BibleProject | How to Seek First the Kingdomናሙና

The Nature of God’s Kingdom

Why do we deadbolt our doors at night, or lock our cars, windows, and computers? With threats of injury and loss lurking everywhere, we learn to love personal security above anything else. And Jesus values security too. The New Testament authors do not portray him as reckless or blind to our reality. But when he joins us in this painful world, he still chooses to live with love for God and others above anything else, even when doing so includes suffering, injury, and loss.

Is Jesus just a unique hero doing something no one else can? Or is he showing us a way to live on Earth right now?

When Jesus starts preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom, he envisions the fulfillment of God’s long-standing promise to eradicate corruption and death—to completely renew creation and forever establish a world where we can love everyone and know that others love us.

Imagine living in a world where you know that nobody will harm you in any way—where security is rooted in common love for one another, not protection against one another. It’s also an abundant world, so there’s no hoarding or competing for resources. No violence, no threats, and no death. No deadbolts, no padlocks, and no passwords.

How would you live differently if you lived every day in a world like this?

Jesus saw himself bringing this kind of life to our world through what he called “the Kingdom of God,” by teaching people about the good news of this new rule. So in Matthew 6:33, when Jesus tells the crowds to continually “seek first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” what is he saying?

Is Jesus offering a new way to keep our instinctive value for personal security above all else? Is he saying we should stop thinking about securing food, clothing, and shelter altogether because the Kingdom is here? Or is he inviting people to see that God’s Kingdom is here and available—teaching us to practice ways of life rooted in strong love for God and others? What does Matthew 6:33 mean?

For context, let’s explore a few key points in the larger biblical story. It will help bring Matthew 6:33 into clearer focus, especially in terms of what it means to “seek first the Kingdom of God.”