The hearers of Jesus were quite familiar with the idea of the Kingdom of God. After all, they had recently been urged by both John the Baptist and by Jesus himself to repent on the grounds that it was "near" (Matthew 3.2; 4.17). Now Jesus is teaching them to pray specifically that it may "come". What is this Kingdom?
I started my schooling in Stanthorpe. Because of health problems of my father, we lived there is a little borrowed cottage. The path to the front gate had a little bend in it - a granite rock was in the way! That important rock was the castle on which many a young king stood defiantly against the claims of all comers. Not much of a kingdom and a rather solitary and short-lived rule!
God's Kingdom is not so much the place or extent of his rule, but rather the very fact of his rule.
God is King. His sovereignty may be contested, disregarded or rejected, but it is still very real. Even now we begin to see it visibly among those who are his people. But the time will come when his Lordship will be acknowledged even by those who now reject him. Some eight hundred years before Christ, Isaiah wrote "Before me [i.e. before the LORD] every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear" (45.23b). Strikingly, Paul took the Greek form of these words and applied them directly to Jesus - "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2.10-11).
There is a very close relationship between the Kingdom and the ministry of Jesus. It is because the promised Messiah has come that the Kingdom is at hand. This is what gave force to the temptation to bow down to Satan in order to receive the kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4.9). His refusal reminds us that he did not come to establish political dominion and that to use the devil's methods would deny the very nature of the Kingdom.
Perhaps some of the crowd who welcomed him on Palm Sunday wanted and expected him to take political leadership. But Jesus said very definitely to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world" (Jn 18.36).
People began noticing the authority with which he taught (Matt. 7.28,29). And the miracles that he performed made it quite clear that "the Kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt. 12.28). Refusal to acknowledge the Kingdom and to enter into it doesn't alter the fact that it has come near to them and made its claims on them (Lk. 10.8-11).
But, right now, we don't see the Kingdom demonstrated in all its power. For this we must wait for the final return of Jesus the Lord in great glory (see, for example, Matt. 25.31 and following). Then the kingly rule of God will be clear and acknowledged by everyone.
So what do we mean when we pray, "Your Kingdom come"?
The Kingdom "comes" for us when we repent and believe the gospel of Christ. God's Spirit makes us new people. We are "born again" and both see and enter into God's Kingdom (Jn 3.3,5). And as we give ourselves to Bible study, prayer, fellowship and worship, the Kingdom is made clearer in our lives - clearer in our own understanding and experience, and clearer to others because our lives are different.
The Kingdom "comes" in this world as more and more people hear and respond to the gospel. To the extent to which that happens, society itself is transformed, becoming much more caring and compassionate. To this end we must recognise our own responsibilities for evangelism in our own community, as well as our support of efforts to spread the gospel throughout the world. Secular historians have commented that English society was so transformed by the preaching of the gospel in the eighteenth century under the Wesleys that a revolution such as occurred in France was averted.
The Kingdom will "come" at the close of earthly history when Jesus returns in power and glory. Of that time we don't know the day nor hour, but are always to watch and pray (Matt. 24.42; 25.13; 26.41). That will be the final end to sin, and the kingdoms of this world will "become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever!" (Rev. 11.15).
So our prayer for the coming of the Kingdom has three elements in it.
It must be personal - involving our own response to the gospel, our spiritual growth and the outworking of this in daily living. Let us prayerfully reflect on the Kingdom in our own lives. Do we want the Jesus who is our Saviour to be our Lord?
It must have community consciousness. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." We need to allow that divine love to motivate our praying. We need to listen to the daily news reports of human violence and evil with the commitment to pray for the coming of the Kingdom. The prayerful commitment of our lives needs to be towards the spread of the gospel throughout our own land and beyond.
Notice the instructions that Paul gave to young Timothy, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2.1-4).
It must look forward with confident expectation. At the end of the Bible we find these words, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22.20). Sometimes we may be tempted to pray, "Don't come yet, Lord! We're not ready! There's too much to be done, too many people to reach! Don't come yet, Lord!"
Yet we must reach out with inviting love, "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Rev. 22.17), and at the same time expectantly look for the return of the Lord - "Come, Lord Jesus!"
So let us pray, "Your Kingdom come!"
