“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
– Matthew 6:10 (ESV)
The second petition in the Lord’s Prayer is asking that Christ’s rule or reign will come here on earth. Whose kingdom? Christ’s kingdom, not my kingdom. Oftentimes, our attitude in prayer is that we tell God what we want and expect him to bless us by granting our desires. That is prioritizing our own interests above God’s interests.
So what is this petition really asking for? More clarity can be gained when there is understanding in how the word “kingdom” is used in the Bible. In one example, it is used to describe God’s sovereign rule over all his creation. This is declared many times in the book of Psalms.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all.
–Psalm 93:1-2 (ESV)
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
-Psalm 145:13 (ESV)
If the Lord’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom then why is it that we are to pray for Christ’s kingdom to come? The answer lies in the other use of the word “kingdom” in the Bible. Shortly after David became king over Israel, he wanted to build a temple for the Lord (2 Samuel 7). David sought the counsel of the prophet Nathan. The prophet thought that this was a good idea but that same night, the Lord told Nathan that David was not to build the temple but one of his offspring would be granted that honor. Then the Lord made a covenant with David that his throne will be established forever.
When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.
-1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (ESV)
God made an unconditional covenant with David by promising that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. God indeed kept his promise through Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus spoke of this kingdom during his public ministry.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
-Matthew 4:17 (ESV)
However, this announcement was misunderstood by many including Christ’s disciples. Many thought that Jesus was giving to Israel the fulfillment of the promise made by God with David. They thought that Jesus Christ was going to establish an earthly kingdom on whose throne sits a descendant of David and this king would bring about the liberation of Israel from Roman rule. What Jesus said completely confused them because they were expecting that the Messiah would be a political leader.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
-Luke 17:20-21 (ESV)
Instead, the kingdom that Jesus announced is the kingdom of grace established by his death on the cross and his resurrection. It is Jesus Christ’s rule in the hearts of those who have repented from their sins and believed in his name. This kingdom is not yet completely revealed. It will be made fully manifest when Jesus Christ returns and rules visibly on earth (see Psalm 2, Revelation 11:15-18, Revelation 19:11-18). This is the time when the King of Kings shall take his throne and reign over what was given to him as an inheritance by the Father. I heard a pastor once say that history is HIS STORY. We are now at the point of history were we await the coming of Jesus. The question is are you ready?
In Matthew 13, Jesus uses parables to describe the nature of this kingdom as it exists here on earth. These parables are summarized beautifully in a sermon by John Piper. This is worthy of reflection and careful investigation because we will then understand why Jesus asks us to pray for this kingdom.
The Parable of the Sower
First, the parable of the sower: verses 18-19, "Hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom . . . " four different things can happen:
1. Satan can snatch it;
2. the heat of trouble can scorch it;
3. the thorns of care can choke it;
4. or it can bear fruit in good soil.
The mystery here is that the Word of the kingdom—the gospel of the kingdom, "Our God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7)—is not sweeping the whole world before it. It's here with power to save some—but three-forths of the kingdom preaching seems to be aborting. That was not expected to happen when the Messiah arrived to say, "The kingdom is at hand. Our God reigns!" This is the mystery of the kingdom.
The Parable of the Wheat and Tares
Then look at the parable of the wheat and tares in verses 24ff. "Another parable he put before them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.'" An enemy sows bad seed and wheat and tares grow up together. And Jesus says that's a picture of the kingdom. Sons of the kingdom (v. 38) and sons of the evil one side by side till the harvest—the day of judgment.
The interpretation is given in verses 37ff. Notice verse 41. At the end of the age it says, "The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire." This is the mystery of the kingdom—a kingdom existing for some time in this world with righteous (v. 43) and evil in it side by side until the consummation. This was not expected. The kingdom was to come with total power to destroy the wicked immediately and vindicate the righteous. But Jesus says it has arrived. There is fulfillment. But the consummation, the final separation waits for the second coming of the Son of Man (v. 41).
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Look at the parable of the mustard seed in vv. 31-32, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
The mystery of the kingdom is that the kingdom came in Jesus like a mustard seed and not a military coup. It will some day be a huge and mighty tree. But the mystery is that the kingdom has come into the world without the cataclysmic transformation most expected.
The Parable of the Fishing Net
Skip down to the last parable of the chapter, verses 47-50, the parable of the fishing net.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire.
The mystery of the kingdom, again, is that as the net—the power of the kingdom—draws men into its sway, it draws good and bad. Only when the net is up on shore at the close of the age will the good and the bad fish be separated.
Notice carefully: the separation described here is not between the fish which didn't get caught in the net of the kingdom and those which did. That's not the point of this parable. The separation here is between two kinds of people who are swept into the net of the kingdom. One kind is kept. The other is cast into the fire.
So the mystery of the kingdom is not only that the kingdom is at first limited in its scope and its effect in the world (it's a mustard seed), but also the mystery of the kingdom is that the people who come under the power of God's kingdom are, as we say, a mixed bag. Some are true disciples. And some are hypocrites.
The 2nd petition in the Lord's Prayer prays for the success of this kingdom here on earth. When we become part of this kingdom, its advance becomes our priority. The passion for this kingdom comes from a heart that is fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We pray that the benefits and blessings of this kingdom will be enjoyed by others and by nations. We pray that the message of the Gospel will be preached to the whole world. We long for the hastening of Jesus Christ’s return.
Lord let your kingdom come, not mine. Rule over my heart today and forevermore.
Amen!
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