Where is the Kingdom of God?

We can look at the life of Joseph of Arimathea and his partnering work with Nicodemus’ to find out.

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. – Luke 23:50-51

Yes,

“Joseph heard the still, small voice urging him to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ.   He obeyed the voice that convicted him that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.

Joseph had a settled and fixed expectation and hope that this Kingdom could come at any moment. However, what Joseph could not have imagined was the way in which this Kingdom would be inaugurated in and through the life of Jesus.”  — Ken Costa

What we see inaugurated in and thru the life of Jesus and is to be mirrored in our lives as we reflect the Kingdom is: demonstrating justice rooted in love, showing kindness and mercy, and walking humbly beside one another.

For,

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? [Deut. 10:12, 13.]  Micah 6:8 AMPC

We see this kingdom walking in joint fashion displayed in the partnership between Nicodemus’ and Joseph of Arimathea.

“From beginning to end, their partnership can serve as a signal to us that the body of Christ is best served when we do so together. Unity and interconnectedness matter to God. What if the missing ingredient for changing the world is partnership?

Partnerships are necessary for mission, maturity, and momentum. Our mission from Jesus is to take the gospel to our communities and the nations, to both Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19). How could any of us do that alone? But if we can organize ourselves properly and relationally around a common purpose, we can contribute meaningfully to the mission.” …Joseph and Nicodemus’ kingdom partnership in “obedience and interaction with one another set the stage for the greatest miracle ever known. ” — Ken Costa

I would hasten to say we all have our crucifixion moments when things within are brought to death, and it is those in partnership with us that come alongside ministering the graces of and the rites of death with healing ointments for the sake of each other.

It was Nicodemus that came to prepare the body of Jesus with burial spices and rolled the stone before the grave

And Nicodemus also, who first had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, [weighing] about a hundred pounds.  John 19:39 AMPC

He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.  – Matthew 27:60, NIV

And then we sit in silence, sometimes with tears, and wait.

“Saturday’s silence torments us. Why the heartache of the pointlessness of life? Why did God not move swiftly to raise Him from the dead?

And yet, through this longing, we learn something. We are always with Him. In this in-between stage—in the liminality, we are silent with Him. It is an act of faith to believe that He speaks even when we don’t hear Him. That He is there even when we don’t see Him. That He is alive, even when He appears to be dead. That it is the beginning even though it looks like the end. — Ken Costa

For Jesus!!!

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  – Matthew 28:6

So now, as you continue on in life, remember,

“Joseph wasn’t to know with any certainty that his deeds would be depicted in the Scripture for generations to come. Yet he faithfully did what he could do with what he had.

The next time pain and pointlessness attack and attempt to push you into the darkened tomb, remember what Joseph must have seen. The tomb was empty. This is the Christian hope, and this Christian hope is verified by the miracle that left Joseph’s tomb. We can now build our lives on the promises of God. We now have purpose. Nothing is pointless. Even the most devastating situations can be turned around by God’s grace and resurrection power. A word that’s unbreakable, a victory of such finality. We stand on this unshakeable and precious promise of God. Death has been swallowed up in victory.

So we cry, Hallelujah, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! That is the power that transforms our day-to-day lives. The privilege of knowing that Jesus Christ transforms and makes all things new.” — Ken Costa

For the Kingdom is within and is to be lived out loud for the world to hear and know!!

Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].  Luke 17:21 AMPC