"the kingdom of God is within you.”

Who, among us, will deserve it?

An imaginary situation ...

[in front of a small, narrow gate]

1.

Who can prevent me from entering the Kingdom of God?  
I was mighty and powerful in the world.  I had scores of servants and armies at my command.  Hearing my name, nations would tremble.  I was the mightiest among the rulers.  If I say “OPEN”, the gate has to open for me.

Voice: People who have powers in this world may believe that they can bring everything under their control.  BUT, what has worldly power to do with the Kingdom of God?

2.

Everybody calls me a Good Samaritan.  I have helped hundreds and thousands of people, and animals too!  When people acknowledge my good service to humanity, will God turn me down?  I am sure, a royal reception is waiting for me.

Voice: Many people believe that they can enjoy the Kingdom of God through their good deeds.  They think the Kingdom of God is their right.  Little do they realize that piles of good deeds alone may not be sufficient to enter the narrow gate.

3.

I am popular as the wisest in the world. My contribution to Science and knowledge is unmatched. Everybody is envious of my intellectual capacity.  I have discovered great secrets of Science, and I will have absolutely no difficulty in finding the way to the Kingdom of God.

Voice: Human knowledge is limited.  It is insignificant compared to divine wisdom. But it is ignorance that makes human beings boast of their intellect.  S/he tries to measure God with her/his small intellect and believes that she/he will never be deprived of the glory of the Kingdom of God.

4.

Day and night I have prayed and proclaimed to the world that God is the only way. Kingdom of God surely belongs to pious people like me.  

Voice: Piety, some believe, is the passport to heaven.  Thinking of God all the time and singing praises to Him, they think, assures them of the fruits of the Kingdom.  Their piety often makes them condemn others and look at themselves as self-righteous. 

5.

I became a recluse, renouncing all the pleasures of this world.  In fact, I hate all the worldly joys.  Who will hesitate to reward my renunciation?  Oh, who can deny me admission into this beautiful Kingdom of God?

Voice: God has created us in this world of joys, pleasures, sorrows and perils.  Renunciation doesn’t become a justification, and never a qualification to enter the Kingdom of God.  There is nothing to be glorified in renunciation, if it is not accompanied by involvement in God’s work.

6.  

 I am the richest lady in this country. With my money, I have purchased everything I wanted in this world. I have purchasing power, and with money, I will purchase the Kingdom of God.

Voice: People forget that even worldly riches are God’s gift to us.  Often, wealth brings with it pride, snobbishness and arrogance.  A rich person may imagine that anything would submit before money power. Will such a person be able to enjoy  the Kingdom of God?

If  all these people fail to find God’s Kingdom, who will?

[Now, a child in all its innocence enters … jumps about … hops about … and runs into the gate easily, as all the others look on.

Voice: If we become like little children – embodiments of innocence, simplicity, humility and unconditional love – the doors of the Kingdom of God will open before us. The Kingdom of God, Jesus said, is not something people will be able to see and point to. “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21). Every great spiritual and wisdom tradition gives the same precept — that “life’s ultimate truth, its ultimate treasure, lies within us”.  

 Even happiness is an inside affair!