The gospel of Jesus Christ is more political than anyone imagines, but in a way that no one guesses… The political metaphor, “kingdom,” insists on a gospel that includes everything and everyone under the rule of God. God is no religious glow to warm a dark night. Christ is no esoteric truth with which to form a gnostic elite. The Christian faith is an out-in-the-open, strenuous, legislating, conquering totality. God is sovereign: nothing and no one is exempt from his rule. (Reversed Thunder, Eugene Peterson)

Here is the big difference: we see “rule” and “legislate” and we have one thing in mind. Our current political atmosphere demonstrates that. it is about exercising power either through manipulation of force (militarism) or the manipulation of words (propaganda). Probably both. Thus, we think the Kingdom of God is the same way.

The rule of God is comprehensive. It is about body and soul. It is the individual and the community. It is the home and the church.

Yet, here is a King who refused the devil’s offer to take up the kingdoms and wealth of this world. He rebuked his disciples who wanted to call down fire on a town that refused the gospel. He ordered Peter to put away his word.

His coronation took place on a cross.

We don’t want Jesus on a silly donkey. We want him charging into Jerusalem on a powerful stallion!

There is power. There is struggle. It is just not flesh and blood. These things are not done in the ways we would do them. The Kingdom is powerful and belongs to the King, not to us. We are invited to join in, but we are not invited to usurp his ideas and his direction.

This is the messiness of the kingdom of God.