The Kingdom of Heaven vs. The Kingdom of Men
God gave the world two choices when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This choice harkens back to His message in the beginning. Adam and Eve had the same choice to make. Obey God and not eat of the tree, or do so, thus disobey and reap the consequences of that decision. Throughout history, the choice has always been the same. You can live in the Kingdom God rules, or you can live in the kingdom men rule.
Throughout his gospel account, Matthew has painstakingly noted the re-establishment of God as King as the basis and focal point of his entire story. It started with Jesus’s genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17), denoting Him as having the right to rule as a Son of Abraham and in the royal line of David. He was thus the Son of Man referenced by the prophet Daniel. He then was shown to be the Son of God with His miraculous birth in Matthew 1:18-25. In Matthew 2, He was anointed as the One born King of the Jews when the Magi came to honor Him, and more importantly, worship Him. Only deity was worshipped, even in pagan cultures.
In Matthew 3 and 4, His ministry is authenticated by John the Baptist and proven to be superior by His overcoming Satan’s temptations in the desert.
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus gave His “Manifesto of the Kingdom.” If you want to know how this new Kingdom of Heaven operates, versus how the kingdom of men operates, this is the hub of all its teachings.
In Matthew 8-9, Jesus validates His ministry with many miracles and healings while calling His disciples.
In Matthew 10-11, His disciples are trained and His ministry’s message becomes focused on the differences between the two kingdoms: The Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of men. It is at the end of chapter 11 where Jesus defines the difference. The kingdom of men is filled with rules and regulations that cannot be kept, even by those who created them, namely, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, and the high priests. The Oral Law became the litmus test on Jewish spirituality, even over and above the Old Testament, as we noted last week. It became a heavy burden on the backs of the nation Israel. The poor, although devout in many cases, suffered trying to keep all the commands of the religious elite. Jesus’s kingdom, on the other hand, is far different: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (LSB). That is a stark contrast to the way Jews had to come before God, according to the Jewish religious leaders. Their laws were anything but light. The leaders were anything but gentle and humble in heart. There was no rest to be had in their system. One always worried about breaking the Oral Law and being labeled a sinner. And if that occurred, the cost of doing religious business in the Temple—buying Temple-approved sacrifices and paying exorbitant exchange rates from Roman money to Hebrew shekels—made sacrificial worship overbearing.
From this point on in Matthew’s Gospel account, starting in chapter 12, one incident after another, pitting the Kingdom of Heaven against the kingdom of men, is demonstrated either in parables, with miracles, in confrontations with unbelievers (e.g., Matthew 13:53-58), or in direct confrontations with the religious leaders themselves. Sometimes, Jesus even has to rebuke His disciples, because they struggled with the concepts being taught by Jesus about this new Kingdom (e.g., Matthew 16:13-28; 17:19-20; 19:13-15; 20:20-28).
The Feast of the Passover
To culminate this entire Gospel account, depicting Jesus as King of the Kingdom of Heaven vs. those who follow the “king” of the kingdom of men, Matthew 21 tells the story of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. It’s Palm Sunday, the beginning of the most sacred week of the Jewish year, ending in the Passover Feast. This would be the last week Jesus would walk the earth in pre-resurrection form.
Jesus’s procession into
Jerusalem, starting in verse 8, is a lowly one. The King comes riding on a
donkey, not royal horses. He’s not being carried by slaves or servants in some
royal caravan, covered by tapestries to shade Him from the sun and heat. He’s
not surrounded by an army. Instead, His message, both in words and actions, was
one of humility. He came down the
Mount of Olives, from the east side of the city, hailing from a peasant village
called Nazareth, from where nothing good allegedly comes (John 1:46). And yet, the
crowd, which must have been sizable, shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” (LSB). Although they were a large crowd,
they were still peasants and considered rabble by the religious elite.
Therefore, the entire group would have been viewed by the Pharisees and
teachers of the law as a bunch of “hayseeds from Hickville,” acting like
hayseeds always do: without discretion, without order, and without any concern
for religious rules or proper righteousness.
While this procession was happening on the east side of Jerusalem, another procession was occurring, entering the city from the west.1 The Roman governor, who at that time would have been none other than Pontius Pilate, entered Jerusalem, riding one of Rome’s finest horses, followed by a Roman centurion and the company he commanded. It was a show of authority. A demonstration of might. The extra forces accompanied the governor and were expected to aide those already stationed in the Fortress Antonia.
Pilate and his accompanying military procession rode up from Caesarea Maritima, a relatively new city near the coast of the Mediterranean, some sixty miles away. From the time it was built, Caesarea Maritima became the place Roman governors over the regions of Idumea, Judea, and Syria resided. They considered it more relaxing and more hospitable than Jerusalem. And besides, it was a Roman city, not a Jewish one, so that made it better all by itself.
It must also be understood that Pilate, like his predecessors, did not perform this parade of sorts in some kind of “tip of the hat” to the Jews, as if they approved or even appreciated the Jewish commitment to their heritage. The Roman governors made this trek three times a year; every time an annual feast was required of the Jews. And no other feast was more important than Passover, the feast that commemorated Israel’s liberation from Egypt, no less. Thus, in “ceremonial” language of their own, Rome wanted to make sure Israel understood that Rome was not Egypt, and Moses was no longer alive.
As a Jew living in that time, whether you worked there every day or were in town because of the feast week pilgrimage, it must have been quite the scene. As has been stated:
Imagine the imperial procession’s arrival in the city. A visual panoply of imperial power: cavalry on horses, foot soldiers, leather armor, helmets, weapons, banners, golden eagles mounted on poles, sun glinting on metal and gold. Sounds: the marching of feet, the creaking of leather, the clinking of bridles, the beating of drums. The swirling of dust. The eyes of the silent onlookers, some curious, some awed, some resentful.2
Although Julius Caesar believed himself to be deity, it was Augustus Caesar who believed his father was the god Apollo. He believed he, too, was born of a miraculous conception as Apollo impregnated his mother, Atia. Inscriptions found in Roman artifacts called Augustus “son of god,” “lord,” and even “savior.” He was even said to be one who would bring “peace on earth.” However, he only ruled until 14 A.D., but the belief of the emperor being all those things was carried on through his successors, including Tiberius, who was in power at the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry. Therefore, you can see the two “theologies” clashing as the two kingdoms prepare for war.
However, the quote from Zechariah 9—the first portion referenced in Matthew 21:4-5—depicts not war, but a King who will humbly come to put an end to war:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion! Make a loud shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming
to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation,
Lowly and mounted on a
donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.
I will cut off the chariot
from Ephraim
And the horse from
Jerusalem;
And the bow of war will be
cut off.
And He will speak peace to
the nations;
And His reign will be from
sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:9-10; LSB).
You would expect nothing less from the One we call The Prince of Peace.
Spiritual Scheduling
Jesus’s procession countered Rome’s procession and was obviously set up by God to occur at the very same moment. As with most of Jesus’s life, the mission had a timetable, and each step along the way had to keep the divine appointments. Thousands of years of Israeli history and multiple prophetic utterances by the Old Testament prophets were coming to fruition. As Jesus’s time on Earth drew to a close and reached the climax, specific occurrences accelerated. Scheduling such things, to happen in the correct sequence, was crucial, and only God could manage such a monumental feat.
This is why I reject what some commentators refer to as “Jesus’s Protest.” They liken His planning of the disciples going to retrieve the donkeys in Matthew 21:1-3 as the first major step in some kind of planned demonstration for the implementation of an “activist event.” To do so twists and cheapens the entire message being conveyed by His Triumphal Entry into something it was never intended to convey. Jesus never righted any social injustices at the hands of the Romans. He even taught the disciples to pay their taxes and live the kind of lives others—including the Romans—could praise God for (Matthew 5:16). He never called for revolution, enlisting the help of groups like the zealots. On the contrary, He ordered Peter to put his sword down when he tried to lop off the head of the slave of the high priest, Malchus, but only got his ear (John 18:10). Then, hours later, when He is before Pilate, Jesus informs Pilate in John 18:36 that His Kingdom is not of this world, for if it was, He would start a revolution, asking His servants to fight for Him. And no doubt, a few angels as well.
It must be clear that Jesus never lobbied for political reform, to try and turn Rome into something more palatable for the common, working folks. The Triumphal Entry was all about establishing Jesus’s right to rule as King over the Kingdom of Heaven, which was not of this world. This is so important to remember.
In the kingdom of men—which was embodied more in the imperialistic empire of Rome than any other empire—power and violence, politics and human glory were viewed as honorable, so much so, that they despised the concept of humility as a people. Therefore, to advance in the kingdom of men, one can lie, cheat, and steal, if it means climbing the ladder of success. One can invoke violence, if it means getting his or her own way. One can use politics to manipulate and deceive, if it means that person and his cohorts will benefit. And all of this is done for personal glory and honor as more power is garnered along the way. Oh, they may say it is for “Rome,” but we all know who it really is for.3
In the Kingdom of Heaven, which was embodied by Jesus and His followers, power came in a different form. Violence would be reserved for the righteous judgments of God Almighty. Politics would vanish because there would only be one King, one set of rules, one dominion. And human glory would become poverty of spirit as it started the sojourner down the path to a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:3; 20).
Throughout the rest of the Passover Week, each and every confrontational event became a picture of the two kingdoms at war. And it’s sad that it came to this point. But this is what the elders of Israel asked for way back in 1 Samuel 8. They wanted to be “like all the other nations around them.” And like the other nations, they instituted their own version of a “domination system” (see Footnote #3). They had their political oppression, just like God said they would through the prophet Samuel. The oppression of the kings of Judah and Israel would become brutal at times. Even more so when they had to submit to the likes of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. They also developed their religious intimidation through the Oral Law. It made the average Jew poorer while the religious elite became wealthy. And sadly, for the poor, the political elite and religious elite made the economic exploitation doubly cruel.
This was why Jesus came to bring good news to the oppressed (Isaiah 61:1). It’s why He bound up the brokenhearted. It’s why He proclaimed the release of captives from the prison of sin. It’s why He came to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. For all of these people, God will bring His vengeance against the organizers of the domination systems of this kingdom of men. And now, listen to the rest of what God promised through His prophet, Isaiah, in 61:2-11 (LSB):
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in
Zion,
Giving them a headdress instead of ashes,
The oil of rejoicing instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of Yahweh, that He may show forth His beautiful
glory.
Then they will rebuild the ancient waste places;
They will raise up the former desolations;
And they will make new the ruined cities,
The desolations from generation to generation.
Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
But you will be called the priests of Yahweh;
You will be spoken of as ministers
of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And in their glories you will boast.
Instead of your shame you
will have a double portion,
And instead of dishonor
they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land;
Everlasting gladness will be theirs.
For I, Yahweh, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And in truth I will give them their recompense
And cut an everlasting covenant with them.
Then their seed will be known among the nations,
And their offspring in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the seed whom
Yahweh has blessed.
I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh;
My soul will rejoice in my God,
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a headdress,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its branches,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to branch out,
So Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise
To branch out before all the nations.
And all God’s people said, “Amen.”
Thought for the Week:
Have we, the church of the twenty-first century, developed our own domination system? Do our churches (and the individual worshippers) resemble the kingdom of men or the Kingdom of Heaven?
Do we vow to elect people to public office, who, in turn, politically oppress others? Do we work with and protect those who use kinds of political oppression within the church, say on a church staff or a denominational headquarters? Political oppression can come in many forms, so it’s hard to list all the different types here. However, some examples could be: Are we more concerned with building the kingdom of America so we can protect our precious freedom? Are we more concerned with building “a better tomorrow, whatever that means?” Are we more concerned about having a world filled with peace and not war? Are we more concerned with having lavish places of worship? Are we more concerned about keeping people in positions of power in a church because of the negative press we may receive if they get exposed? Or are we concerned with living faithfully in and building the Kingdom of Heaven?
Do we take part in a system that economically exploits others without giving it a second thought? Do we wittingly exploit others in the business world? Telling ourselves, “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” Do we support those who exploit others within the church, asking them to give and give while padding a certain luxurious lifestyle? Are we more concerned with filling pews and offering plates than helping others find the Bread of Life and be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Do we try to intimidate others religiously, either in an individual manner or in a larger, more corporate way, by piling one rule on top of another until the leaders of the church look like the Pharisees He condemned? Are you more concerned about someone keeping denominational regulations more than keeping God’s teachings and instructions? Does the church leadership live their lives like the Pharisees, asking congregants to do things they never do themselves (cf. Matthew 23:4)? Does the church leadership like to be noticed by men, love the places of honor at social functions, and seek admiration in public places (Matthew 23:5-7)? Or is the church leadership more concerned about turning the church body into members of the Kingdom of Heaven?
When you truly study the Kingdom of Heaven, you begin to see life through the eyes of the Almighty. And when you do, there is a great deal of soul-searching that comes with it. Jesus’s teachings, the King’s Manifesto, relates more to His realm than ours. However, as He taught us, His principles of Kingdom living have application here on Earth. But just know this: when you begin to implement them in your personal life, you will run across obstacles you never saw before because you were blind to them. Some are obvious from the very beginning. Some are made known to you later as God opens your eyes more and more. But as He does so, you see yourself being drawn deeper into His Kingdom and away from the kingdom of men. The things of the kingdom of men become more and more foreign and increasingly undesirable. The things of His Kingdom become more desirable and more fulfilling. You see your peace and joy increase. Your despair and depression decrease. Why? Because you are becoming a slave to Christ. And He said His yoke was easy. His burden was light…as opposed to the domination system of the kingdom of men.
NEXT WEEK:
We look at Jesus’s arrest
and trial.
Endnotes
1. The majority of
the information in this chapter has been derived from The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus’s Final Week in Jerusalem by
Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan (Harper/SanFrancicso; New York, NY,
2006), pp. 1-30). Although Borg and Crossan give a very good, detailed,
historical account of the Triumphal Entry (and that’s why I use it here), based
on Mark’s account mainly, this author does not ascribe their overall theology
(nor recommend the book), which comes out from time to time in their book. They
tend to take the spiritual side of the equation out of the picture and lean too
heavily on a philosophical, human explanation. An example of this is in the
preface, where they note that Mark’s Gospel account was written around 70 A.D. Therefore,
they say, because it was written almost forty years after the life of Jesus,
“it is not ‘straightforward history,’ but like all the gospels, a combination
of history remembered and history interpreted. It is the history of Jesus
‘updated’ for the time in which Mark’s community lived.” My question for these
two professors is, where does the Holy Spirit’s role in aiding the writers of
Scripture come into the picture, like what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy
3:16-17? One wonders. Also, to make such assertions opens the door for God’s
Word to be “updated” for future communities, which is actually happening, even
in our own time. To say, in such a matter-of-fact manner, that this practice
was acceptable to Mark and the other writers of the New Testament is
blasphemous in its own way. In this line of thinking, God’s Word is incomplete
and will always need to be “updated.” That is heresy, if you believe God’s Word
needs improvement and expansion because of how we see things today.
2.
Ibid., p. 3.
3. Borg and
Crossan note that such empires use what they call a “domination system,” which
is comprised of three parts: political oppression, economic exploitation, and
religious intimidation. It does not take a Phi Beta Kappa to see how this
“system” has been used through history as a means by which the kingdom of men
have ruled their respective regions. However, it needs to be said here that the
kingdom of men follows the ways of Satan. Those three components of a
“domination system” come from the pit of hell. All these things we described (power,
violence, politics, human glory) are applauded in the kingdom of men because
that is how Satan operates. He will continue to applaud and promote those who
do his bidding, using them as he sees fit until they no longer serve any purpose.
This ultimately comes to its proverbial, purposeful end in Revelation 17:16,
where the beast with ten horns no longer tolerates the worship of the
prostitute, Babylon the Great—which symbolizes the kingdom of men for all ages,
by the way—and kills her, demanding that everyone worship him. This was Satan’s
plan all along, but it could not be allowed to happen until God said it could
(v. 17).
Palm Sunday - by Jeff Jacobs
Statue of Caesar - by 15299
Remember - by Andrew Martin
Amen/praise - by Barbara Jackson
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