November 14

He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables, — Mark 4:11 BSB

By "the kingdom of God," we mean the same as "the kingdom of heaven," the internal kingdom established in the heart by the power of the Spirit, which will stand forever and last beyond the end of time. The Lord calls this a mystery. And if it is a mystery, it will have these three characteristics:

• It is beyond nature, sense, and reason;
• It is hidden from the wise and learned;
• It is revealed to babes.

Let’s examine whether these marks are found in the kingdom of heaven that has been set up in our hearts. It is certainly above nature, sense, and reason that God would dwell in a person’s heart, as the Apostle says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” And again, “You are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them” (2 Corinthians 6:16). That God would make His home in a human heart, that Christ would dwell within a person, and that the Holy Spirit would make the body of the saints His temple—how could nature, sense, or reason comprehend such a mystery?

When Polycarp, one of the early Christian martyrs, stood before Emperor Trajan, the emperor asked his name. Polycarp replied, "I am Polycarp, the God-bearer, for I carry God within me!" The emperor laughed and said, "Throw him to the wild beasts!" This was the only response a persecuting tyrant could give, for how could someone as frail as a man—someone a lion could tear to pieces in moments—carry God within him? Yet, it is a mystery revealed to babes. They receive it in love, under divine teaching, as one of the mysteries God the Spirit reveals to the heart.