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“Believe me, no one greater than John the Baptist has ever been born of all mankind, and yet a humble member of the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of Heaven has been taken by storm and eager men are forcing their way into it." (Matt. 11:11-13) * * * * "Do not delay in coming to grace, but hasten, lest the robber outstrip you, lest the adulterer pass you by, lest the insatiate be satisfied before you, lest the murderer seize the blessing first, or the publican or the fornicator, or any of these violent ones who take the Kingdom of heaven by force. For it suffers violence willingly, and is tyrannized over through goodness." Gregory of Nazianzus
4th Century
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"Each new trial offers scope for the growth of faith; so that which is potential becomes real. Faith can neither be stationary nor complete: faith always becomes. 'He who is a Christian is no Christian' (Luther). That is to say, every Christian is always becoming a Christian, believing again and again." Dale Bruner
The Gospel of John: A Commentary Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) * * * “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) * * * “To shine, we must keep in his light, sunning our souls in it by thinking of what he said and did, and would have us think and do. So shall we drink the light like some diamonds, keep it, and shine in the dark. Doing his will, men will see in us that we count the world his, hold that his will and not ours must be done in it. Our very faces will then shine with the hope of seeing him, and being taken home where he is.” George MacDonald
The Hope of the Gospel Imagine that there’s a Kingdom of the heart—a Kingdom of Heaven, in fact—and that its King is an everlasting King. Meaning, this King existed before existence and time and history; this King will endure far beyond the point of history, time and (what we think of as) existence. The Voice of this King is powerful to the degree that what He thinks of—and speaks—takes on the exact form of the idea He envisions. His power is so completely all-encompassing that it reaches not just to the lives of His subjects, but directly into the heart, the soul, the spirit of each.
And this King is good—wonderfully so. So wonderfully good that He invaded our human reality. Not, as many a mighty conqueror would, with intrigues, violence, siege works, advancing armies; no! He invaded, silently, as Himself—and on His own. He grew up within the class we might call “peasant,” and learned the ups and downs of His citizens—from right within their midst. His love for His people only grew and grew, thus. He literally fell in love with the subjects-to-be of His Heavenly Kingdom. For He had made Himself one with them. Then, at a certain age, He began to reveal Himself: to let a few know that He, the King, had actually been here all along. He began, as it were, to show His hand. In this way, more and more were gathered to Him. The crowds began to arrive from all over the earthly kingdoms surrounding His place of ministry: He greeted them all with love; with His attention. They followed Him up and down the coastline of an inland sea—waiting upon His next word, His next healing, His next miracle, His next look. One day, He turned to the west and began ascending a trail, away from the sea, up into the foothills, winding His way through a grassy, wildflowery meadow. Toward the top, He sat down upon a large rock. The crowds pressed ever nearer—and then they sat down to listen. He Himself was now looking out over their numbers, down toward the sea—waters which sparkled in the midday sunlight. A faint breeze was blowing through the meadowgrass. And then, without any warning at all, He began to speak: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." |
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