Look within for goodness

Happy Easter!

“Jesus teaching” designed by me.

Happy Easter! Today is Easter Sunday. For Christians, it is the most joyful day in the liturgical calendar, when they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Others, who are in the Northern hemisphere, can appreciate the hope of Spring. Anyone can love the possibility of life’s renewal.

Today, I’d like to share with you a very special teaching of Jesus. It is found in the Gospel of Luke 17:20-21. The passage is written in Greek. I’ve read it and give my own translation below

Jesus was asked by religious scholars when the Kingdom of God was coming. He answered them: “The Kingdom of God is not something you can point at and say ‘here it is! Or, I see it over there!’ Rather, the Kingdom of God is within you.”

Here’s three points which I want to note. When Jesus says within you, he is speaking to a group. The word ‘you’ is the plural pronoun (e.g., all of you). Second, the most straightforward translation of the Greek word for within is just that, ‘within’. The Greek word is entos (within, inside) and its opposite is ektos (outside). Third, the verb estin translated as ‘is’ is present active indicative. “Is, is present, is here [now].” It is not in the future tense, nor it is in what we call a conditional clause (if you do this… then this will happen). It simply is in the present.

For those interested, here it is in the Greek text. ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν. “The kingdom of God is within you.” Romanized it reads: hē basileia tou theou entos humōn estin.

As is often the case, Jesus is shown answering a straightforward question in a complex way. The experts asked “when” the Kingdom was coming. Jesus’s answer focuses on “where” the Kingdom is. But indirectly, he also implies that the Kingdom is already present (now) for those who are seeking it. Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience in the first century of the Roman empire. They were used to the concept of ‘kingdom’ to express a group of people living under a ruler (or organizing principle)

I like to think that Jesus is saying, “the Kingdom of God is not something outside you, something that can be observed arriving. Rather, it is something within you now, waiting for you to perceive it [and act accordingly].”

And what is the Kingdom of God? In a general way and also true to Jesus’s Jewish world, I propose that Kingdom of God is humanity seeking to live selflessly and honestly, according the highest (divine) principles.

The parables (teaching stories) of Jesus deal with ways of understanding the Kingdom of God. Jesus compares it to seemingly small events, such as a seed growing or a woman cleaning her house. Many parables have a theme of searching for something hidden, or persistence despite obstacles. There is much to learn from these stories.

Happy Easter! I dedicate this post with love to my dear parents. The Kingdom of God truly lived in their hearts and lives. May light perpetual shine on them.