The Kingdom of God

For the past few weeks, the Liturgy of the Word has had us in the vineyard, not casually drinking a glass of wine, but learning about the “kingdom of God” and who shares in it. What is meant by this image of the “kingdom of God?”

The phrase “kingdom of God,” also translated as “reign of God” or “dominion of God,” appears 150 times in the New Testament. It is a rich metaphor that has roots in the Old Testament. Although the precise phrase “kingdom of God” is not found in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament gives God the title “king” many times to illustrate His relationship to Israel, to history, and to all of creation.

The “kingdom of God” as defined by Jesus goes beyond the Old Testament meaning of a king and the land he rules. To figure out what Jesus meant by the “kingdom of God,” we look to the gospels. His ministry to the poor and downtrodden and his fellowship with sinners were defining characteristics of his public ministry of healing and reconciliation. He called attention to the meals he shared with those less fortunate as symbolic expressions of the arrival of God’s reign. Jesus’ parables often used the meal as metaphor for some bigger truth of the kingdom. What is that truth?

That Jesus established God’s kingdom as just and inclusive, without boundaries and with the promise of salvation - and not to a limited number of people. The Catechism of the Catholic Church assures us that His saving mission is extended to all without limit (CCC 543). The gospel stories, which illustrate the healing worked by Jesus and his inclusion of outcasts, show that the “kingdom of God” is an experience of salvation for all. In fact, Jesus himself announces, as he works a healing miracle, that the kingdom of God “has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28 and Luke 11:20).

It is important to note that the Church is linked to the idea of the kingdom of God. On earth, the church is the seedbed for the kingdom, but it is not exactly one and the same. The Second Vatican Council taught that the mystery of the Church is founded on Jesus’ announcement of the good news of the kingdom. Jesus is the head and lifeblood of the Church, and we cannot talk about the “kingdom of God” without reference to Christ. It follows, then, that the Church and the kingdom are twin vines in the vineyard of the salvation story.

As we worship together, we remember that we are charged with the sacred duty to do our part to bring about God's kingdom on earth by following Jesus' example of inclusion.