(The Gospel of Mark 10:15)
Grace:
The phrase “Kingdom of God”
reverberates through Christian scriptures in the teachings of Jesus. Some Christians
understand God’s kingdom to refer strictly to a heavenly realm beyond this
earthly life; others understand it to refer also to an ideal state of being on this
earth, in which human beings find union with God and one another. In reading this text, I am struck especially
by the simplicity of the verb receive. I recently heard someone of
another faith tradition say that “One who cannot see God in all, cannot see God
at all.” I suspect this is exactly what Jesus wanted his listeners to
understand when he spoke of the need to be “born again” in order to receive the
kingdom of God. (John 3:3) How do your sacred
scriptures invite you to see God and to receive God’s kingdom?
Yasmina:
In Islam the term “seeing
God in others” is not used. Instead, Muslims recognize a person’s piety by how
much their actions reflect their respect for God’s commands. This stems from
the view that belief in God must be coupled with righteous deeds: “O mankind!
We created you from a single [pair] of a male and a female, and made you into
nations and tribes, that ye may know each other [not that ye may despise each
other]. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is [he who is] the
most righteous of you.” (al-Hujurat
49:13) As a Muslim, I view myself as a minute being in God’s kingdom, which
encompasses the heavens, the earth and all that lies between them. I am
reminded to always act with humility because achieving righteousness is a
lifelong journey; only God can judge and invite whom He wills, with His grace
and mercy, into the final abode of peace.
Tziporah:
To answer your question, Grace, I turn not to the
“sacred scriptures,” but to the early rabbinic literature and the writings of
Maimonides (1135-1204). Many of Jesus’
parables about the kingdom of God have parallels in Jewish texts, which use
this exact phrase, as well as the phrase olam
ha-ba, “the world to come,” to refer to the messianic era. The rabbis of
the Talmud suggest that all righteous people, including non-Jews who follow the
Noachide Laws,[1]
will inherit a portion in the world to come. In Maimonides’ lifetime, there was
much controversy about whether olam ha-ba
referred to an actual place in the physical realm. In his treatise on the tenth chapter of Mishnah Sanhedrin, Maimonides describes the world to come as follows: “The
Garden of Eden is a fertile place containing the choicest of the earth’s
resources, numerous rivers, and fruit-bearing trees. God will disclose it to
man some day. He will teach man the way to it, and men will be happy there.”[2] Jews are urged to be righteous and fulfill the
commandments, not only to receive our portion in the world to come but also to
live well in this world.
Ladies, I find all of these views very interesting , my personal belief is that there are many paths to g-d. To me this post shows how similar the three faiths are (even though there are differences).
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Carey W.
Thank you for your comment, Carey! Although we find variations in rituals and observances, we have discovered many more similarities as we study our sacred texts together. Glad to have you engaged in our study and conversation. B'shalom, Tziporah
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