Kingdom of God Within You: Did Jesus Teach us to Find our Divine Inner Spark?
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Did Jesus teach divinity within all humans?
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:20–21, NKJV
But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” — Luke 18:27
What Jesus is not saying
In the KJV and NKJV in Luke 17:21, Jesus says “The kingdom of God is within you.” In context, Jesus is not teaching divinity or salvation lies within. In this short article, we will demonstrate that this is not what Jesus teaches in the context of Luke.
Among you or in your midst
Scholars such as Stein and Bock note the Greek word entos, while allowing for inside as a possible meaning, in context, is more appropriately translated as “in your midst” or “among you.”
Accordingly, many translations such as the ESV, NASB, NIV, NLT, and more do not translate Luke 17:21 as “within you” but as “in your midst” or “among you.”
Kingdom inside whitewashed tombs- beautiful on the outside and filthy within?
Jesus contextually said the “kingdom is in your midst” to the Pharisees (Luke 17:20–21).
The same people he called children of the devil (John 8:44), a brood of vipers (Matt. 12:34) whose hearts brought forth evil and “like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness (Matt. 23:27)”.
Evidently, he was not teaching them to find divinity within but that their innermost core was evil!
Kingdom not of this world comes near
Moreover, Jesus taught people to repent for the kingdom of God has come near through his ministry (Mark 1:15) and that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).
As a result, the Pharisees in Luke 17:20–21 did not need to look for the kingdom as if it was a display of a worldly kingdom like that of Rome but rather look to Jesus in their midst who had a spiritual kingdom not of this world and came as a Servant.
Days of the Son of Man who has a kingdom
Furthermore, the kingdom is paralleled in the next verse with the “days of the Son of Man” who has a kingdom in Daniel 7:13–14. Jesus says to his disciples the days will come when they will desire to see the “days of the Son of Man” or the kingdom and will not see it (Luke 17:22).
This is until the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:30), with the kingdom coming near again (Luke 21:31) but next time as a King rather than a Servant.
In other words, the very next verse (17:22) after Jesus allegedly says the kingdom is within all humanity, he is telling his closest friends they will not always be able to see the King of the kingdom even if they want to!
This makes no sense if the kingdom lies within all but perfect sense if Jesus is the Son of Man who brought the kingdom to earth and would soon be taken from earth until the kingdom would come near again on his return (Luke 21:31).
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Christ seeking and saving the lost
Rather, the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost ( Luke 19:10) and as a physician for the sick (Luke 5:31–32).
Not for people to save themselves. Jesus taught out of the human heart come evil intentions (Matt. 15:19) and people need to repent (Luke 13:1–5). A filthy rag cannot cleanse itself.
The kingdom of God coming near through Jesus
In Luke 10:9–10 and 11:20, Jesus refers to the kingdom of God being near or among people to represent the work of his ministry here on earth bringing the kingdom to people. Luke 11:20 (ESV) reads “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
In Luke 22:28–30, he claims the Father conferred him a kingdom and he has conferred a kingdom to his disciples, not that they had a kingdom always within them. “I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Joseph of Arimathea waiting for the kingdom not looking within
Also in Luke in ch. 23:52, Joseph of Arimathea is expectantly waiting for the kingdom not looking for it within.
How the kingdom can truly live within you- impossible for mortals but possible with God
Lastly, in Luke 18:27, Jesus after being asked who can be saved (v.26) or inherit the kingdom (v. 20), demonstrates inheriting the kingdom is impossible for mortals but possible with God.
Jesus never taught you to look for the divine spark within or to save yourself. Salvation lies in Jesus through turning to him to save you as he gave his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28) and came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
To his followers, Jesus promises the Spirit of God will dwell in them (John 14:17). As such, our own hearts become dwelling places for God’s kingdom. However, not through any intrinsic divine spark we possess, but rather, through the kingdom of God coming to the world through Jesus to spread his kingdom around the world through his love and Spirit.
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