13 November 2025 - the tension between already and not yet

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."

The Kingdom of God was already present among them in one way, but not yet in another. It was present because the King himself was among them. It was yet to come because its fullness would only be revealed after the Son of Man was first taken from them and then returned in glory. Their question of the Pharisees seemed to be motivated by a desire to see some Kingdom scale results produced by Jesus and his disciples. They wanted to see something that they could either dismiss, or, if it was overwhelmingly obvious, that they would have no choice but to accept. But they were currently at a stage of history when the Kingdom still worked in a hidden way, behind the scenes, like a mustard seed, or like yeast that leavened the dough. They were not to judge the mission of Jesus based on results, but rather, on the person of Jesus himself. In some way, Jesus himself was the Kingdom. And this Kingdom was indeed already spreading, since it was present in every heart where Jesus reigned. Obviously the Pharisees, interested in externals, in things that they could control or dismiss according to preference, were not well situated to perceive it. They probably saw themselves as too wise or practical to be fooled by what they might have dismissed as mere rhetoric. And yet the King of the Kingdom was in their midst. It was possible for sincere hearts to perceive it and be transformed. But those who were not sincere seemed to bounce off of their encounters with it, accelerated away in the opposite direction.

Then he said to his disciples,
"The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

The longing to see something solid, some definitive results, would potentially put everyone at risk of accepting something that fell short of the Son of Man and his Kingdom. They would want to see him so much that they would convince themselves that they had in fact seen him. They would long for the coming of his Kingdom so much that they would convince themselves that they had found it fully formed on earth in this or that ideology. They would treat political or religious leaders as though their themselves were the ones who could bring salvation to the world. They might not be fully conscious of it, but their preference for something solid and visible would ultimately make them naive and vulnerable. During this period of history it was important for disciples to remember that the Kingdom was present, but hidden. It made a real impact on history, but from behind the scenes, in a way that required faith to perceive. It was not subjective. It was real enough that an unbiased observer could be convinced. But its presence was not such as to be irrefutable, and wasn't meant to be. The proud in particular would see something far too humble to meet their standards. But if we set our expectations correctly, knowing that the Spirit is at work now, but the fullness of glory is yet to come, we will not be deceived.

For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.

The fact that the Kingdom is now somewhat hidden does not mean that it is subjective, or that it will remain obscure forever. There is nothing hidden that will not one day be revealed (see Luke 8:17). Foremost on this list is the Kingdom itself, and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This stage of history is meant to give us time to prepare for the final stage. Once his glory is fully revealed their will be no more time to freely turn to him in our hearts. His glory will be irresistible. But he wants us to choose him freely, here and now. And not only that, he wants us to freely share with others what we ourselves have first received (see Matthew 10:8).

Elevation Worship - There Is A King