Today’s Community Scripture – 3/26/2025

Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.” He went on to say to his disciples, “The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won’t see a thing.
And they’ll say to you, ‘Look over there!’ or, ‘Look here!’ Don’t fall for any of that nonsense. The arrival of the Son of Man is not something you go out to see. He simply comes. “You know how the whole sky lights up from a single flash of lightning? That’s how it will be on the Day of the Son of Man.

Luke 17:20–24 (MSG)

Key Verse – Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.” Luke 17:20–21 (MSG)

– Reflection:

When The Son Of Man Arrives

I don’t delve into many Bible translations, but this one caught my attention while researching for this message. The NRSV translates Luke 17:21 as “the kingdom of God is among you,” but the Greek word translated as “among” is ἐντὸς (enTOS). It means within or inside. So a more literal translation would be that the kingdom of God is inside you. I use The Message version of the Bible because it’s easier for me to understand and helps me grasp what the Word is saying to me personally. While the Kingdom of God cannot be contained within any of us as individuals, it surely begins within us. It starts with our vision, our values, and our worldview. Throughout Luke’s gospel, Jesus challenges us to see the world through God’s eyes: to view the poor as blessed, to recognize a little child as the greatest, to see the Lazaruses of our world lying at the gates, to empathize with them, and to reject their circumstances as “the way things are.” The capacity for such vision begins in our hearts, in our hopes, and in our dreams. That’s where the kingdom of God begins; from there, it can grow like a mustard seed into a great shrub and take over everything! Or like yeast, just a pinch can cause the whole batch of dough to rise.

– Where do we go from here?

Luke believes the Kingdom of God isn’t a distant realm behind pearly gates; rather, it’s God’s plan for our world. We find it by looking within ourselves, as Jesus teaches us that it resides in everyone!

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, may your kingdom enter our hearts, enabling your will to be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.