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“Thy Kingdom Come?” John 6:1-15 *Click for Audio* Pastor Kevin Vogts Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas Ninth Sunday after Pentecost—John 6:1-15 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus’ disciples once said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” “This is how you should pray,” Jesus replied: “Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. . .” But, in today’s Gospel Reading the people want to make Jesus a king, and how does Jesus respond? “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” This is Jesus’ big chance! He has just finished feeding five thousand hungry men with five small barley loaves and two small fish. Everyone had as much as they wanted and there were even twelve baskets of leftovers. It was a miracle! The people are so impressed they come to a momentous conclusion: “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” They recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah; now they want to make him their earthly king. This is Jesus’ big chance, and how does Jesus respond? “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” Why doesn’t Jesus take advantage of his big chance? Why doesn’t he let the crowds acclaim him their king? Jesus himself says it best when speaking to Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” “You are a king, then?” Pilate asked. “You are right in saying I am a king,” Jesus answered. “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world. . .” So, Jesus is a king, and yet he does not allow the people to make him a king. The key to that paradox is found in Jesus’ proclamation, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The people want to make Jesus an earthly king, by force. Their dream is that the Messiah will lead them into victorious battle against the occupying Roman army. They want Jesus to be that kind of Messiah, a warrior-king, an earthly king. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” Jesus rejects an earthly kingship, because his kingdom is not of this world. He will not ride into Jerusalem on a warrior’s white steed, but humble, and riding on a donkey. He will not be coronated with a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. He will not reign from the palace at Jerusalem, ensconced upon Pontius Pilate’s throne, but he was taken to the palace as a prisoner, stood before that throne on trial, as he “suffered under Pontius Pilate . . . crucified, dead, and buried.” Instead of conquering the Romans, Jesus will be executed by them, put to death on a cross. He will be the mighty Savior, but not from Roman rule. He will be victorious, but not in earthly battle. For, he will be a mighty spiritual Savior, victorious in spiritual battle, victorious over sin, death, and the devil, through his life, death, and resurrection. “For there is one God,” Paul tells Timothy, “and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” Jesus made up for your sins with his perfect life; Jesus paid for your guilt with the ransom of his sacrificial death; Jesus secured you a place in eternal life with his resurrection from the dead. “Because I live,” he promises, “you also shall live.” “Jesus lives, the victory’s won!”—Jesus lives, YOUR victory’s won! Trust in him; serve him; make him the king of your heart. For, THAT is the only territory on earth that King Jesus wants to conquer and rule over, your heart. That’s what Jesus means when he says, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Today, the emphasis in our popular culture, such as books, movies, and television shows, is almost entirely on what is called a dystopian future: bleak, depressing; a world and society falling apart after some apocalyptic event; people starving, sick, and dying; unending warfare and violence. Cultural historians say this trend toward a dark view of the future started with the movie “Mad Max” in 1979, the first major dystopian film, so successful the entire entertainment industry went that direction and has never turned back. I hate it; I realize it’s only science fiction, but I won’t watch those kind of shows. To me the world’s depressing enough already, without imagining an even more depressing, dystopian future. This era of dystopian dreaming that our culture is in right now is a complete 180 from most of human history. In the past, mankind always dreamed about, longed for, hoped for, assumed there would be, a much BETTER future. Not dystopia but UTOPIA, a beautiful vision of the wonderful utopian world to come: Eden, Shangri-La, paradise! For the bitterly oppressed Hebrew people in Jesus’ day, this utopian vision took the form of a future-perfect-world in THIS world. A literal heaven on earth, with God’s Messiah ruling over his people—and the whole world—in the greatest-ever earthly kingdom. That’s why when Jesus feeds the five thousand, and they rightly realize he is the promised Messiah, they don’t try to take him to the Temple and proclaim him high priest. They want to carry him on their shoulders victorious to the palace at Jerusalem, and install him there by force as their king, so that the wonderful utopian future they’ve dreamed of can come true, heaven on earth will now begin. But, that’s a mistaken vision. For, God does not promise us heaven on earth, a perfect world in THIS world. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper. “But take heart, I have overcome the world. . . In my Father’s house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . I will . . . take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.” “My kingdom is not of this world.” “You are a king, then?” Pilate asked. “You are right in saying I am a king,” Jesus answered. “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world. . .” So, Jesus is a king. But, if his kingdom is not of this world, over what kind of kingdom does Jesus rule? He is the spiritual king of a threefold kingdom: his kingdom of power, his kingdom of grace, and his kingdom of glory. In his kingdom of power, Jesus governs the universe, controlling and directing all things according to his will. As he declares to the disciples, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The book of Hebrews says God the Father has indeed put everything under him and left nothing that is not subject to him, but then adds, “Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” We may not see it, but Christ is the divine ruler over all things. “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” That is Christ’s kingdom of power. In his kingdom of grace, Jesus rules as the head of his Church, which is made up of all who trust in him. As Ephesians says, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the Church, which is his body . . . Christ is the head of the Church . . .” As head of the Church, Christ rules the Church through his Word. He appoints ministers to serve in his Church, and he appoints every Christian to serve as his ambassadors to all the world. The Holy Christian Church is not just a human organization or a sociological phenomenon; it is the spiritual Kingdom of Christ. That is Christ’s kingdom of grace. In his kingdom of glory, Jesus reigns forever in heavenly glory, over angels and archangels and all believers who have already gone to be with him. When the thief on the cross says to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom” how does Jesus answer him? “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” As Paul says in 2nd Timothy, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” And as America’s favorite hymn says, “Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there proclaim: ‘My God, how great thou art!’” The Lord Jesus will bring you safely into his heavenly kingdom. That is Christ’s kingdom of glory. When you pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” you are not praying for the establishment of an earthly kingdom. When you pray “Thy kingdom come” you are praying, with regard to Christ’s kingdom of power, that he direct and control all things for your good and the good of all believers. When you pray “Thy kingdom come” you are praying, with regard to Christ’s kingdom of grace, that he preserve and enlarge his Church throughout the world. When you pray “Thy kingdom come” you are praying, with regard to Christ’s kingdom of glory, that he give you eternal life and take you to be with him in the paradise of heaven. At the Second Coming of Christ on the Last Day his kingdom of power, grace, and glory will be fused into one eternal kingdom. But, it will not be an earthly kingdom of this world, but a spiritual kingdom of the world to come. For, Jesus already had his big chance to become an earthly king, and how did he respond? “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

“Thy Kingdom Come?”
John 6:1-15

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost—John 6:1-15

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus’ disciples once said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” “This is how you should pray,” Jesus replied: “Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. . .”

But, in today’s Gospel Reading the people want to make Jesus a king, and how does Jesus respond? “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

This is Jesus’ big chance! He has just finished feeding five thousand hungry men with five small barley loaves and two small fish. Everyone had as much as they wanted and there were even twelve baskets of leftovers. It was a miracle! The people are so impressed they come to a momentous conclusion: “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

They recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah; now they want to make him their earthly king. This is Jesus’ big chance, and how does Jesus respond? “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

Why doesn’t Jesus take advantage of his big chance? Why doesn’t he let the crowds acclaim him their king? Jesus himself says it best when speaking to Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.” “You are a king, then?” Pilate asked. “You are right in saying I am a king,” Jesus answered. “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world. . .”

So, Jesus is a king, and yet he does not allow the people to make him a king. The key to that paradox is found in Jesus’ proclamation, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

The people want to make Jesus an earthly king, by force. Their dream is that the Messiah will lead them into victorious battle against the occupying Roman army. They want Jesus to be that kind of Messiah, a warrior-king, an earthly king. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

Jesus rejects an earthly kingship, because his kingdom is not of this world. He will not ride into Jerusalem on a warrior’s white steed, but humble, and riding on a donkey. He will not be coronated with a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. He will not reign from the palace at Jerusalem, ensconced upon Pontius Pilate’s throne, but he was taken to the palace as a prisoner, stood before that throne on trial, as he “suffered under Pontius Pilate . . . crucified, dead, and buried.”

Instead of conquering the Romans, Jesus will be executed by them, put to death on a cross. He will be the mighty Savior, but not from Roman rule. He will be victorious, but not in earthly battle. For, he will be a mighty spiritual Savior, victorious in spiritual battle, victorious over sin, death, and the devil, through his life, death, and resurrection.

“For there is one God,” Paul tells Timothy, “and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” Jesus made up for your sins with his perfect life; Jesus paid for your guilt with the ransom of his sacrificial death; Jesus secured you a place in eternal life with his resurrection from the dead.

“Because I live,” he promises, “you also shall live.” “Jesus lives, the victory’s won!”—Jesus lives, YOUR victory’s won! Trust in him; serve him; make him the king of your heart. For, THAT is the only territory on earth that King Jesus wants to conquer and rule over, your heart. That’s what Jesus means when he says, “The kingdom of God is within you.”

Today, the emphasis in our popular culture, such as books, movies, and television shows, is almost entirely on what is called a dystopian future: bleak, depressing; a world and society falling apart after some apocalyptic event; people starving, sick, and dying; unending warfare and violence.

Cultural historians say this trend toward a dark view of the future started with the movie “Mad Max” in 1979, the first major dystopian film, so successful the entire entertainment industry went that direction and has never turned back. I hate it; I realize it’s only science fiction, but I won’t watch those kind of shows. To me the world’s depressing enough already, without imagining an even more depressing, dystopian future.

This era of dystopian dreaming that our culture is in right now is a complete 180 from most of human history. In the past, mankind always dreamed about, longed for, hoped for, assumed there would be, a much BETTER future. Not dystopia but UTOPIA, a beautiful vision of the wonderful utopian world to come: Eden, Shangri-La, paradise!

For the bitterly oppressed Hebrew people in Jesus’ day, this utopian vision took the form of a future-perfect-world in THIS world. A literal heaven on earth, with God’s Messiah ruling over his people—and the whole world—in the greatest-ever earthly kingdom. That’s why when Jesus feeds the five thousand, and they rightly realize he is the promised Messiah, they don’t try to take him to the Temple and proclaim him high priest. They want to carry him on their shoulders victorious to the palace at Jerusalem, and install him there by force as their king, so that the wonderful utopian future they’ve dreamed of can come true, heaven on earth will now begin.

But, that’s a mistaken vision. For, God does not promise us heaven on earth, a perfect world in THIS world. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper. “But take heart, I have overcome the world. . . In my Father’s house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . I will . . . take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.”

“My kingdom is not of this world.” “You are a king, then?” Pilate asked. “You are right in saying I am a king,” Jesus answered. “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world. . .”

So, Jesus is a king. But, if his kingdom is not of this world, over what kind of kingdom does Jesus rule? He is the spiritual king of a threefold kingdom: his kingdom of power, his kingdom of grace, and his kingdom of glory.

In his kingdom of power, Jesus governs the universe, controlling and directing all things according to his will. As he declares to the disciples, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The book of Hebrews says God the Father has indeed put everything under him and left nothing that is not subject to him, but then adds, “Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” We may not see it, but Christ is the divine ruler over all things. “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” That is Christ’s kingdom of power.

In his kingdom of grace, Jesus rules as the head of his Church, which is made up of all who trust in him. As Ephesians says, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the Church, which is his body . . . Christ is the head of the Church . . .” As head of the Church, Christ rules the Church through his Word. He appoints ministers to serve in his Church, and he appoints every Christian to serve as his ambassadors to all the world. The Holy Christian Church is not just a human organization or a sociological phenomenon; it is the spiritual Kingdom of Christ. That is Christ’s kingdom of grace.

In his kingdom of glory, Jesus reigns forever in heavenly glory, over angels and archangels and all believers who have already gone to be with him. When the thief on the cross says to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom” how does Jesus answer him? “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” As Paul says in 2nd Timothy, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” And as America’s favorite hymn says, “Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there proclaim: ‘My God, how great thou art!’” The Lord Jesus will bring you safely into his heavenly kingdom. That is Christ’s kingdom of glory.

When you pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” you are not praying for the establishment of an earthly kingdom. When you pray “Thy kingdom come” you are praying, with regard to Christ’s kingdom of power, that he direct and control all things for your good and the good of all believers. When you pray “Thy kingdom come” you are praying, with regard to Christ’s kingdom of grace, that he preserve and enlarge his Church throughout the world. When you pray “Thy kingdom come” you are praying, with regard to Christ’s kingdom of glory, that he give you eternal life and take you to be with him in the paradise of heaven.

At the Second Coming of Christ on the Last Day his kingdom of power, grace, and glory will be fused into one eternal kingdom. But, it will not be an earthly kingdom of this world, but a spiritual kingdom of the world to come. For, Jesus already had his big chance to become an earthly king, and how did he respond? “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

Amen.

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