ness, a determination like that of men who take a city by storm (Matthew 5. 6; 11. 12). Men must strive to enter in, must enter in by a narrow gate (Luke 13. 24; Matthew 7. 13, 14). The Kingdom must stand first in men's desires, it must be the only master of our life, and not the most precious of our possessions may stand in the way, not the right hand or the right eye (Matthew 6. 33, 34; 5. 29, 30). Clear and strong he makes the final test. The men of the Kingdom whom the king shall own are those who do the deeds of the Kingdom: thorns cannot bring forth grapes, good trees must show good fruits, the men of the Kingdom will not be those who said, "Lord, Lord,” but those who did the will of the Father (Matthew 7. 15-23).

The Responsibility of the Nation. The parable of the vineyard and the wicked husbandmen enforces the same truth, but applies it to the Jewish nation as a whole. In some ways this parable does not seem to fit in with the rest of the teaching about the Kingdom. Instead of being a gift such as we have considered the Kingdom is rather a rule or authority that has been handed over to Israel. But the contradiction disappears as we look more closely. It is not an outward rule of which Jesus is thinking, but rather that gift of God's truth, that revelation of his will and purpose, with which God had intrusted Israel. He had given it for the good of others, and the gift was to be a task. They had taken it as a private possession and privilege. And so the Kingdom of God was to be taken from them and given to others.

The Kingdom and the Nation.-That same question and that same task face us as a nation. There is a sense, with us as with the Jews, in which we have already been given the kingdom of God. God has given us his truth, has revealed his will. His rule is present where there is true democracy in government, where there is righteousness in business, where there is good will among men. the task looms big before us of letting his rule come into all our life and affairs as a people. If we fail here, if his will is not done in our life, if his King

But

dom is not furthered among the other nations by our devotion and service, then "the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

DIRECTIONS FOR STUDY

Read the Scripture references: Matthew 6. 10, 33; 7. 1523; 21. 33-43.

Review the last lesson, calling to mind Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom as a gracious gift of God to men, and noting the different forms in which this gift appears.

Run through the lesson discussion, and bring together all the Bible references that you find in which Jesus emphasizes the side of duty and demand and responsibility. Note that in some of these he speaks definitely of the Kingdom; there are others in which the reference to the Kingdom is implied. Recall other passages and parables in which this part of the message of Jesus appears.

Now consider how these two sides belong together. Some gifts do not cost us anything. How is it with the highest

gifts? with the gifts of the Kingdom?

In what part of our personal life is it hardest to live out the kingdom of God? In our home, in our business, in our friendships, in our inner thoughts?

With what special gifts and privileges has our land been endowed? What are some of its special responsibilities in relation to the coming of the Kingdom?

CHAPTER XIX

THE KINGDOM AS INWARD AND OUTWARD

To say that the kingdom of God in Jesus' teaching means the rule of God seems very simple. And yet in this thought of the rule of God Jesus includes all his hopes of the future, all his thought of what God would do, all his ideals of what men should be. Because this idea includes so much, we have had certain large differences of opinion among students as to its meaning, differences which came mainly because men had over-emphasized one side or the other of this rich conception. One of these broad differences appears in this lesson.

THE KINGDOM AS INWARD

The Question. Is the kingdom of God inward or outward? Is it something purely spiritual, or is it also visible? Earlier Protestant thought tended to emphasize the former idea, to think of the Kingdom as simply a spiritual fact in individual experience. Modern thought lays more stress upon that which is social and visible, upon a new social order with a transformation of industry and government and all the life and institutions of men. What is the teaching of Jesus?

An Inner Gift.-Our first impression is that the kingdom of God is inner and individual with Jesus, and this is borne out by various considerations. In the first place, the gifts of the Kingdom as we have studied them are primarily spiritual. There is the forgiveness of sin and the overcoming of evil in men's lives. There is God's gift of himself to men in love and fellowship. And there is the significant fact that Jesus uses the term "eternal life"

as meaning the same as "kingdom of God." The kingdom of God, then, is a new and higher life of man.

The Nature of the Kingdom Seen in Its Children.What Jesus says about those to whom the Kingdom belongs also indicates its character as spiritual. The Beatitudes do not tell how we are to earn the Kingdom; they describe rather the kind of people to whom the Kingdom belongs, the real sons of the Kingdom. But to describe the "sons of the Kingdom" is nothing else than describing the Kingdom itself. This purity of heart, this humility of spirit, this mercy and peace and passion for righteousness, this is what really constitutes the rule of God, his Kingdom. The Kingdom then is something within. The same truth appears in what Jesus says about being like a child in order to enter the Kingdom (Matthew 18. 3, 4). Because the Kingdom is above all an inner, spiritual life given by God it requires the spirit of a child to receive it, the spirit of humility and openness and trust.

The Kingdom in the Midst.-Especially striking is the passage, Luke 17. 20, 21: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you." It makes little difference if we take here the translation suggested in the margin of the revised version, and read "the kingdom of God is in the midst of you," which is perhaps the more probable meaning. The thought would then be this. The Pharisees had asked him when the Kingdom was to come. You are expecting something striking, answers Jesus, which the eyes of all may see. Let me tell you, the kingdom of God is already in your midst and you do not even know it. They did not know it because they were looking for something external, political, and spectacular. They did not see its beginnings in the Spirit of God working through Jesus in teaching and healing and forgiving, and showing itself in the men who were already turning to the Kingdom.

Jesus Shows the Nature of the Kingdom.-The conclusion that the Kingdom is inward is borne out by the

method of Jesus' life and work. In his temptation he sets aside definitely the ideas of rule and power, and chooses the way of a servant. Love and good will are his instruments. Every suggestion of political or other outer power he puts aside; he wants to rule from within. And it is the inner spirit that he emphasizes with men. One passage after another in the Sermon on the Mount points out that the righteousness of God must be inner. Especially significant is the fact that ordinarily Jesus sets forth the relation of God and man not under the figure of king and subjects, but of Father and children. But when you ask what makes God our Father, and what makes us his sons, it is to the inner spirit that Jesus points. God is Father because he is merciful and forgiving and good; we are his children only as we show that same spirit (Matthew 5. 4348; Luke 15. 11-32). The meaning of God's kingship is not different from that of his Fatherhood, and his kingdom among men is nothing else than the life of men as his children. And so we are brought to the conclusion again, that the kingdom of God is an inner and spiritual reality.

THE KINGDOM AS SOCIAL AND VISIBLE

The Kingdom Is Outward Also. To stop with the thought of the Kingdom as an inner reality, however, is to miss the full meaning of the message of Jesus. That is what those have too often done who have insisted upon the spiritual character of the Kingdom. They have felt it necessary to deny its social meaning, its bearing upon the institutions of life and the larger relations in which men live. Thus the spiritual has come to mean something partial and narrow and weak, and the kingdom of God has come to mean the rule of God in heaven but not on earth, or at least only in a little fraction of man's life here. Nothing like this is involved in Jesus' teaching. The Kingdom is a rule of the spirit, but this spirit is to rule all the life of the world.

The God of Jesus is God of All.-This follows first from Jesus' thought of God. The Kingdom is the rule of God,