Kingdom Seekers
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When it comes to our needs or our desires Jesus doesn’t just provide a way to meet them, He is The Way! When Jesus arrived on the scene in history He came preaching the good news of the Kingdom. Of course, many of those hearing His message at that time were expecting a Jewish, Super King, who would establish an earthly kingdom that would forever rid them of Roman rule. Little did they realize that Jesus, being the ultimate King, was not interested in earthly kingdoms or crushing the Romans. Instead, He was far more interested in crushing a greater enemy to all of humanity…sin.
What did Jesus mean when he spoke of The Kingdom? Did He mean heaven or was it something closer? Something more…available, accessible. I believe He was talking about something much more available and accessible than most of us realize. If He meant heaven I think He would have just said heaven. I think the confusion lies in our understanding of the word “kingdom.” Generally when you think of a kingdom chances are you conjure up images of a castle, a draw bridge, a high, surrounding wall, a king and queen, and subjects who serve them. This is hardly what Jesus meant when He gave His first sermon to those who were following Him. He boldly said in Mark 1:15, “The time has come, he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Other translations of this passage may say, “The kingdom is at hand.” My guess is that if Jesus were, physically, here today He would say something like, “The kingdom of the heavens is here in your midst and available…come and get it.”
So, what did Jesus mean by saying, “The kingdom of the Heavens?” To answer this we need to remember that Jesus was not referring to a physical kingdom. He was referring to His governance; His rule that came from the heavens where everything eternal and life producing exist for His glory. To be more specific…His love, His peace, His justice, His mercy, His forgiveness, His healing, His mission, and much, much more. His Kingdom is not a place, it is His authority over creation in action. Now think of “Kingdom” in this context and read Mark 1:15 again. It takes on a whole new meaning doesn’t it? Talk about good news! Jesus was essentially saying, “You don’t have to live under your own flawed kingdom (rule or governance) anymore. In ME is available the Kingdom you have always needed. The one your soul desperately seeks. The one that makes heaven what it is…perfect.”
Now we can examine our main passage with a different outlook. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Jesus gave his followers this nugget of truth in reference to their worrying about the basic needs of life; things like food, clothing, and shelter. We could actually add a substantial list of basic human needs to the ones Jesus used in this passage. I’m sure you have a few you would like to add. Maybe you would add a husband, a wife, a child, a job, a car, a home, a phone with reception…you get the idea. We all have needs. The problem is that we also have our own little kingdoms that we like to rule. We like being king or queen of our own domain. Why do you think Jesus said to seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness? I don’t know about you, but typically if I’m on the throne of my domain, I make a mess of things and I don’t end up with what I really needed to begin with.
The last part of Matthew 6:33 tells the result of making Jesus’ kingdom your first priority. When we make the kingdom of the heavens and His righteousness (right way of living) our life’s pursuit everything else will fall into place. Jesus will not negotiate His place on the throne of your heart. You and I must surrender our kingdom to follow His. So…what’s on your list of needs? What is it that you’ve been waiting for God to supply? Maybe it hasn’t been given to you because you’ve relied on your kingdom instead of His. Someone once said, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life, so make it count.” It’s good advice. Don’t waste another day sitting on the throne of your own kingdom. Move out of the way and let a real King show you how it’s done!
