Luke 17:20,21

THE KINGDOM OF GOD UNOBSERVABLE

Luke 17:20-21. “And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God is coming, He responded to them and said, The kingdom of God comes not wit observation; neither shall they say, Lo here or there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” Our Savior's teaching is frequently enigmatical, elaborating and enforcing some isolated phase of truth, as in this case, when the whole multitude had imbibed the idea, always prevalent among the Jews, that the Messiah is to be their King. This impression, received by a few about the beginning of His ministry, and frequently increasing under the influence of His stupendous miracles until He is constrained to render Himself invisible and change His location in order to keep them from crowning Him King, has been constantly increasing through the three years of His ministry; especially since He came to Southern Palestine, nearly six months ago, has the popular fide been constantly rising; and since His open proclamation of His Christhood at Caesarea-Philippi, a short time before He left Galilee, His preaching has been more and more conducive to the open avowal of His Messiahship. The resurrection of Lazarus, about a week previous to this date, gave a tremendous impetus to the popular apprehension of His Christhood; and now, during these several days of His sojourn in Perea, the multitudes are following Him with great excitement, much trepidation, solicitude, and thrilling anticipation that He is about to proclaim Himself King and ascend the throne of Judea. At this critical epoch, when the multitudes are momentarily on the lookout for His assumption of the royal scepter, and bounding with eager enthusiasm to crown Him King, the Pharisees, watching Him with hawk-eyes every moment, propound this insidious question, as they had no good motives in the matter, “When is the kingdom of God coming?” To whom He responds, “The kingdom of God comes not with observation;” i.e., “When the kingdom of God comes, you will not see it.” Let us all profit by this correction given to the materialistic Pharisees. We go out and hold meetings, and, as Jesus says, if you do not see signs and wonders you will not believe. So it is with the present generation. If the people do not crowd the altar, and make great demonstrations, we think nothing is being done. This is our mistake. The thunder never kills anything. It is the silent lightning of the Holy Ghost that does all of the execution. Many an undemonstrative meeting has brought the kingdom to more souls than others where they joined the Church in platoons. The Holy Ghost is the Executive of the kingdom, working silently and unobserved in the deep interior of the heart, bringing the people to that repentance which evacuates the kingdom of Satan, and working in them the faith which cheers the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the Divine Government, established by the Holy Ghost in all truly humble, penitent, believing hearts. You can not see the Government of the United States. Yet it is everywhere, prevailing from ocean to ocean. But you can see the officers of the Government, and the work it is doing. While no one can observe the kingdom of God, because it is invisible and inaudible, like its Divine Executive, the Holy Ghost, yes you can see the officers of the kingdom and its work. Our Savior here lays a tremendous emphasis on the real spiritual essence of the kingdom, which is silently wrought in the human spirit and life by the invisible and inaudible Spirit of God. The E. V. translation of this passage, “The kingdom of God is within you,” upon a moment's recognition, the reader will pronounce incorrect, as He was answering the insidious question propounded by those malicious, hypocritical, unbelieving Pharisees, with no good motive in view, but capriciously seeking to entangle Him, and if possible secure an accusation under which they could arraign Him, either before the Sanhedrin or the proconsul. The true reading of this passage is, “The kingdom of God is among you,” involving the conclusion: “Here are My apostles and disciples in your midst, mud scattered about over the country, who have the kingdom of God in their hearts, and here am I, their King, in the midst of you. Consequently the kingdom of God has already come, and is among you.”