The Upside Down Kingdom
by: Mary Lauren Hudson
August 28, 2024
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
At the last supper, a dispute arose among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest.
The Savior of the world who was about to get arrested, disowned, mocked, betrayed, wrongly accused, and crucified was sitting right in front of them, and their minds and hearts were stuck on themselves.
I used to read this and think “how could they?” Now I read the story and feel convicted at how similar my own heart posture is to that of the disciples- self-focused, attention-hungry, and competitive. The Savior of the world is right in front of me, yet I consistently look away from Him and look at myself. I slip into forgetting about His kingdom and living for the kingdom of self instead.
Most of us have heard that God’s economy is not like the world’s. A lot of us have read the verses that say the first will be last, the last will be first (Matthew 20:16), the rich will be sent away empty (Luke 1:53), and the humble will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Yet we still give our lives away trying to get ahead at work, climb the social ladder, acquire wealth, gain followers, spread our influence, and exalt our name instead of the Name that’s above every name. We live according to what we see instead of what is unseen. We get swept up in our times and culture. We look at / model after the lives of the people around us instead of practicing the Way of Jesus. Brothers and sisters, this should not be!
How do we learn to live for this Kingdom that is so contrary to what we see? How do we not get swept up in the self-absorption, self-preservation, and self-glorification that has completely infested our society? How do we say “no” to Satan and his demonic forces that seek to devour us and convince us to give our time + efforts + thoughts + lives to anything + anyone but Jesus? How do we not sell our souls to the desires of the flesh, the love of money, and the glory of man rather than God?
Matthew 16 sheds light on this matter. Jesus warned his disciples about the kind of suffering and death He was going to face. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus responds to Peter saying “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:23). These same “human concerns” Peter had for Jesus are the same ones I’m talking about that exist in most of our hearts today- We all desire long life, success on earth, and a life and ministry free of suffering. While these desires and concerns are not inherently sinful, Jesus warns us that we must not place these concerns over the desire to live for His Kingdom. I’m not saying we should stop desiring and praying for long life, success in ministry, and protection from unjust suffering. I’m saying we should start laying our lives and dreams down to follow Jesus and to see His Kingdom come no matter what it costs. I wrestle with this daily, but I believe Jesus was serious when He said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
Many of us, like Peter, don’t want to think about death and suffering. We have to stop living our lives in fear of death because Jesus holds the keys to hell and commands us to not be afraid. We have to stop living in self-preserving fear of suffering because Jesus promised that in this world we will have trouble but to take heart because He has overcome the world! (John 16:33).
At the end of our lives on earth, it isn’t going to matter how much money you had, how many accolades you accumulated, or how many people knew your name. Jesus said to the Pharisees “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the FIRST and GREATEST commandment.” (Matthew 22:37). If this is true, then it is safe to say that your success on earth is measured by how much you love Jesus. If this is the FIRST and GREATEST commandment on which all the Law and Prophets hang, then that means loving Him is more important than everything else. The Kingdom of God is much simpler than the kingdom of the world. The Kingdom of God looks less like striving, working, grinding, and proving, and more like receiving, enjoying, loving, and being still. In the Kingdom of God there’s nothing to prove. It’s a much better, much freer, much sweeter economy than the one of this earth.
What Jesus said to the disciples is still what He is saying today. The fastest path to greatness is to serve (Matthew 20:26). The only way to live for this Kingdom is to die. The only way to find true life is to lay yours down. But it will cost you everything. Everything really isn’t that much in light of what He gives in return- love that surpassing understand and a Kingdom that cannot be shaken!
Worship
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Thank You that Your Kingdom is not a matter of talk, but of POWER. Thank You for not only inviting each of us into Your Kingdom, but also modeling perfectly how to live life on earth according to the Kingdom economy as well. We confess that we have gotten swept up in the ways of the world, and are constantly tempted to give our lives to less worthy pursuits. You are better than money. Your glory is more satisfying than our own. Your Kingdom is better than all other kingdoms. We need You + Your miracle-working power to enable us to live for Your upside-down Kingdom. Humble us, Lord. Change our hearts from wanting to be first, to being last. Make us like little kids that are free, in love, and full of faith in the unchanging Truth of Your Word. We do not deserve to be apart of Your Kingdom. We will forget again that we do not belong to this earth. But Holy Spirit, we invite Your loving correction to convict us when our hearts + minds are led astray. We invite You to reveal hidden temptations and stumbling blocks and to lead us into all Truth. We don’t want to waste our lives on meaningless things, and we are completely helpless to live for eternity without Your help and guidance. Save us from ourselves and from the kingdom of the air. Give us hearts that crave to serve You instead of being exalted. You came not to be served but to serve, and to give Your life as a ransom for many. Help us to do the same. In Jesus name, amen.
Further Study
Matthew 5:1-20, Matthew 20:20-28, Matthew 18:1-4, Philippians 2:3-8, Mark 9:33-37, Psalm 15:1-5, Matthew 16:21-28, Luke 22:28-30
Related Posts
To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.