Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven

[silentreader]

Question came up yesterday,
What did Jesus mean when He referred to the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven in a non-eschatological sense?
A definition I ran across ...

A "place" where righteousness, holiness, and peace exist as main features, a "place" where God's will is being done and is paramount.

The idea of "place" is not necessarily referring to something that can be found on Google Maps but includes the truth of the statement , "The Kingdom of God is within You".

Would you agree with that? What is wrong or missing?

[Sudsy]

Question came up yesterday,
What did Jesus mean when He referred to the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven in a non-eschatological sense?
A definition I ran across ...

A "place" where righteousness, holiness, and peace exist as main features, a "place" where God's will is being done and is paramount.

The idea of "place" is not necessarily referring to something that can be found on Google Maps but includes the truth of the statement , "The Kingdom of God is within You".

Would you agree with that? What is wrong or missing?

I especially like the description in Romans 14:17 -

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

I would link 'holiness' as being in 'righteousness' and think the word 'joy' is especially important to be included as a main feature. And, yes, this is a place within our heart that is reflected in how we live.

[Ernie]

Jesus taught us to pray, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven."

So it seems to me that God's kingdom is headquartered in heaven, and can extend to earth in whatever ways it is welcomed to do so. I think that is people's hearts, but could also be communities or areas in which the inhabitants are receptive to God and his reign.

[silentreader]

This is the particular Scripture passage which started the discussion...
Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’
7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.
10 And when those hired first came, they supposed that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
11 Now when they received it, they were grumbling at the landowner,
12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

At least the last few verses of chapter 19 should be read before beginning chapter 20...

Matthew 19:27-30

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive one hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

What can we perhaps infer about the kingdom of heaven in the similitude Jesus gives in chapter 20?
Notice the passage is sandwiched between.

"So the last shall be first and the first last,"

and, "

But many who are first will be last; and the last, first."

[Neto]

I understand this to be implied in the initial post, but the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are generally considered to be synonymous, that is, 'Heaven' means 'God' in many contexts. But to what I understand as the main question here, I see the spread of the Gospel as the trajectory of current progress toward the eventual eschatological event - the reign of Christ over all the peoples of the earth. In that sense, it is another "yet, but not yet" instance of God's plan, seen through human eyes bound by time, which of course He is not.

[silentreader]

I understand this to be implied in the initial post, but the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are generally considered to be synonymous, that is, 'Heaven' means 'God' in many contexts. But to what I understand as the main question here, I see the spread of the Gospel as the trajectory of current progress toward the eventual eschatological event - the reign of Christ over all the peoples of the earth. In that sense, it is another "yet, but not yet" instance of God's plan, seen through human eyes bound by time, which of course He is not.

Yes it was intended to convey the general interchangeability of the usage of God/Heaven in the recorded teaching of Jesus.
I should clarify that I am not considering the Matt. 20 passage THE benchmark of Jesus' teaching on the kingdom, it is just the one that triggered my thinking on the subject. Certainly what He said to Peter in chapter 19...

And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

...touches on the eschatological version, and possibly chapter 20 does as well but I am not seeing it that way necessarily.
I have always thought that the statement "The first shall be last and the last first" means that they will be switched around, and that those who are last shall become first and those who were first shall become last. Certainly Jesus' words to Peter and the disciples in ch19 could be understood that way.
However I am wondering if a plain reading of ch20:1-16 suggests that the first and last shall both be equal.

[Bootstrap]

I think the Kingdom of God can be taken quite literally as the place where God reigns, where his will is done. We pray that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Hebrew has a wonderful word, Avodah, that combines work, service, and worship. In English we talk of "worship services", worship as a work we do for God. In the garden, Adam and Eve were to do this kind of worshipful service as they tended the garden. The passages that describe temple services have rich echoes of language used to describe the garden in Eden. And so does the Revelation, which also has rich echoes of the temple.

In this parable, which is a parable of the Kingdom of God, Jesus is saying that the Jewish authorities, who were there first, do not have a position of privilege over others who enter into this service later. God seeks those who will build his Kingdom, and we will always be surprised who God chooses to raise up. Including gentiles, as it turns out. Many of the parables of the Kingdom are pretty clear that God doesn't think the Jews have tended this vineyard well and that it will be given to others.

In today's world, I think we are wise to realize that no matter who we are as we tend God's kingdom, there are other laborers, and God rewards them as well. We are not the ones who determine who is worthy of status. And God's grace rewards even those who come to this service late.

This is the particular Scripture passage which started the discussion...
Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’
7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.
10 And when those hired first came, they supposed that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
11 Now when they received it, they were grumbling at the landowner,
12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

At least the last few verses of chapter 19 should be read before beginning chapter 20...

Matthew 19:27-30

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive one hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

What can we perhaps infer about the kingdom of heaven in the similitude Jesus gives in chapter 20?
Notice the passage is sandwiched between.

"So the last shall be first and the first last,"

and, "

But many who are first will be last; and the last, first."

[silentreader]

I think the Kingdom of God can be taken quite literally as the place where God reigns, where his will is done. We pray that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Hebrew has a wonderful word, Avodah, that combines work, service, and worship. In English we talk of "worship services", worship as a work we do for God. In the garden, Adam and Eve were to do this kind of worshipful service as they tended the garden. The passages that describe temple services have rich echoes of language used to describe the garden in Eden. And so does the Revelation, which also has rich echoes of the temple.

Or as in Romans 12 we are exhorted...
Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice⁠—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.


In this parable, which is a parable of the Kingdom of God, Jesus is saying that the Jewish authorities, who were there first, do not have a position of privilege over others who enter into this service later. God seeks those who will build his Kingdom, and we will always be surprised who God chooses to raise up. Including gentiles, as it turns out. Many of the parables of the Kingdom are pretty clear that God doesn't think the Jews have tended this vineyard well and that it will be given to others.

In today's world, I think we are wise to realize that no matter who we are as we tend God's kingdom, there are other laborers, and God rewards them as well. We are not the ones who determine who is worthy of status. And God's grace rewards even those who come to this service late.

This is the particular Scripture passage which started the discussion...
Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’
7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.
10 And when those hired first came, they supposed that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
11 Now when they received it, they were grumbling at the landowner,
12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

At least the last few verses of chapter 19 should be read before beginning chapter 20...

Matthew 19:27-30

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive one hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

What can we perhaps infer about the kingdom of heaven in the similitude Jesus gives in chapter 20?
Notice the passage is sandwiched between.

"So the last shall be first and the first last,"

and, "

But many who are first will be last; and the last, first."

[Bootstrap]

I think the Kingdom of God can be taken quite literally as the place where God reigns, where his will is done. We pray that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Hebrew has a wonderful word, Avodah, that combines work, service, and worship. In English we talk of "worship services", worship as a work we do for God. In the garden, Adam and Eve were to do this kind of worshipful service as they tended the garden. The passages that describe temple services have rich echoes of language used to describe the garden in Eden. And so does the Revelation, which also has rich echoes of the temple.

Or as in Romans 12 we are exhorted...
Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice⁠—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.

I love that verse.

[danfreed]

Me too, Bootstrap.
Romans 12:1-2 is a fantastic pivot from the the foundational theological (Romans chapters 1-11)
to the intensely practical Romans 12-15.

Our lives can and will be transformed, as the gospel of Jesus' grace changes us.


But, back to the topic of the Kingdom of God/Heaven parable in Matthew 20

[Jesus said]
13. "But the landowner answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’”

The landowner (i.e., King Jesus/God) is merciful and generous.
The servants were selfish and envious.

One of the practical take home messages in this parable ...
We should be generous like God is; however, often I/we struggle with selfishness and envy.

But Romans 12, describes God transforming believers, by His mercy and His grace.
(via the renewing of the mind by the Holy Spirit of Jesus. so that we are changed from selfish to generous)

Definitely an ongoing process of renewal for me.
Lots of room for change to be more like Jesus.

Thanks for the good thread! I was inspired by it this morning.