Jesus was questioned one day about when the Kingdom of God would come. His response was:
“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” – Luke 17:20 NIV
In this article, we will attempt to decipher the meaning of this quote.
Who was Jesus Christ?
Jesus is believed to have been the Jewish messiah, who is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, now known as the Old Testament in Christianity.
Jesus is said to have been the son of God or the incarnation of God, and was believed to hold infinite power and wisdom. He was born to the virgin Mary in the village of Bethlehem. Mary was believed to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Even though Jesus was the son of God, he still faced all the challenges and sorrows of the human experience, which helped him to understand and sympathize with humanity.
Jesus began teaching the word of God at a very young age, and all who heard him were astonished at his wisdom and understanding. As he got older he began to perform acts which many considered miracles of God.
Some of his most famous and notable miracles included walking on water, raising the dead and turning water into wine. Jesus was the embodiment of selflessness, performing countless kind deeds such as healing the sick and the injured and restoring sight to the blind.
These miracles fulfilled ancient prophecies and demonstrated his divinity. However, these kinds of workings were considered blasphemous back in those times, but Jesus continued, reminding people that his works were aligned with God’s will.
Throughout his life, Jesus had many enemies. He taught unfamiliar and sometimes unpleasant truths and showed compassion to sinners. He demonstrated great power, which threatened some civic and church leaders.
Eventually, Jesus was executed. He was betrayed by one of his apostles and was arrested. Jesus was brutally beaten and crucified on the cross. It is said that Jesus allowed all of this to happen in order to fulfill God’s will and even as he was being killed by his own people, Jesus cried out for God to have mercy on them.
After his death, Jesus’ body disappeared and it is believed that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples. They then began to teach people Jesus’ teachings, which led to a new religion, Christianity.
Jesus’ teachings revolved around love, sacrifice and forgiveness. Even as he died on the cross, Jesus forgave those who killed him.
What is the Kingdom of God?
Many wonder, is the kingdom of God a historical kingdom, a political kingdom, or one based outside of the physical realm?
On a literal level, a kingdom suggests riches and material wealth, along with a ruler to reign over it all. However, on an energetic level, this may more likely be referring to the spiritual realm, over which it is said that God reigns as king.
Christians believe that God’s Kingdom can be experienced on Earth once God’s will is fulfilled here. The Kingdom of God was a central theme of Jesus’ teachings. The phrase “the kingdom of God” expresses a vision that is central to why God sent his Son to appease our sins. This phrase seems to describe a new world that is in accordance with God’s will.
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth, as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:9-13.
“The Kingdom of God is Within You” Meaning
The message that Jesus tried to teach through this phrase was that once you live in accordance with God’s will, you will then experience the kingdom of God no matter where you are. The Holy Spirit tries to guide us to fulfill God’s will through fulfilling our own individual will or purpose, which was given to us by God himself.
God uses his creations, namely humans, to fulfill his will and to make the world a better place using the talents and gifts he has blessed us with. By sharing our gifts with the world and showing kindness and compassion towards one another, we can create the kingdom of God here on earth.
Could this mean that the Kingdom of God lies within our hearts? Or perhaps we hold it in our minds? After all Jesus’ teachings preached that we should have the Kingdom of God as our primary goal and keep it on our minds.
However the knowledge of this kingdom is not automatically available to us. We must look deep within and take part in spiritual practices as well as aim to understand others and the experience of life in order to find this knowledge.
Although many christians believe that in order to enter the kingdom of God, humans must leave behind their physical form (the body) and become embodied in the spirit form, some believe aspects of the kingdom of God can be experienced while still embodied in the physical form.
During his trial before his death, Jesus was asked if he was the King of the Jews, to which he replied:
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here” – John 18:36.
With this in mind, the kingdom that is mentioned in this phrase could be referring to all the realms, dimensions and planes of existence.
Why did Jesus say this?
At this time, when Jesus lived on Earth amongst humans, the Jews were seeking a Messiah who would lead their nation to greatness and increase their power. They did not wish to hear teachings about repentance and forgiveness, but simply wanted a Messiah who would lead them to success in liberating their nation.
However we can see in this passage: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” – Luke 17:20-2, that Jesus was not here to give them what they want in that regard.
Jesus’ first visit to Earth was done so with the aim of teaching humans “the gospel of the kingdom of God” – Mark 1:14-15, and to acquire forgiveness on behalf of mankind for all their sins. Christians believe that Jesus will once again come down to Earth and be born as a human, in order to create the Kingdom of God here.
In the Bible we are told that when Jesus Christ returns to Earth once again, all the kingdoms that exist in this world will become “the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” – Revelations 11:15.
Fun Facts about the Bible
- The longest word in the Bible is “Mahershalalhashbaz” – Isaiah 8:3:
In the Bible, Maher-shalal-hash-baz was the second son of the prophet Isaiah. This is the longest name/word used in the Bible. Mahershalalhashbaz is primarily a male name of Hebrew origin that means Swift Are The Spoils, Speedy Is The Plunder.
- In the Bible it states that Jesus is not an only child:
He had at least 4 brothers, who are mentioned by name and at least 2 unnamed sisters.
- The Bible has talking animals in it:
“The snake was sneakier than any of the other wild animals that the Lord God had made. One day it came to the woman and asked, “Did God tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?” – Genesis 3:1.
“Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?’” – Numbers 22:28
- In the Bible there are mentions of giants who had 12 fingers and 12 toes:
“In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot- twenty four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.” – 2 Samuel 21:20.
Conclusion: Did Jesus Say The Kingdom of God is Within You?
There is a reason for the symbolic and metaphorical language used in the Bible and other ancient Scriptures. This allows our subconscious mind to be activated, which allows us to detach from our analytical mind and our ego. In order to truly understand spiritual concepts, this is the part of our brain that we must use.
Therefore, when we read the phrase “The Kingdom of God is within you” the only true way to understand it is not to dissect it with our rational mind, but to meditate upon it and understand what it means to us on an individual level and to discover the hidden meaning behind it.
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