Jesus of Nazareth—in every way and at every phase of his life—was our exemplar as a man of the Spirit. Reconciled to God by his sacrificial death and resurrection power, we now encounter and know the risen Jesus by that same Spirit.
He is no longer here in the flesh, but—and may the Lord write this deep into your heart and mind—he is here doing his same work in and through his people. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor 3:17). I find that inspiring!
Yet despite this precious truth, most of us still tend to think of the Spirit abstractly—as an amorphous, luminous thing around the Father and the Son. Biblically speaking, however, the Spirit is very personal, and the reality is very clear: this is none other than the Spirit of the risen Jesus of Nazareth.
We need to grasp the relationship between the Spirit and the Kingdom.
The message, method, and mission of the Messiah is the same for his people. Although the message of the cross encompasses the entire story of our justification and reconciliation, the mission of the man Jesus was (and is) to raise up disciples. The message Jesus modeled and taught his disciples was that of the Kingdom.
At the inauguration of his public ministry, Yeshua emerges from the wilderness proclaiming, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mk 1:15). The phrase “at hand” is a Hebraism; it simply means “is here.” The important idea is that his Kingdom proclamations and demonstrations are made possible by the Spirit, which he received, without measure, at his baptism in the Jordan.
As it was at the beginning, so it is at the end. We read in Acts 1:3 that the risen Jesus continued to teach his disciples until he ascended. What was the subject of his instruction? He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
From the beginning, throughout, and up until the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus consistently proclaims, explains, illustrates, and demonstrates the Kingdom of God. And he did all this in the power of the Holy Spirit: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country (Lk 4:14).
Keeping in mind this relationship between the Kingdom and the Spirit can be beneficial as you study the New Testament. For example, many people, including scholars, wrestle with Paul and question why he seemingly does not make the Kingdom the same priority as Jesus. The answer lies in understanding the intimate connection between the Kingdom and the Spirit.
The biblical picture comes into focus when reading Paul’s references to the Kingdom. There, we discover that he is also talking about the work of the Spirit. The Spirit is the post-resurrection way of talking about the Kingdom. Wherever the Kingdom of God is, the Spirit of God is actively at work.
Do you want to seek his Kingdom? Find where redemptive acts of righteousness are occurring.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Where the Kingdom of God is present and advancing, His saving work (His righteousness) will be evident.
Why does Jesus link the kingdom and righteousness? It is a Hebraic way of teaching called parallelism. It is essential to understand the Hebrew term righteousness in this context. Listen to my series, Reassessing Paul and the Protestant Paradigm, to go in-depth on this subject.
Jesus’ use of righteousness in this text does not refer to some vague standard of absolute morality. By connecting kingdom with righteousness, he is emphasizing his priority for his people: “I want you to be about the Father’s business of covenant faithfulness. He will take care of the rest.”
When we hear the language of righteousness, we are conditioned to think exclusively in terms of morality. Yes, it can be used like that in Scripture. But did you know it is also used in the covenant category? As such, it refers to the saving acts God performs on Israel’s behalf—because of his covenant faithfulness to Abraham.
When Jesus says, “Your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees,” he is not saying that you must be more punctilious in your observance of every little commandment. Nor is he saying you must receive a different kind of morality from God.
Jesus is saying this…
“You must have the big-picture view of righteousness to understand my Kingdom because it is all about the gracious, saving acts of God done in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The primary witness to the Spirit’s descent at Yeshua’s baptism sent his men to inquire of him, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? In other words, “Shouldn’t the Messiah be ushering in God’s rule and reign?” Listen carefully to Jesus because he is answering his cousin’s question: Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them (Lk 7:22).
Repent! And rejoice!!
So, my first point is that where the Father’s Kingdom is present and advancing, the Son’s saving work is evident, made possible by the Holy Spirit. My second point builds on that: the Kingdom of God is present where people receive Jesus as King.
It is both sobering and humbling to realize he does not impose his kingship on you. You voluntarily receive it. The result is that you come under his authority; you are loyal exclusively to him as your Lord and Master. This, too, is a work of God’s Spirit.
According to both Scripture and Jewish tradition, it is during the Feast of Pentecost that Israel received God as its King. The gracious Redeemer who rescued them from Egypt at Passover was crowned their faithful King at Mt. Sinai.
The Holy One draws near to meet with His people and says: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:4-6).
Their response? All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do (vs. 8).
At that moment, the people received YWHW as their King.
But even beyond a coronation, the sages of Israel discerned that this was a wedding ceremony. Israel, as the bride, has been instructed to cleanse, consecrate, and ready herself for three days. Then God comes down as the bridegroom, attended by fire and the sound of the shofar.
Do you see the picture? You have to agree, voluntarily, to receive your Savior as your King. You are liberated from slavery to enslave yourself to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob voluntarily. The bridegroom draws near, but the bride must enter into the covenant by saying, “I do, I will.”
Only as you serve the lover of your soul will you come into the fullness of your destiny and your joy.
