When Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ question about the timing of the coming of the kingdom of God he said, “the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Why were they asking him when the kingdom of God would come if it was already in their midst? The Pharisees had determined for themselves what the kingdom of God would be like and how it would come. Rome would be overturned, Israel would be restored, there would be signs and wonders accompanying the appearance of the Messiah, and the kingdom of God would be established on earth. Jesus and his ministry certainly didn’t fit their understanding or expectations. And, so they missed the coming of the kingdom of God they were inquiring about. The lesson for us is that in our very human desire to know everything, to be certain of every detail vs. trusting the Lord to work all things together in his timing for our good, we can become so fixated on the signs we observe, our interpretations of scripture, and our expectations for the future that we miss the presence and power of God at work in our midst in the present.
