And having been asked by the Pharisees, When is the kingdom of God coming? he answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
A group of Pharisees comes to Jesus with a date question: when will the kingdom of God arrive? His answer gives no date, and points instead to something already standing in front of them, unnoticed.
The question grew out of a hope that shaped the whole nation.
The kingdom of God was the national hope of Israel. It filled the mind of everyone who looked for good from God. It was tied to the Messiah's presence. That is how the Old Testament presents the Kingdom. The New Testament does not set this aside in any way. It confirms the expectation. It only reveals the Kingdom in another shape first, before the Kingdom comes in power when the Lord returns in glory.
Their mistake was not that they expected a visible kingdom. It was that they assumed nothing had begun until they could see it.
They asked Him when the kingdom of God would come... They connected it with outward displays of God's power on Israel's behalf. There was truth in that. But so far none of it had been seen... The kingdom of God was already on earth, though they did not know it... The kingdom was to be there in a hidden form before it came in power. And while it is on earth in that hidden form, only those who are born again see it.
The Greek word behind "observed" had a settled use outside the Bible.
"Observation." In medicine, the word παρατήρησις and its related verb meant watching the symptoms of a disease. So they carry the sense of an early investigation. In astrology they meant observation of the stars. When Luke uses the verb (Luke 6:7, Luke 14:1, Luke 20:20), it shows hostile intent.
So the kingdom does not answer that kind of inspection. It reaches a person another way.
It is not a question of signs, wonders, or outward show. It is not that God did not accompany His message with signs. But the kingdom of God is revealed in the person of Christ. It went deeper. It appeals to faith, not sight. And it demands the Holy Spirit's work in the soul, so that the sinner can see it and enter it... It does not speak to the senses, or to the mere mind of man. It carries its own evidence to the conscience and the heart.
Jesus' answer works because of who was speaking it. A kingdom is defined by its king.
He told them that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. This truth was paramount for the time: the kingdom of God was among them, and they did not observe it. For what is a kingdom without a king? The King Himself was there, the Son of Man; and there were some at least whose hearts had been drawn in subjection to His authority, without display, without ostentation... The Pharisees, however, looked for the kingdom while refusing the King!
Their blindness had a cause, and it was moral rather than intellectual.
Should they not have known Him because He came in grace? If He had humbled Himself to know their sorrows and to die for their sins, was that a reason for not seeing His greatness? His moral perfection was shown in ten thousand ways. Did not His holy love to the poor and guilty prove plainly enough who He was?
Commentators differ over the next clause. Many read it as "in the midst of you". The kingdom stood among them in the person of Christ, not inside the hearts of His opponents.
The Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come. The Lord replied: "The kingdom of God comes not with outward observation." That is, it does not come in a way the eyes can see. "For, behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" — certainly not "within" Pharisees! The kingdom was there as shown in its characteristic traits and power, in Him who was in their midst.
Others read it as a challenge to the state of their souls. Bellett hears the Lord answering their condition, not their timetable:
At once the Lord answers the condition of their souls. "You must look for the kingdom within you before you can get it around."... You are never ready for the kingdom in glory, till you have the kingdom within you.
The verse does not cancel the visible kingdom. It sets two arrivals apart, and Jesus tells the Pharisees only about the first.
So the passage clearly points to two comings of the kingdom. The first is not with observation, or outward show. The other will be visible as the lightning, to all. To the Pharisees the Lord would speak only of the first: "Behold the kingdom of God is among you." The King stands among you even now. He has already come, but you will not receive Him... Only by being converted could they enter it. But they would not repent.
- Question — They asked when, and expected a national rescue with visible power. The Lord answered who: the King was already standing among them.
- Word — "Observation" means watching for symptoms or scanning the stars. The kingdom does not yield to that kind of inspection.
- Faith — It appeals to faith rather than sight, and carries its own evidence to the conscience and the heart.
- Blindness — They missed it for lack of desire, not for lack of proof. They wanted the kingdom and refused the King.
- Two comings — One arrival is hidden and asks for faith now; the other will be as visible as lightning. Missing the first is what leaves a soul unready for the second.
nor shall they say, Lo here, or, Lo there; for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.