THINGS PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM.
"Now is there solemn pause in earth and heaven;
The Conqueror now
His bonds hath riven,
And Angels wonder why He stays below;
Yet hath not man his lesson learned,
How endless love should be returned."
Hitherto our thoughts about "The Kingdom of Heaven" have been founded
on the teaching of the King respecting His Kingdom recorded in the
Gospels. But we must not forget to give attention to the very
important time in the life of our Lord extending between His
Resurrection and Ascension, during which He appeared to His Apostles
upon terms very different from those on which He had previously
associated with them[10]. And though few records have been preserved
of His instructions to them during this period, we find this general
description, which very clearly shows the nature of those
instructions. In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, S. Luke records
that the time was spent in "speaking of the things pertaining to the
Kingdom of God" (Acts i. 3). Consequently, though we have not His
discourses in full, we know that the subject of them was still the
same as in the time past--the good news of "The Kingdom of Heaven."
During the years of His public ministry the Apostles frequently asked
their Lord to explain what they did not understand in His teaching.
And we may feel sure that, at this time, many things must have
appeared to them in a new light, and many sayings must have gained a
force and meaning which they had failed to perceive before. And if
"The Kingdom of Heaven," about which He had said so much, was to be a
real Kingdom, it is clear that there must have been many things on
which they would require instruction, about the order and government
of it, and about the practical carrying out of His loving designs for
the salvation of the world. And inasmuch as we find that, almost
immediately after their Lord's Ascension, the Apostles were fully
prepared not merely to preach, as He had done, the good news of the
Kingdom, but to call men into it as a Kingdom already established upon
earth, we conclude that all these matters must have been fully
explained to them during these days, and that these were "the things
pertaining to the Kingdom of God" of which He spake.
Passing by, for the present, other questions of difficulty which would
very probably arise in their minds, there are two passages in our
Lord's discourses recorded in the Gospels which we can hardly doubt
were discussed at this time; because some of His words have been
preserved to us which connect those passages with what afterwards
became the practice of the Church.
The first question of difficulty which would naturally arise out of
one of His former sayings, and to which He provided the answer, was
this--What was to be the form of admission into "The Kingdom of
Heaven"? He had said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the
Kingdom of God" (S. John iii. 5). But what did the words mean? What
steps were to be taken by one who wished to enter the Kingdom? With
what use of water would the Holy Spirit's power be connected? Here was
a practical question requiring a decided answer. And we conclude that
this was one of "the things pertaining to the Kingdom" which were
spoken of during this time, because we find a brief record of distinct
instructions given by our Lord to His Apostles how they were to admit
men as His disciples or subjects. No discourse is recorded, but this
clear commission is handed down by S. Matthew--evidently given in such
a way that the Apostles could not fail to understand its meaning--"Go
ye and make disciples[11] of all nations, baptizing them in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (S. Matt.
xxviii. 19). And consequently Holy Baptism became at once, and has
been ever since, the form of admission into "The Kingdom of Heaven"
(Acts ii. 38-41). And being an outward form, and yet a spiritual act,
we have herein both "the water and the Spirit." It is an outward form
in which there is a ceremonial use of water; and yet it is a spiritual
act, because united with the most solemn naming of the Name of God, as
He has in these last days revealed Himself to man; "In the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" and S. Paul does
not hesitate to say, "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body"
(1 Cor. xii. 13).
The other question arising out of some words of our Lord, which we
conclude was discussed and answered by Him during this time, was the
difficult one about the meaning of "the keys of the Kingdom of
Heaven." He had once said, after S. Peter had confessed Him as the
Christ, "I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven[12]"
(S. Matt. xvi. 19). And the same words about binding and loosing were
repeated shortly afterwards to all the Apostles (S. Matt. xviii. 18).
We can hardly doubt but that the question must have arisen in their
minds what the keys of the Kingdom could be whereby the power of
binding and loosing was given them. And although no discourse is
recorded, it seems that this was another of "the things pertaining to
the Kingdom" of which He spoke. For S. John, in the brief record which
he has given of His first appearance to the Apostles after His
Resurrection, has thus described what occurred:--Suddenly the Lord was
in their midst, and said, "Peace be unto you. And He showed unto them
His Hands and His Side" in proof that it was He Himself. And He said
again "Peace be unto you. As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I
you." And "He breathed on them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose
soever sins ye retain, they are retained" (S. John xx. 19-23). And
ever since there has been this practical interpretation of the meaning
of "the keys." Christ's ministers have confidently acted, as having
been entrusted by their Lord with His authority to admit men into "The
Kingdom of Heaven" by Holy Baptism, or to defer the act of admission
until after longer probation; to exercise the judicial power of
excommunication, or expulsion from the Kingdom, for notorious sin and
unbelief, as in the case of the incestuous Corinthian (1 Cor. v. 3-7),
or to re-admit after repentance, as S. Paul decided to do in the same
case (2 Cor. ii. 6-10); and to assure all men that in the holy
Ordinances of the Church of Christ free and full remission of sins may
be certainly gained.
We can readily imagine that many other matters were discussed amongst
"the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."
If disciples were to be made in all parts of the world, and were then
to be taught "to observe all things commanded" (S. Matt. xxviii. 20)
by the King, the question must have arisen, Who were to be appointed
to teach them? And thus the whole subject of the government of "The
Kingdom of Heaven," and the Orders and duties of the King's Ministers,
would be opened.
Again, the words of institution of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper,
"This is My Blood of the new testament[13], which is shed for many
for the remission of sins" (S. Matt. xxvi. 28), pointed both to the
ending of the old covenant, or testament, which was sealed in the
blood of beasts (Exod. xxiv. 5-8), and to the passing away of the
Jewish ritual and modes of worship. And the question would arise, What
forms of worship were to be observed by His subjects in place of those
ordained by the Law of Moses? Sacrifices could no longer have their
former meaning, when the Lamb of God, to which they pointed the
worshipper, had been offered upon the Cross. Was "the breaking of
bread" to take the place of all the old sacrificial services?
And with the subject of worship, the observance of the Sabbath would
need to be considered. Was the Jewish Sabbath still binding on men's
consciences? Was the Seventh Day to be observed in accordance with the
Law of Moses, or was the First Day of the week to take its place, now
sacred to the subjects of the Lord Jesus as that on which He rose, and
to the keeping of which He had seemed to give His sanction, by
appearing once and again on that day to the disciples as they were
assembled together? (S. John xx. 19, 26.)
On all these points[14] we find, in the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles, that the Apostles took at once a definite line of action.
They knew what to do, and how to direct their converts. And though we
have no record of the words of our Lord, we are confident that the
Apostles were thus carrying out His own teaching[15], under the
guidance of the Holy Ghost, on all such matters "pertaining to the
Kingdom of God."
Amongst the few words recorded as having been spoken at this time to
the Apostles, is this clear promise, "Ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto
Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth" (Acts i. 8). And in the power of the Holy
Ghost we find that they went forth to publish the glad tidings of "The
Kingdom of Heaven." And, beginning from Jerusalem, they extended their
work gradually to Samaria, and Syria, and to all countries, carrying
out their Lord's commission, and preaching the good news of salvation
through Jesus Christ, as freely offered to all who would accept Him as
their King, and enter through the strait gate of the New Birth into
His Kingdom.
FOOTNOTES:
[10] For fuller information about this period, see Bishop Moberly's
"Discourses on the Great Forty Days."
[11] See the note in the margin of a Reference Bible.
[12] It is well known that the Romanists have sometimes founded their
argument, in support of the claims of the Papacy, very mainly upon
this verse; starting with the assumption, of which there is no proof,
that the Pope is the successor of S. Peter, and asserting that a power
was hereby given to S. Peter which the other Apostles did not possess.
The weakness of the argument becomes clear when it is known that the
same words were repeated again to all the Apostles; and that the above
explanation, and practical enforcement of them, were equally spoken to
them all.
[13] Testament and Covenant are translations of one and the same word.
The Bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments, because the Old
Testament contains the record of God's dealings with men under the Old
Covenant; and the New Testament declares the New Covenant made with
all the world through Jesus Christ.
[14] A question may arise in the minds of some, whether it is a
historical fact that the early Christians were in no doubt about the
substitution of the First for the Seventh day? The answer is that,
from the first, there was no doubt about the observance of the First
Day; but that amongst the Jewish converts the observance of the
Sabbath was permitted for some time, in addition to the Christian
festival, and was only gradually discontinued. See Rom. xiv. 5; Gal.
iv. 10; Col. ii. 16; and compare Acts xx. 7; 1 Cor. xvi. 2; Rev. i.
10.
[15] This view is strengthened by the account given by S. Paul of the
direct revelation granted to him respecting the Sacrament of the
Lord's Supper. Not having been amongst the number of His Apostles in
the days when He was on earth, S. Paul had received no instructions
from His own mouth. But the defect was supplied by direct revelation.
He says, "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto
you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed,
took bread," &c. (1 Cor. xi. 23).