Luke 17:20-21 (ESV)
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Curiosity is curtailed when you begin with an end in mind. The Pharisees came to Jesus to ask Him about the Kingdom of God. There is no reason to suspect they had ulterior motives. They probably really did want to know. They anticipated, however, something different that Jesus was about to present. They, like most of the Jewish nation, were looking for something tangible regarding the Kingdom of God. They asked the question with the end in mind and could not hear the answer Jesus gave. Notice what will be written later by Luke regarding this matter:
Luke 19:11 (ESV)
As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
Jesus wants them to know that the Kingdom of God was not what they supposed in their minds. It must have shocked them when He stated they could not observe it, but that that it was already “in the midst of you.” They were looking for a geographical and physical ruler. In those days and for centuries later, the world was ruled by monarchs who had absolute rule over the people. There was no reason to suspect that the Kingdom of God is any different. And, in one respect, it is not. God is the ruler of all mankind. He will, in then end, set up a physical and tangible kingdom of which there will be a city and a throne and Him in the throne (read the Book of the Revelation). However, what Jesus wanted these Pharisees to know right now was that He, Jesus, was the Kingdom of God (it began at His birth) and that it would begin as an internal submission to His Lordship. The Kingdom of God will be observed, but as it flows from the hearts of those who receive Him and His rule in their lives. They wanted outward deliverance from the oppression of Roman rule. He was offering, first and foremost, inward deliverance from the oppression and condemnation of sin. When we start asking questions to find out how to prove what we think we will miss the truth of Scripture which goes beyond our thinking. We are most often outward, external and temporary. Jesus Christ is first upward, internal and eternal. Christ’s Kingdom is one of His ruler in our spiritual hearts that will flow out into our physical behaviors. The Pharisees, like most people in power, are only looking to establish rule and structure. Christ says the Kingdom is in your midst which actually meant, “right inside you.” Christ wants to rule in us before He establishes His Kingdom for us and with us.
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