 Cor 15:20-28).

Third, Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world and therefore does not exercise its authority the same way as earthly kingdoms do (John 18:36). Jesus’ kingdom was not established by politics or the sword. He established His kingdom through His word and the sacrificial love of the cross. His is a kingdom of grace and truth manifested through the Church by Word and ordinances (baptism and Lord’s supper).

Finally, Jesus taught that the citizens of His kingdom would be hated, insulted, persecuted, and/or even killed by the opposing kingdom of this world (John 15:18-21). His kingdom will be in conflict with the world’s kingdom. But, we are not to fear, for King Jesus has secured the final victory by His death and resurrection! Nothing shall ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:35-39). His is an unshakeable kingdom! (Heb 12:28)