Mark 9:1 – And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God when it has come with power.”
The kingdom of God is not about physical wealth, cities or power; as Paul said, “the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Jesus said that this was why He came, He came to preach the kingdom of God. It’s easy to become confused about everything that is happening in our world until we see the reality and importance of the kingdom of God for ourselves. The kingdom is built inside of people as they experience the power of regeneration (the new birth) and the blessing of renewal. Christ is after people, He wants their hearts. He is building His kingdom now in our midst. It is literally all around us. It is seen in the eyes of the street walker who experiences forgiveness and true love, it is displayed in the life of the businessman who discovers a new purpose to do what he does, and it is seen in the teen who discovers their real identity in Christ. Here is how Barclay describes this passage.
“It is of the mighty working of his kingdom that Jesus is speaking; and what he said came most divinely true. There were those standing there who saw the coming of Jesus in the coming of the Spirit at the day of Pentecost. There were those who were to see Gentiles and Jews swept into the kingdom; they were to see the tide of the Christian message sweep across Asia Minor and cover Europe until it reached Rome. Well within the lifetime of those who heard Jesus speak, the kingdom came with power. Again, this is to be taken closely with what goes before. Jesus warned his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and that there he must suffer many things and die. That was the shame; but the shame was not the end. After the cross there came the resurrection. The cross was not to be the end; it was to be the beginning of the unleashing of that power which was to surge throughout the whole world.”
The power of the kingdom is at work in the world all around us. Today we live in the tension of the collision of the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. Which one do you value? Which one are you embracing? Jesus is coming soon to lay claim to His kingdom, now is the time for us to preach His kingdom in the power of His resurrection.
