-Caveat Lector-
Before Jesus preached this memorable sermon on the kingdom of God, the
first pretentious effort of his public career, he read from the Scriptures
these passages: "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy people.
Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save
us. Yahweh is my king and my God. He is a great king over all the earth.
Loving-kindness is upon Israel in this kingdom. Blessed be the glory of the
Lord for he is our King."
When he had finished reading, Jesus said:
"I have come to proclaim the establishment of the Father's kingdom. And
this kingdom shall include the worshiping souls of Jew and gentile, rich and
poor, free and bond, for my Father is no respecter of persons; his love and
his mercy are over all.
"The Father in heaven sends his spirit to indwell the minds of men, and
when I shall have finished my work on earth, likewise shall the Spirit of
Truth be poured out upon all flesh. And the spirit of my Father and the Spirit
of Truth shall establish you in the coming kingdom of spiritual understanding
and divine righteousness. My kingdom is not of this world. The Son of Man will
not lead forth armies in battle for the establishment of a throne of power or
a kingdom of worldly glory. When my kingdom shall have come, you shall know
the Son of Man as the Prince of Peace, the revelation of the everlasting
Father. The children of this world fight for the establishment and enlargement
of the kingdoms of this world, but my disciples shall enter the kingdom of
heaven by their moral decisions and by their spirit victories; and when they
once enter therein, they shall find joy, righteousness, and eternal life.
"Those who first seek to enter the kingdom, thus beginning to strive for
a nobility of character like that of my Father, shall presently possess all
else that is needful. But I say to you in all sincerity: Unless you seek
entrance into the kingdom with the faith and trusting dependence of a little
child, you shall in no wise gain admission.
"Be not deceived by those who come saying here is the kingdom or there is
the kingdom, for my Father's kingdom concerns not things visible and material.
And this kingdom is even now among you, for where the spirit of God teaches
and leads the soul of man, there in reality is the kingdom of heaven. And this
kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
"John did indeed baptize you in token of repentance and for the remission
of your sins, but when you enter the heavenly kingdom, you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit.
"In my Father's kingdom there shall be neither Jew nor gentile, only
those who seek perfection through service, for I declare that he who would be
great in my Father's kingdom must first become server of all. If you are
willing to serve your fellows, you shall sit down with me in my kingdom, even
as, by serving in the similitude of the creature, I shall presently sit down
with my Father in his kingdom.
"This new kingdom is like a seed growing in the good soil of a field. It
does not attain full fruit quickly. There is an interval of time between the
establishment of the kingdom in the soul of man and that hour when the kingdom
ripens into the full fruit of everlasting righteousness and eternal salvation.
"And this kingdom which I declare to you is not a reign of power and
plenty. The kingdom of heaven is not a matter of meat and drink but rather a
life of progressive righteousness and increasing joy in the perfecting service
of my Father who is in heaven. For has not the Father said of his children of
the world, `It is my will that they should eventually be perfect, even as I am
perfect.'
"I have come to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom. I have not come
to add to the heavy burdens of those who would enter this kingdom. I proclaim
the new and better way, and those who are able to enter the coming kingdom
shall enjoy the divine rest. And whatever it shall cost you in the things of
the world, no matter what price you may pay to enter the kingdom of heaven,
you shall receive manyfold more of joy and spiritual progress in this world,
and in the age to come eternal life.
"Entrance into the Father's kingdom waits not upon marching armies, upon
overturned kingdoms of this world, nor upon the breaking of captive yokes. The
kingdom of heaven is at hand, and all who enter therein shall find abundant
liberty and joyous salvation.
"This kingdom is an everlasting dominion. Those who enter the kingdom
shall ascend to my Father; they will certainly attain the right hand of his
glory in Paradise. And all who enter the kingdom of heaven shall become the
sons of God, and in the age to come so shall they ascend to the Father. And I
have not come to call the would-be righteous but sinners and all who hunger
and thirst for the righteousness of divine perfection.
"John came preaching repentance to prepare you for the kingdom; now have
I come proclaiming faith, the gift of God, as the price of entrance into the
kingdom of heaven. If you would but believe that my Father loves you with an
infinite love, then you are in the kingdom of God."
When he had thus spoken, he sat down. All who heard him were astonished
at his words. His disciples marveled. But the people were not prepared to
receive the good news from the lips of this God-man. About one third who heard
him believed the message even though they could not fully comprehend it; about
one third prepared in their hearts to reject such a purely spiritual concept
of the expected kingdom, while the remaining one third could not grasp his
teaching, many truly believing that he "was beside himself."
Urantia Book..page 1536
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