Many had taught that when the Kingdom would come, it would arrive in one fell swoop: the enemies of God would be routed and Jerusalem exalted in one dramatic moment. Jesus overturns this teaching. The Kingdom is not like a hydrogen bomb that annihilates everyone in its wake except those in the lead refrigerator. Rather, it is like a seed that is first planted, then grows, and is finally reaped (cf. Mark 4:26–29).
