A Different Kingdom
Do you know what occasion is pictured in the photograph below?
This was the Royal Family’s visit to South Africa in 1947. You can see a young Princess Elizabeth. She would become Queen not too long after this!
They arrived in Cape Town on 17 February 1947 and left for home on 24 April. In between they travelled 7000km, visited more than 400 cities, towns and stop-overs, and spoken to 25000 people.
My grandfather was telling me about this occasion, he was 8 or 9 years old! The country was abuzz, waiting for the royals to make their visit, excited at the possibility of just getting a glimpse of such important people.
And then they came! And the buzz increased! And people flocked to get close to them! But some, I’m sure, couldn’t care less. Some people just weren’t interested in the royals at all, much like today.
The Eternal Kingdom
Now, something similar happened 2000-odd years before this in Israel. You see, in the days of the Old Testament, prophecies were made about a Messiah - a King, a royal master for the Israelite people, who was coming.
God’s people waited patiently, so excited about the prospect of the King’s appearing – the Messiah – who would come and rule and make things right.
And then he came! And the buzz increased! And people flocked to get close to Him! But some couldn’t care less, some weren’t interested at all.
BUT there’s a difference between these two stories. Loving the English royals has no real bearing on your life. You can ignore the royal family, be totally disinterested in King Charles and Prince whatshisname and his American wife, and it really won’t matter to the deepest parts of your soul!
But loving the Messiah – the King of Israel – God’s Son? This is a much, much, much bigger deal.
Their kingdom is temporary. It is a worldly kingdom. And it will pass away. But the kingdom that Jesus set up was not a worldly kingdom, much to the disappointment of the Jewish people.
The Kingdom Continues
He came to set up a spiritual kingdom. He came to take his place as the king of people’s souls. He came to transform people’s lives, so that as citizens of this spiritual kingdom they could live with His love and His compassion and His joy and touch the world wherever they went.
Jesus started His ministry by saying this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” (Mark 1:14–15 ESV)
The kingdom is STILL at hand friends. For 2000+ years, this kingdom has advanced continually, changing lives, bringing hope to the dark world, century after century.
It is right here for you and I to be a part of, if we simply do what the king told us to do.
