The Upside Down Kingdom

Theme: When Jesus taught about God's Kingdom, it seemed "upside-down" to the first century hearers. It seems upside-down to our culture today.

Further Study: Donald B. Kraybill: The Upside-Down Kingdom

Intro: Paradigms, world-views, cultural lenses, perspectives: the way we see the world. Our values, convictions, beliefs, dreams, fears, ambitions, customs, environment. Jesus entered a 1st C. Jewish context and changed the rules. He taught about a kingdom that is: Upside-down, inside-out, inverted, mixed-up, confusing!

John the Baptist quotes Isaiah to prophecy Jesus' arrival:
Luke 3:5Every valley shall be filled in,
      every mountain and hill made low.
   The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.

Mary's Song of Exaltation "The Magnificat"
Luke 1:52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
      but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
      but has sent the rich away empty.

Jesus' Teachings:
The first shall be last, the last shall be first. (Matt. 19:30)
Matt. 23:11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Sermon on the Mount: Matt. 5

Historical context:
1. Israel was under Roman rule.
2. OT prophecies pointed to a Messiah who would bring freedom to God's people.
3. In the years just prior to Christ's birth, various Jewish zealots had revolted against Roman rule (Mattathias and his son Judas the Maccabean).
4. The Jews anticipated a militaristic Messiah who would use violence to force an end to Roman rule and free God's people.

Jesus is tempted with power: mountain, temple, bread (political, religious, economic). These types of power are of highest value in the "right-side up" kingdom. But Jesus rejects these values in exchange for the values of the Kingdom of Heaven.

What does it mean to belong to a "Kingdom?"
Quote from Donald B. Kraybill's The Upside-Down Kingdom (p. 18, paragraph 3)
The disciples anticipated that the Messiah would correct the only kingdom they knew. Jesus had something else in mind: loyalty & allegiance to a new kingdom, where all the rules are different.

What is "greatness?"
The disciples argued about who was the greatest:
Luke 22:25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Mark 9:37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
10:13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

Jesus uses a child to symbolize kingdom values: climb to the very bottom of the social ladder. Children rank low in status & power, they are dependent, and provide no income but tax deductions. But they see no social hierarchy.

Our assumptions: Greatness = top, powerful, master, first, ruler, adult, Donald Trump, CEO, President, Michael Phelps

Jesus' perspective: Greatness = bottom, servant, slave, last, child

Who is greater? Donald Trump, in a power suit, seated at a huge mahogany desk? Or the janitor who comes into Trumps office to vacuum and empty to trash cans after trump goes home? Jesus "came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life" Matt. 25.

Jesus' teachings about the Kingdom of God were unfamiliar and confusing to the disciples and to early Christians. They are foreign to our culture today.

ILLUS: Camp Barnabas. Focusing 100% on caring for another person for one week. No recognition, appreciation, reward. I realized something: Life at Camp Barnabas is more aligned to the Kingdom of Heaven than anywhere else I've ever been.

To be a Christian -- a "Christ-follower" -- we must embrace the new kingdom values that Jesus teaches:

Not: getting ahead, fulfilling my needs, climbing the ladder of success; but: how can I best serve others?
Practicing generosity and sharing in place of consumption and accumulation.
Giving without expecting anything in return.
Forgiving others even if they don't deserve it, just as God forgave us.
Being moved to compassionate action for the poor and downcast.
Moving down the ladder.
Serving rather than seeking power.
Loving even enemies.