jesus speaks of "the kingdom of God." referring to God as "king" suggests that God is an absolute ruler, a dictator who controls our lives and everything in the universe, perhaps a benevolent despot, but a despot none the less. in jesus' world, the idea of such a ruler wouldn't be thought of as remarkable. all lives were in the hands of such a monarch, so why would it be different for the greatest of kings, the one who created everything and continues to rule over creation.
yet, to our modern eyes, seeing God as a king and those who believe in God as subjects is not a comfortable point-of-view. if we have faith in democracy, we think that the combined wisdom of all is preferable to the vision of one person to which everyone else must conform. in referring to the kingdom of God, perhaps jesus had no other terminology that would be understandable to those who heard him. jesus might have been painting a picture of a different sort of kingdom, one in which the ruler's only concern was the well-being of that ruler's subjects, one in which unconditional love was extended to all. this was a marked contrast to the earthly kings that those who heard jesus knew. their kings and the distant emperor in rome weighed them down with taxes and were more concerned with maintaining their own power and wealth than with the good of their subjects. in the kingdom of which jesus spoke, things were quite different. in this kingdom, the greatest served the least, those who were first became last, and the teacher washed the feet of the pupils.
jesus refers to God in a different way, too: as a father. this heavenly father is kind to his children just as a good earthly parents are kind to their children. this is not the god of the past, the vengeful god who orders the destruction of towns and everyone in them so that his "chosen people" can take possession of the promised land, but a loving God who wishes only good for all humankind and for all of creation. this is no tyrant but a God who is the source of all that is good, not a God who acts on whim but one who calls his creation to be filled with lovingkindness and to act responsibly toward all of creation. not a king but a father, not a kingdom but a community--this is the teaching of jesus about God and God's relationship to creation.
may we love without condition. may we see each person as being like us in the most fundamental ways. may we care for creation as if our lives depended on it. may we consider ourselves as part of a larger family where each member depends on the others. shalom.
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