AfterWords | The Way of the King… It’s a Lot

A 3-Minute Read
by Eric Seidel

If you’ve been following along with us at The Parish, you’d know that Jordan has been leading us through a Sermon on the Mount (SM) series. We’ve been listening to the words of Jesus shared in Matthew 5–7, his most exhaustive teachings on the way of the Kingdom. To say it plainly… Whew. It’s a lot. There’s just so much to digest and process. That’s not a reflection of Jordan’s preaching. It’s a reflection of the gravitas of Jesus’ words to his world then and their powerful relevance to our world today. On Sunday, I shared with Jordan afterward how the message hits personally, yet also so succinctly to our national and global context. It has many layers to it and can mean so much to so many people in so many different ways.  

What strikes me the most about everything Jesus says in the SM is his transition at the end of Matthew 6. Here, he starts to land the plane of everything he’s been saying. He says, “Do not worry about your life, the things you will eat or wear… consider the lilies of the field. They are cared for, yet are you not of more value than they? God knows what you need… Instead, strive for the Kingdom of God.” ( Matthew 6:25–33) There’s a huge shift in tone from Jesus.

To me, the entire SM enterprise is about introducing the way of the Kingdom for the first time.  The way of the Kingdom is antithetical to people’s expectations. It’s antithetical to the way of the world in general. Throughout most of the sermon, Jesus comes in like a wrecking ball. He hammers away at people’s preconceived notions about what it means to follow God in the world we live in. His message is not subtle. In fact, it’s quite shocking for his listeners (Matthew 7:28). Everything Jesus says to them is countercultural (”don’t do what the Gentiles do”) counter-religious (“when you give alms, do not sound an alarm like the hypocrites in the synagogue”), and counter-political (“No one can serve two masters”). It’s a shock-and-awe campaign by Jesus. He hits them and hits them hard. The way of the Kingdom is unlike anything they’ve seen before, and Jesus is no doubt making them feel it. 

Oftentimes we use the words “cruciform posture” at The Parish. It’s one of those Parish-isms that Jordan gives us that reminds us of who Jesus was and who he invites us to be. A cruciform posture is the way of the Kingdom; it’s the way of the King. The way of the King is to be others-focused, giving yourself for the sake of others, surrendering to God the things that are God. To be small so others may be more. To give the way Jesus gave, which is to give it all. 

This is not the way of the world.  

But when Jesus gets to the end of Matthew 6 in the SM, he starts to soften a bit. His tone shifts from hitting people’s ethics upside the head, to speaking to their underlying concerns. He says, “Do not worry about your life.”  I think a more appropriate translation of the word he uses is, “Do not be anxious about your life.” “Anxious” is a word he uses frequently in other places (Matthew 13:22) to describe one weighed down by worries of life. Because let’s be real… who doesn’t worry about the realities of life? It’s different, though, when Jesus says to not be anxious. I think he’s saying, “Do not make the concerns of life your ultimate concern.”

It’s a breath of fresh air from Jesus. It’s like he knows exactly what his hearers are struggling with as they’re hearing his words. It’s pastoral care in real time. After several challenging movements in the SM, Jesus reminds his listeners of the love God has for them. They are of more value than anything in creation. But God doesn’t just love them, God is eager to respond to them. I hear Jesus saying, “Do not be anxious about your life or about the things I’m telling you.  The way of the Kingdom does require a lot of you and there is still much in your life to be concerned about.  But you are known and loved by God. God knows you and desires his love to be known by you. Never stop making the Kingdom your ultimate concern. God will meet you in your midst.”

After church today, a few of us were able to sit with Jordan and talk about the weight of the SM in general. Our dear friend Laura commented on the weight of it: “It’s a lot!” Yes! There’s nothing else to really say about it. It’s a lot, and it asks a lot from you. There’s so much to digest and process about what Jesus is asking of us in the SM. He is orienting us to the way of the Kingdom… to the way of the King. It is a lot. 

But Jesus’ heart for us is as strong as his hope for us. In Luke’s version of the Do Not Worry text (Luke 12:22–34), Jesus adds:

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

The way of the King is a lot…and it’s also good.