THEOLOGICAL
Buried Treasure , Hidden Glory .
The majesty of the Son , the one sent from the Father was hidden in his early form . Likewise the full expression of the kingdom is also hidden . We live in the ' already and the not yet '. We await its full expression .
Pastor Steve Allen , Alphacrucis College Dean , Senior Pastor , Sandringham Christian Family Church , Auckland , NZ
Philip said to him , “ Lord , show us the Father , and we will be satisfied .” Jesus said to him , “ Have I been with you all this time , Philip , and you still do not know me ? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father . "
I ’ m with Philip . ‘ Show us the Father , and we will be satisfied ’. We would all like the veil of heaven to be pulled back , to see as Isaiah saw . Yet God remains hidden . I am sure that Philip was puzzled by Jesus ’ response . How is God who created the heavens and the earth seen in this rabbi with the dusty sandals ?
We might similarly pose the question , “ Lord , show us the kingdom ”. To which Jesus might well respond “ he who has seen me has seen the kingdom ”. His earthly ministry was not simply a set of ideas or words interspersed with miracles , it was a demonstration of what God ’ s kingdom looks like . We are often impatient with a kingdom that is discerned only with the eyes of faith . We want to see . Yet for the most part his kingdom remains hidden with no sign of outward glory . It is as Jesus described a treasure hidden in a field waiting to be discovered .
The disciples also failed to realise that the kingdom had come among them . This was evident in the conversation before the ascension . “ Lord , is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel ?” they asked . Jesus responded by speaking about the coming Holy Spirit and the witness of the church . He was not simply avoiding the question but saying that the church ministering in the power of the Spirit would be the agent and the sign of the kingdom . The kingdom announced by Jesus is now among us , but we await , at his return , its full expression . At present its form is hidden – God working with us to invade human hearts , to bring about his rule and reign .
Jesus ’ words , “ No man has seen the Father ”, speaks of the hiddenness of God , dwelling in unapproachable light . The majesty of the Son , the one sent from the Father was hidden in his early form . To many he was just the ‘ carpenter ’ s son ’. Likewise the full expression of the kingdom is also hidden . We live in the ‘ already and the not yet ’. We await its full expression . Jesus announced the coming of the Kingdom , he declared its arrival , its presence and pointed ahead to its full realization on his return .
However much we might want to see the church as the kingdom , the church is not the kingdom . It is not to be seen as bringing about the fullness of the kingdom on earth nor as the hapless remnant awaiting the coming of the Lord . It is however the community of the king . As it is faithful to its calling it is a sign and an agent of the kingdom . If the world is to catch a glimpse of the kingdom it should be through the community of those who are faithfully following Jesus . The words and actions of the community of believers should be a sign to the world that there is a different kingdom present . Such is our privilege .
The church of Jesus Christ has always been an ‘ end-times ’ church . Our gaze , our worship and our proclamation point towards a day when we will gaze upon the Father , when we will see Jesus face to face , and when we will see the full realization of the Kingdom . We seek out the kingdom , looking for the demonstrations of God ’ s coming rule in the ordinary of our lives . Every time someone is healed , set free , or comes under the rule of the king we declare ‘ the kingdom of God is now among us ’. We stumble across the buried treasure of the kingdom and sell all we have in order to acquire it . One day all that is hidden will be revealed . Every field in which we labour will reveal its treasure . The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God . One day we shall see the risen Christ face to face in all his glory . It is these visions that sustain our lives .
ISSUE # 2 JULY 2016 | 5