Been in Any Castles Lately?

Since we live in a democracy and therefore have a president, we don't think much about kings and kingdoms. The closest we come to a king is Queen Elizabeth of England. But she really doesn't have a kingdom, not the real kind anyway. Her kingdom is her land and wealth and the honor of the people. That's pretty much it. She is not a good example for us of a king and a kingdom.

What I know about kings is due to the stories I read as a child: fairy tales and the like. You could get a good king or you could get a bad king. Whatever kind of person they were, that's whom you served and obeyed.

Have you thought about how often Jesus talked about a kingdom when He was walking on earth? He spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, His own Kingdom and even there was talk about a black kingdom called the kingdom of darkness. What's the deal with kingdoms?

I think we believers may have lost something over the years of the significance of these phrases. If you do a study on all that Jesus said about the kingdom, you will discover some interesting and important things. For one, His kingdom must be entered. You can't stay outside and still receive the benefits of His kingship. I'm not going to go into all He says about the kingdom at this time, but I want to toss around one particular episode He had with three different men and how the discussion really boiled down to the Kingdom of God and us as followers of its King.

Three men spoke to Jesus about following Him. One broached the subject first, asking for permission to be one of His followers. Jesus warned him to count the cost because the road would be difficult, i.e. "foxes have holes, birds have nests, but I have no where to lay My head."

The second man was approached by Jesus. He was reluctant to follow because of his desire to take care of a family matter. Jesus told him to leave that matter behind and focus instead on proclaiming the Kingdom of God everywhere. In other words, Jesus was telling him to prioritize. There will always be earthly matters around us to distract us from the really important things, eternal things. We need to keep our focus on what is truly important: people coming to faith and entering the kingdom.

Man number three was also asked by Jesus to come after Him, but this man wanted to delay the decision. He was reluctant to say goodbye to his family. It was a real pull for him. Jesus told him that a person isn't really fit for the kingdom if after they start out , they decide to turn back. Of course we know from all of scripture that Jesus wants us to love our families. He is the one who thought up the idea! So the issue is not one of pretending we don't care about our loved ones. The issue seems to be, and tell me if you disagree, that this man felt torn between following Jesus or staying the same; at home where everything was familiar. Following Jesus means choosing Him above all else, even family. He wants to be supreme in our life, our Lord.

A kingdom has a king. Am I following the king? If not, it speaks of confusion on my part about my salvation. When Jesus the king allowed us to enter the castle gates of His kingdom, it was because there was an enemy outside who was threatening our very life. He opened the door and we found safety there. The expected response from us should be one of gratitude and a desire to serve the king. We can either be faithful servants or we can be ungrateful, passive occupiers living under His good graces but not really knowing Him or having the joy of pleasing Him.

We can believe in Jesus like demons do. They believe "and shudder." Or we can follow Jesus like rescued people who are grateful to the King. Following Jesus is more than acknowledging His existence. There is a cost (possible suffering), we have a job to do (proclaiming His kingdom), and following Him means we will give up anything to do so.

Day by day, these are the choices I must make. Some days I follow; some days I'm more like a subject in rebellion. Only by His grace can I follow.