Great Themes of the Bible
Kingdom of God 145
Lord, they that shall be recompensed in the resurrection of the just shall eat bread in the kingdom, and that is a greater recompense than being re-invited to the table of the greatest man on earth." (d) Or, again, observing Christ to be silent after He had given the foregoing lessons, he was willing to draw Him in again to further discourse, so wonderfully well pleased was he with what He said; and he knew nothing more likely to engage Him than to mention the kingdom of God.
7. THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE KINGDOM What this man said was plain and acknowledged truth, and it was quoted very appositely now they were sitting at meat. "Blessed are they that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
(a) In the kingdom of grace. In the kingdom of the Messiah, which was expected now shortly to be set up. Christ promised
His disciples that they should eat and drink with Him in His kingdom. They that partake of the Lord's Supper should eat bread in the Kingdom of God.
(5) In the kingdom of glory—at the resurrection. The happiness of heaven is an everlasting feast. Blessed are they that shall sit down at that table, whence they shall rise no more.
"Yes," answers Jesus, ''it is very true, blessed are they that shall partake of the privileges of Messiah's kingdom.' But who are they that shall enjoy that privilege? You Jews, that think to have the monopoly of it, will generally reject it, and the Gentiles will be the greatest sharers in it? This He shows by parable, for if He had spoken it plainly the Pharisees would not have borne it.
8. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM
This rejection of the Jews is brought out more forcibly in Christ's answer to the question of the Pharisees "when the kingdom of God should come"' (Luke xvit. 20ff.). Forming a notion of it as a temporal kingdom, which should advance the Jewish nation above the nations of the earth, they were impatient to hear some tidings of its approach. They understood perhaps that Christ had taught His disciples to pray for the coming of it, and they had long preached that it was at hand. Now, say the Pharisees, when will that glorious view open? When shall we see this long-looked for kingdom?