seek God's kingdom first

 

There’s an expression Jesus used that sounds strange to our ears today if we really pay attention to it: “Seek God’s kingdom first.” Since no one reading this lives in a setting that could be described as a “kingdom” (in the way that word was construed in Jesus’ day), our understanding as to just what he was talking about is, quite likely, limited in a significant way. Thus, if we are going to follow his teaching, we need to translate what he was saying in such a way that it makes sense for our situation today.

When Jesus taught his disciples to seek God’s kingdom first, he was telling them not to pledge their allegiance to Caesar and the way the world worked under Caesar’s rule, but rather to God and the attendant vision of how the world would operate under God’s rule. This does not mean that Jesus was advocating our society become a theocracy, however. In fact, when the people wanted to make Jesus their king (in the same sense that Caesar was king), he rejected such a way of ruling.

Through his life and teaching, Jesus made clear what kind of ruler God is and how such a rule could make a difference in this world. And the first thing Jesus showed us about God’s rule is that God is humble enough not to force his rule upon anyone. Instead, Jesus showed us that God’s way is to invite us by love and love alone to welcome his rule freely and gladly. It is a way of invitation, never coercion nor manipulation.

Jesus showed us this way of love by serving others and standing up for the powerless. To do this, he confronted those who would rule merely according to Caesar’s paradigm. His mission was to liberate all those who suffered under such an oppressive system, which had tragically infected the specific religious system of his milieu with the disease of power-mongering. Jesus knew that such a disease cannot be overcome on the terms of more power-mongering. The only way to treat such a disease is to lay down power and infect others with such a way of living—not by law, but by faith…a way of the heart…the way of love.

To “seek God’s kingdom first,” then, is to let this life-changing way of Jesus get inside you so that his way becomes your way. It is to willingly let your life be ordered by such a way of humility, service, love, hope, compassion, and courage. The one who seeks God’s kingdom does not attempt to force others to follow this way by legislation, since forcing is antithetical to the way of God’s kingdom. It is, thus, a way of trust, through and through…trust that God’s way is utterly sufficient to guide and heal the woundedness that has resulted from all our attempts to gain the upper hand. May we trust this way. May we take Jesus up on his invitation to seek God’s kingdom first.

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seek God’s kingdom first

reflections and photo by troy cady