A group of Pharisees approached Jesus with a question about the Kingdom of God. It is rather peculiar that a group of them came to ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. To understand their intent I need to understand the popular teachings and understanding about the Kingdom of God at the time.
Luke comments elsewhere on the teachings, thoughts, and hopes of Jews at this time. 19:11 states, “…Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”
Luke also records in 21:7 the reply of some of Jesus’s disciples when he told them about the temple’s imminent destruction. He said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” In shock, they asked, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” Luke records in Acts 1:6 the disciples asking Jesus just before he ascended, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (aka “The Qumran Cave Scrolls”) shows that many in Jewish society believed the Kingdom of God was a territory, the territory of the Covenant at Mount Sinai that would be established when the Messiah came and defeated all of Israel’s enemies and purge all “sinners” from Israel. In one short statement, Jesus counters this ill-gotten idea. “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
The Pharisees’ question was a trap meant to put him against Rome and Herod. They thought he would say he was going to Jerusalem to start a rebellion. With this, they could report to Pilate and Herod Jesus’s plans. His answer confounded them because their hearts and minds were far from God’s plan and not in God’s kingdom.
