Luke : Day 31

Read Luke 17 – 18:8

Do you know any of the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? These stories are full of fascinating characters like Sir Lancelot, the mysterious Lady of the Lake and the fearsome Green Knight. But did you know that the legends of King Arthur included the idea that Arthur will one day return to Britain in its hour of greatest need? That’s why he is know as ‘The Once and Future King’. He was once the king, and he will be king again in the future – or so the story goes.

In verse 20, Jesus was asked about the Kingdom of God. They expected the Messiah to come as a conquering king, driving out the Romans and ruling from his throne in Jerusalem. But Jesus told them that this kingdom could not be observed. It wasn’t a kingdom like the one they were expecting – it was a kingdom ‘in their midst’, which means ‘among them’. (verse 21). In other words, it had already come, just not in a visible way. Jesus had begun to reign as King in the lives of those who were trusting in Him as their Saviour.

So Jesus is King now – in the lives of Christians. But He also taught that in the future, the Kingdom of God will be fulfilled in a visible way. Jesus will return as the bringer of God’s judgement on the earth. His return will be sudden and unexpected. Many people will be going about their day to day lives, not thinking about God or their own souls, but completely invested in the day-to-day things of life. They will be unprepared for the return of the King and for His judgement on sin. Only those who are trusting in Jesus will be prepared, because only Jesus can forgive our sin and make us right with God. He is the Now and Future King.

“The kingdom of God is in your midst”

Luke 17:21