The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition
320
The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition
320Hardcover(25th Anniversary Edition)
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Free downloadable study guide available here.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781513802503 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | MennoMedia |
| Publication date: | 02/06/2018 |
| Edition description: | 25th Anniversary Edition |
| Pages: | 320 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.88(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Down Is Up
John the Baptist uses words from the prophet Isaiah to announce the advent of Jesus. The pictures portray a revolutionary kingdom.
The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
Paving the way for Jesus, the Baptist describes four surprises of the coming kingdom: full valleys, flat mountains, straight curves, and level bumps. He expects a radical shake-up. Old ways will crumble beyond recognition. John warns us that the new order, the upside-down kingdom, will transform social patterns, but amid the ferment, everyone will see the salvation of God.
In Mary's song of exaltation, the Magnificat, she sings her hopes for the new kingdom. Along with the Baptist, she expects the Messiah will inaugurate an upside-down kingdom filled with surprises.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
(Luke 1:49-53, emphasis added. Any italics that appear in Scripture citations throughout this book have been added by the author.)
Five types of people are startled and surprised in Mary's vision. Those at the top of the social pyramid — the proud, the rich, and the mighty — topple. Stripped of their thrones, they are scattered and sent away empty-handed. Meanwhile, the poor and hungry, at the bottom of the pyramid, take a surprising ride to the top. Mary sings words of hope and judgment: hope for the lowly like her and judgment for those who trample the helpless.
A poor Galilean peasant girl, Mary expected the messianic kingdom to flip her social world upside down. The rich, mighty, and proud in Jerusalem would be banished. Poor farmers and shepherds in rural Galilee would be exalted and honored. For several centuries the Jewish people had been ruled by outsiders — pagan outsiders. Mary's longing reflected the age-old Jewish yearning for a messiah who would usher in a new kingdom. She spoke for the masses who prayed for the day when the Messiah would expel the pagan invaders and establish the long-awaited kingdom.
AN INVERTED KINGDOM
The central theme in the ministry and teaching of Jesus is the kingdom of God, or as Matthew calls it, the kingdom of heaven. This key idea ties Jesus' entire message together. The "kingdom of God" permeates his ministry, giving it coherence and clarity. It is the undisputed core, the very essence, of his life and teaching.
What did Jesus mean when he announced the advent of the kingdom of God? His fellow Jews expected a political kingdom that would protect and preserve the Jewish faith. Over the centuries, scholars, theologians, and churches have developed different views of the kingdom. Debates on what Jesus meant have swirled down through the ages.
In the pages that follow, we'll explore how the kingdom of God points to an inverted, upside-down way of life that challenges the prevailing social order. The way of Jesus certainly countered the cultural patterns in Palestinian society, and it still counters the patterns in our world today. We can capture the idea of inversion by thinking of two ladders side by side — one representing the kingdom of God, the other the kingdoms of this world. An inverted relationship between the ladders means that something highly valued on one ladder ranks near the bottom of the other.
Jesus doesn't plead for social avoidance or withdrawal from society. Nor does he assume that the kingdom and the world split neatly into separate realms. Kingdom action takes place in the world, in the middle of the societal ballpark. But it's a different game, with special rules and a new coach. Kingdom values challenge the taken-for-granted social ruts of the dominant society. Rooted in the deep love and abiding grace of God, kingdom people seed news ways of thinking and living.
Besides being upside down, the kingdom speaks with authority today. Not just a dusty idea in an old trash bin, it offers a vision for how we ought to conduct our lives. The Gospels don't provide cookbook solutions for every ethical dilemma. But they do raise the right questions, focus important issues, and show how the Spirit of God can transform our lives.
A RELATIONAL KINGDOM
What exactly is the kingdom of God? The term defies definition, because it's pregnant with a multitude of meanings. This, in fact, is its genius — this power to stimulate our imagination again and again.
In broad strokes, most biblical scholars agree that the "kingdom of God" refers to the dynamic rule or reign of God. This involves God's intentions, authority, and ruling power. It doesn't refer to a territory or a particular place. Nor is it static. It's in flux — always becoming, spreading, and growing. The kingdom points us not to the place of God but to God's ruling activities. It is not a kingdom in heaven, but from heaven — one that thrives here and now. The kingdom appears whenever people submit their lives to God's will.
The kingdom of God means more than God's rule in the hearts of people — more than a mystical feeling. The very word kingdom implies a collective order beyond the experience of any one person. A kingdom, in a literal sense, refers to a king's authority over a group of people. Social policies shape the collective life of a kingdom. Agreements spell out the obligations citizens have to each other as well as to their king. The king's ruling activity transforms the lives and relationships of his subjects. In the words of one scholar, "The kingdom is something people enter, not something that enters them. It is a state of affairs, not a state of mind."
Kingdom living is fundamentally social. It involves membership, citizenship, loyalties, and identity. Citizenship entails relationships, policies, obligations, boundaries, and expectations. These dimensions of kingdom life supersede the whims of individual experience. Kingdom membership clarifies a citizen's relationship to the king, to other citizens, and to other kingdoms. Living in a kingdom means sharing in its history and helping to shape its future.
A kingdom's subjects have a collective interdependence based on the policies of their king. The kingdom of God is a network of persons who have yielded their hearts and relationships to the reign of God. It flourishes as God rules in our hearts and our social relations. Kingdom life is more than a series of individualized links between the King and each subject. The reign of God infuses the web of relationships, binding King and citizens together.
Although a kingdom transcends any particular person, individuals do make choices about kingdoms. We embrace or reject them. We serve or mock them. We enter kingdoms and leave them. We pledge our allegiance to them and turn our backs on them.
What does God's reign look like? What is the shape of the royal policies? How can we translate the lofty idea of God's reign into daily living? The answers lie in the incarnation. Jesus of Nazareth unveiled the secrets of God — the very nature of God's kingdom. We begin to grasp the meaning of the kingdom as we study Jesus' life and teachings, because he was God's final and definitive Word. God spoke via Jesus in a universal language that everyone — regardless of culture, nation, or race — could understand. God's intentions were not hidden in vague religious doctrines. With undeniable eloquence and clarity, God spoke through the concrete acts of a person — Jesus of Nazareth.
The kingdom of God threads throughout the fabric of Jesus' teaching. He announces the arrival of the kingdom at the outset of his ministry. He frequently introduces parables as examples of the kingdom. His famous Sermon on the Mount describes kingdom life. The Lord's Prayer welcomes the advent of the kingdom. The vocabulary of the kingdom frequents Jesus' lips. Indeed, the centrality of the kingdom in Jesus' teaching is one of the things on which scholars agree.
In addition to his words, Jesus' acts teach us about the kingdom. The Galilean Jew provides the most concrete example — the most visible expression of God's rule. His words and behavior offer the best clues to solving the riddle of the kingdom. Over the centuries, Christians have used the words of Jesus to shape doctrine, often to the neglect of his actions and ministry. Who he spoke with, what he did, where he walked, and how he handled critics offer clues to the nature of the kingdom. But in the final analysis it isn't his kingdom, nor is it ours. Always and foremost, Jesus points us to God's kingdom.
WHY UPSIDE DOWN?
If Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God, perhaps we should dub it the "right-side-up kingdom." If the kingdom portrays God's blueprint for our lives, then surely it merits a right-side-up tag. Even so, I prefer the upside-down image for several reasons.
1. Social life has vertical dimensions. Society is not flat; it has a rugged topography. In social geography there are mountains, valleys, ruts, and plains. Some people stand on high social peaks, while others mourn in the valleys. The social clout of individuals and groups varies greatly. The chairperson of a committee musters more power than the average committee member. Lawyers swing more prestige and influence than retail clerks. A central and persistent fact of social life is hierarchy — the ranking of people on vertical social ladders. The upside-down image reminds us of this vertical dimension of social life.
2. We forget to ask why things are the way they are. The upside-down label encourages us to question the way things are. Children quickly learn common cultural values and take them for granted. They learn that cereal is the "right" breakfast food in North America. Socialization — learning the ways of our culture — shapes the assumptions by which we live. We assume the way things are is the way they ought to be. Eating cereal for breakfast, day after day, makes it seem unquestionably right. We internalize the values and norms paraded on screen and billboard as simply "the way life is." If our economic system sets a minimum wage, we accept it as fair and just without a second thought. If someone trespasses on our property, we happily prosecute. After all, "that's what the law provides for." We charge an 8 percent commission on a sales transaction because "that's just the way it is."
The values and norms of our society become so deeply ingrained in our mind that it's difficult to imagine alternatives. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus presents the kingdom as a new order breaking in upon, and overturning, old ways, old values, old assumptions. If it does anything, the kingdom of God shatters some of our assumptions. As kingdom citizens, we can't assume that things are right just because "that's the way they are." The upside-down lens sharpens the distinction between God's kingdom and the kingdoms of the world.
3. The kingdom is full of surprises. Again and again, through parable, sermon, and act, Jesus startles us. Things in the Gospels are often upside down. Good Guys turn out to be Bad Guys. Those we expect to receive rewards get spankings. Those who think they are headed for heaven land in hell. The least are the greatest. The immoral receive forgiveness and blessing. Adults become like children. The religious miss the heavenly banquet. The pious receive curses.
Things are reversed. Paradox, irony, and surprise permeate the teachings of Jesus. They flip our expectations upside down and completely upset our predictions. Things aren't the way we expect them to be. We're baffled and perplexed. We're so amazed that we step back. Should we laugh or should we cry?
DETOURS AROUND JESUS
Is it possible to step back in time and fully capture the meaning of the kingdom? Are we able to stretch a footbridge across the gulf that separates the biblical world from our own? Do we have enough reliable information to paint an accurate picture of what Jesus said and did? These questions focus on historical evidence and cultural difference.
Church leaders through the centuries have created many of our impressions of Jesus. Typically, the church has emphasized the theological meanings of the Christ of doctrine rather than the ethical teachings of Jesus the prophet. Is it possible for us to reach back into history and retrieve the message of Jesus?
But even if we can straddle the cultural worlds and gather enough evidence to understand what Jesus was about, does it matter? Does Jesus have anything to say to us today — anything of relevance for how we ought to live in our world?
Throughout this book, amid the complexities debated by scholars, I argue yes to these questions. Yes, we know enough about who Jesus was and what he said to unravel the mysteries of the kingdom. Moreover, as we unpack the cultural context of his life, the message of the upside-down kingdom comes into focus. Yes, Jesus has much to say to us today, not just about private spiritual matters but about how we live together. Jesus, in other words, is relevant. His message and his life speak to us in powerful ways today.
But do we really want to hear what Jesus has to say? We may find some of his words uncomfortable. His provocative parables sound intriguing at first, but they become disturbing as they sink into our minds. Uneasy with what we hear, it's tempting to search for bypasses around his message. At least six detours offer ways to circumvent Jesus and minimize his relevance for our lives.
DETOUR ONE: JESUS IS LOST IN HISTORY
We can't hear Jesus if we can't find him. One challenge of New Testament studies involves sorting through many layers of data about Jesus and his message. Archaeological evidence from daily life in Palestine sharpens our understanding of the cultural context, as does research on ancient sociopolitical affairs. Sorting through all these layers of information helps us to see Jesus in his social setting.
There are several reasons for all the layers. The gospel writers wrote their stories more than forty years after Jesus' death. They used oral stories handed down, as well as written fragments about Jesus that were floating about. In addition, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote different gospels addressed to different audiences. Each writer put his own spin on the story to emphasize a particular theme. Sometimes their stories match; other times they don't. Moreover, it's not always clear if some of the sayings come from Jesus, the editorial writers, or the confessional memories of the early church which by then claimed Jesus as their resurrected Savior.
These issues have stimulated many searches through ancient documents for the "real" Jesus of Galilee. In the end, we have, in the words of one scholar, a Jesus with many faces. Matthew's Jesus looks a bit different from Luke's, and so on. Despite his many faces, we have firm evidence that Jesus was a Jewish prophet who lived in Palestine and was crucified. Furthermore, most scholars agree that he preached the good news of the kingdom of God. He welcomed the despised, ate with sinners, preached love for enemies, and criticized prevailing religious practices. Such behavior scared the religious and military leaders so much that they tortured him and nailed him on a cross to die.
Although we cannot verify every story attributed to Jesus or know the exact wording of every phrase he uttered, we have abundant evidence of his actions and message. Despite different views by the gospel writers, we can see the broad contours of his face. There are many things about Jesus we don't know and probably never will. But even so, we can see him clearly. To say he has been obscured by the fog of history is just an excuse to turn our backs on his message.
DETOUR TWO: JESUS IS WRAPPED IN ANCIENT CULTURE
Even if we agree that we can find Jesus among the dusty evidence of history, can we understand him? We hear that Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes, but that means little to those who rarely swaddle. This bypass contends that the cultural differences between our world and his are so big that whatever Jesus said makes little sense for us today.
Jesus lived in a small rural village, centuries away from computers, the Internet, robots, satellites, nuclear weapons, and global corporations. According to this detour sign, kingdom ethics might work in small villages where Simon knows Martha — in simple folk societies where it's possible to love enemies and forgive neighbors — but not today. Kingdom living might fit gentle shepherds and simple peasants, but not us. Jesus' teaching, according to this excuse, is trapped in a quaint, rural culture, centuries away from our hyper-tech world. We surely can't retrieve any insight — let alone ethical guidance — from his dusty advice that's pertinent for our digital lives today.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Upside Down Kingdom"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802.
Excerpted by permission of Herald Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Lisa Sharon Harper 9
Author’s Preface to the Anniversary Edition 11
1. Down Is Up 15
2. Mountain Politics 33
3. Temple Piety 53
4. Wilderness Bread 69
5. Free Slaves 83
6. The Poverty of Riches 99
7. Right-Side-Up Detours 119
8. Impious Piety 139
9. Lovable Enemies 165
10. Inside Outsiders 193
11. Low Is High 215
12. Successful Failures 233
Discussion Questions 253
Notes 263
References 283
Scripture Index 307
General Index 313
The Author 319