20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of Ood should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with, obeenratum :
21 Neither shall thevsay, Lo here * or, lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within vou.
22 And he saia unto the disciplea. The days will come, when ye uall
LTTKE, OKW. XVIB TBtU 20«— 25.
287
to Ida one of the dajtt of the 'van, ahineth unto the-Otherparf under
Son of man. and ye ahall not see t^. heayen ; so shall also the. Son of man
23 And taey. shall say to you. See be^in hia4ay.
here ; or, see there : go not after themj 26 But first must he suffer many
Qor follow ihem» things, and be rejected of this gene-
24 For as the lightning, that light- ration. muAMVLLoi the oneiKir/ under heft-
WB.aie taught, firstly, in. this passage that the kingdom ^ Qod ta uiterfy unlike the kingdoms of tkk world. The Lord Jesus tells the Phamsees that ^^it oometh not with ebamraiion." He meant by this that its approach and presence were not to be marked by outward signs of dignity^ Those who expected to observe anjrthing of this kind would be disappointed. They would wait and watch for such a kingdom in vain, while the real king- dom would be in the midst of them without their knowing it. " Behold/' He says, " the kingdom of God is within yott."
The expression which our Lord here uses describes ecKacfly the beginning of His spiritual kingdom. It began in a manger at Bethlehem, without the knowledge of the great, the rich, and the wise. It appealed sud- denly in the temple at Jerusalem, and no one but Simeon and Anna recognized its Eing^ It was received thirty years after by none but a few fishermen and publicans in GhJilee. The rulers and Pharisees had no eyes to see it. The King came to His own, and His own received Him not. All this time the Jews professed to be waiting for tiie kingdom. But they were looking in the wrong direetion. They were waiting for signs which they had no warrant for expecting. The kingdom of Gk)d was atftoaify in the- midst of liiem! Yet they could not it! The literal kingdomE wiuoh Christ shall set up one day
238 BXPOBnoRT thoughts.
will begin in some respects very like His spiritual one. It will not be accompanied by the signs, and marks, and outward manifestations which many are expecting to see. It will not be ushered in by a period of universal peooe and holiness. It will not be announced to the Church by such unmistakeable warnings, that everybody will be ready for it, and prepared for its appearing. It shall come suddeidy, unexpectedly, and without note of warn- ingtoAeuaLnBe^orityofmaBkmd. The Simeons and Annas will be as few in the last day as they were at the beginning of the G^ospel. The most diall awake one day, like men out of sleep, and find, to their surprise and dismay, that the kingdom of God is actually come.
We shall do well to lay these tilings to heart, and ponder them well. The vast majority of men are utterly deceived in 4heir expectations with respect to the king- dom of God. They are waiting for signs which will never appear. They are looking for indications which they will never discover. They are dreaming of universal conversion in the day of election. They are fancying that missionaries, and ministers, and schools, will change the face of the world before the end comes. Let us beware of such mistakes. Let us not sleep as do others. The kingdom of God will be upon men much sooner than many expect. " It cometh not with observation."
We are taught, secondly, in this passage, that the second coming of Jesus Christ will be a very sudden event. Our Lord describes &is by a striking figure. He says, *' As the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part imder heaven, shineth imto the other part under heaven : so shall also the Son of man be in his day."