What is the Fruit of The Kingdom of God?

Psalm 119:145-176 • Psalm 128, 129, 130
Num. 22:41—23:12 • Rom. 7:13-25 • Matt. 21:33-46

In the Gospel according to Matthew our Lord asked the chief priests and Pharisees,

Did you never read in the scriptures,

____“The stone which the builders rejected,

____This became the chief corner stone;

____This came about from the Lord,

____And it is marvelous in our eyes?”

Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it (Matt 42–43).

This passage from our reading today could very well be a pressure test for our time. Do our lives, our outward actions and inward desires, reflect the “fruit of the Kingdom.” What is the fruit of the Kingdom of God? Heck, do we even want to be in there?

Many theologians and scholars disagree on the specific meaning of this phrase, but most agree that it is a key element in the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. One of the early Church Fathers, Origen, had at least three interpretations. The first he put forward was that the Kingdom is Jesus himself. The second, is that the Kingdom represents the hearts and minds of the faithful captured by the love of God and the pursuit of Christian teaching. The third interpretation put forward by Eusebius, with influence from Origen, is that the Kingdom represents the Christian church comprised of the faithful. Regardless of what interpretation you find compelling, asking ourselves whether or not our lives bare resemblance to the fruit of the Kingdom inspires worthy reflection. What are the fruits of Jesus? What are the fruits of loving Jesus and living Christian teaching? What are the fruits of the Body of Christ? What does it look like to believe?

Surely like the Psalmist today, one fruit must be praise and thanksgiving. Another faith. Do we trust that the Lord is near (Psalm 119:151)? Are we careful to speak what the Lord puts in our mouths (Numbers 23:12)? All our ways are before him (Psalm 119:168). May God bless us all to bear the fruit of a loving God, to all people, at all times, even when it may mean the examining the deepest places of our hearts and actions. God is faithful. With him is loving kindness and abundant redemption (Psalm 130:7).

Written by Jonathan Wright

Jonathan is a native of Atlanta, GA, and a new member to St. Paul’s. An Episcopalian of just around 2 years, Jonathan moved to the parish from the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark in Salt Lake City, UT.