Changing Allegiance
Mark 1:14-20[1]
When we hear the word
“allegiance” I think most of us associate it with our attitude toward our
country. “Allegiance” is something that we pledge to the USA as people who
intend to carry out the fundamental privileges and responsibilities of
citizenship. But I think our “allegiance” relates to more than just whether we
vote and pay taxes. In fact, I would say that there are other matters that
claim our allegiance in deeper ways. For some of us, it may be allegiance to
our family. For others, it may be allegiance to a life dream. For still others,
it may be allegiance to certain values. What we may not realize in all of this
is that Jesus’ message about the “kingdom of God” presents us with a challenge
regarding our ultimate allegiance.
Unfortunately, I
would have to say that Jesus’ “gospel” that “the kingdom of God has come near”
is a message that we struggle to grasp. For example, if you asked most people
these days whether the kingdom of God is here, I think most of them would say
no. In fact, I had some seminary
students who did a survey of random people asking them that very question. And everyone they met gave the same answer—no,
the kingdom of God is not here. I guess
that’s why we have a hard time with Jesus’ “gospel.”
Part of the problem is
that we just don’t get the whole “kingdom” bit.
For us, a “kingdom” is a place where people suffer the injustice of
having their basic civil rights denied them.
Kings are tyrants who enrich themselves at the expense of their
people. Kings exploit, they oppress,
they enslave. But the “kingdom of God”
has nothing to do with that. According
to the Bible, when the “kingdom of God” comes the whole world will “do God’s
will on earth as it is in heaven.” Everyone will enjoy life the way it was
intended by God in the first place.
Another problem we
have with Jesus’ message that “the kingdom of God has come near” is that we
think he’s talking about something out there somewhere. In our lesson for
today, the phrase “has come near” causes no small confusion. If something is
near, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s here. And so it’s easy to think
for that Jesus was talking about God’s kingdom being around the corner. It is
true that in some respects Jesus pointed to the final fulfillment of God’s
kingdom at some point in the future. But Jesus also made it abundantly clear
that his mission was to bring the “kingdom of God” among us in the here and
now, not somewhere out there.
I think our most
important problem with this message is that we don’t really know what to do
with it. If it’s God’s kingdom then
Jesus’ “gospel” is primarily about what God is doing in this world. In biblical
terms, what that means is that prisoners are set free, the blind receive their
sight, those who are bowed down are lifted up, those living in a foreign land
have someone to look out for them, and widows and orphans find comfort and
support. Simply put, God’s kingdom makes it possible for everyone to
thrive—rich and poor; white, black, brown, and yellow; tall and short, thin and
overweight, nearsighted and balding, young and old. It does not discriminate based on race,
creed, color, or national origin. It
does not exclude anyone based on gender, age, disability, or political affiliation.
God’s kingdom is for all people equally.
But that may still leave
us asking what we’re supposed to do about “the kingdom of God.” In our lesson
for today, Jesus answers that question: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom
of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). Now, I
think we are typically comfortable with the idea of “believing” in God, or in
Jesus, or in the good news of God’s kingdom. But that word “repent” is another
story. I would dare say that we may not feel comfortable with “repenting.” In
fact, we may not like it at all!
It might help us to
see that Jesus was calling people to open themselves to God’s presence and his
work among us to set things right, to heal and restore those who are wounded
and broken, and to bring peace and life. In order open ourselves to God and his
work, we have to start by recognizing that we may have been doing things the
wrong way. But repenting means more than just admitting we’ve been wrong. It means
actually doing something to make things right. For that to happen, I believe we
have to change the core allegiance of our hearts.
Whether we like it or not,
God’s kingdom confronts us with a choice about where our ultimate allegiance
lies. At the most basic level, “repenting and believing” in the kingdom of God
means aligning our lives with what God is doing in this world. It means living out the principles and truths
of God’s kingdom every day. That starts with the kind of people we choose to
be, but it also extends to what we actually do. The coming of God’s kingdom
into this world presents us with a life-changing choice. It means choosing not to continue pursuing
the selfish ways of this broken world, even when it’s running around pretending
to be Christian. It means giving our ultimate allegiance to God’s kingdom, and
to the peace, justice and freedom it brings to us all.
[1]
©2018 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 1/21/2018 at
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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