An Elusive City

Gospel: Luke 17: 20-25

In Jesus' day people wanted to know when and where the kingdom of God would come.  In our own time many claim to know the exact specifications as to how it should be built.  Both ages are convinced it consists of a powerful ruler, a set of laws and institutions that undertake specific projects.  They all claim it to be an earthly city - Jerusalem, Israel, Christendom, the Church - and once fully constructed all our problems will be over.  

But all of this is an illusion.  Jesus clearly states that the kingdom of God cannot be observed.  He notes that people will incessantly claim it to be here or there, but it is not, for it cannot be contained in human constructs.  The kingdom of God always lies beyond our reach and grasp, for it is not earthly, not material, not something we can erect with human efforts and plans.  It cannot be reduced to a set of laws, nor be realized in institutions.  

The kingdom of God is not a place; it is a process.  It is not a location but rather a way of living.  The kingdom of God is the kingdom of love and mercy that we are to bring to every person we encounter.  It is a way of walking in the world that embraces the beatitudes, owning little and sharing all.  This process and way of life does have an end and destination, but it is that blessed place of full communion with God and with one another at the heavenly banquet.