What Is the Kingdom of the Father?

 # What Is the Kingdom of the Father?

The question, *what is the kingdom of the Father?*, is answered not through a single definition, but through a collection of sayings that together form a complete picture. These sayings do not describe a geographical realm, nor a future political order, but a present and structured reality that exists both within and outside human perception. The kingdom is not absent; it is unrecognized.

This is stated directly:

> *“If your leaders say to you, ‘Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.”* (Saying 3)

The kingdom is not located in the sky or the sea. It is not a distant place to be reached. It is both internal and external—present in the structure of the individual and in the wider reality. The problem is not distance, but perception. People look outward for what must be understood as already present.

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### The Kingdom as Growth and Development

The kingdom is not static. It begins small and develops into fullness:

> *“The disciples said to Jesus, ‘Tell us what Heaven's kingdom is like.’ He said to them, ‘It's like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a large plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky.’”* (Saying 20)

The mustard seed represents the initial recognition of truth. It is small, easily overlooked, yet it contains the full structure of what it will become. When received into a prepared mind, it grows into a developed state of understanding. The “birds of the sky” represent higher thoughts that dwell within this matured awareness.

The kingdom, therefore, is not imposed. It develops through a process of growth within consciousness.

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### The Kingdom and Transformation

Entry into the kingdom requires transformation—not of location, but of structure:

> *“These nursing babies are like those who enter the (Father's) kingdom.”*

> *“When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower… then you will enter [the kingdom].”* (Saying 22)

To “become like a child” is not to return to ignorance but to enter a state of undivided unity. Division within the self—inner versus outer, upper versus lower—must be reconciled. The kingdom is a unified state in which oppositions are brought into alignment.

This is reinforced again:

> *“Whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the (Father's) kingdom and will become greater than John.”* (Saying 46)

Recognition depends on transformation. Without this change, the kingdom remains unseen.

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### The Kingdom and Separation from the World

The kingdom requires a break from the patterns of the surrounding system:

> *“If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the (Father's) kingdom. If you do not observe the sabbath as a sabbath you will not see the Father.”* (Saying 27)

To “fast from the world” is to withdraw from disordered patterns of thought and behaviour. It is not physical withdrawal alone but a reordering of priorities. The “sabbath” represents rest—cessation from disorder and entry into alignment.

Without this separation, the kingdom cannot be perceived.

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### The Kingdom and Origin

The kingdom is not something newly acquired; it is the origin of those who find it:

> *“Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again.”* (Saying 49)

The kingdom is both the beginning and the end. It is the source from which individuals arise and the state to which they return. To “find” it is to recognize one’s origin.

Similarly:

> *“Congratulations to the poor, for to you belongs Heaven's kingdom.”* (Saying 54)

The “poor” are those who recognize their lack of understanding. Their openness allows them to receive and recognize the kingdom.

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### The Kingdom and Mixture

The kingdom exists alongside opposing elements:

> *“The Father's kingdom is like a person who has good seed… His enemy came during the night and sowed weeds among the good seed… For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be conspicuous, and will be pulled up and burned.”* (Saying 57)

The field contains both good and bad. These represent true and false thoughts existing together. The kingdom is not the absence of mixture but the process by which this mixture is resolved.

The separation occurs at the “harvest”—the point of completion. What is false is removed; what is true remains.

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### The Kingdom and Value

The kingdom is of unmatched worth:

> *“The Father's kingdom is like a merchant… who found a pearl. That merchant was prudent; he sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself.”* (Saying 76)

The pearl represents the realization of the kingdom. Everything else is secondary. To obtain it requires a complete revaluation of priorities.

This is reinforced in the saying of hidden treasure:

> *“The (Father's) kingdom is like a person who had a treasure hidden in his field but did not know it… The buyer went plowing, discovered the treasure, and began to lend money…”* (Saying 109)

The treasure already exists but is unknown. Discovery depends on active engagement—“plowing” the field of the mind.

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### The Kingdom and Proximity to Jesus

The kingdom is directly related to closeness to Jesus:

> *“Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the (Father's) kingdom.”* (Saying 82)

Nearness to Jesus is nearness to the kingdom. Distance from him is distance from it. The “fire” represents transformation and purification.

This is further explained:

> *“Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him.”* (Saying 108)

Participation in his teaching leads to transformation. The kingdom is revealed through becoming like him.

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### The Kingdom and Transformation of Thought

The kingdom works within the mind like a hidden force:

> *“The Father's kingdom is like a woman. She took a little leaven, hid it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread.”* (Saying 96)

A small influence transforms the whole. The kingdom spreads through consciousness until all is affected.

However, awareness is required:

> *“The kingdom is like a woman carrying a jar of meal… the meal spilled behind her… she did not know it… and discovered that it was empty.”* (Saying 97)

This illustrates loss through lack of awareness. Without attention, what is given can be lost.

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### The Kingdom and Action

The kingdom requires preparation and decisive action:

> *“The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful… he drew his sword… to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one.”* (Saying 98)

This represents preparation and execution. The “powerful one” symbolizes entrenched patterns that must be overcome. Action must be tested and then carried out.

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### The Kingdom and Relationship

Entry into the kingdom is not based on biological ties:

> *“Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter my Father's kingdom.”* (Saying 99)

Belonging is defined by alignment with the will of the Father, not by natural relationships.

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### The Kingdom and Restoration

The kingdom seeks what is lost:

> *“The (Father's) kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep… one went astray… he looked for the one… ‘I love you more than the ninety-nine.’”* (Saying 107)

The focus is on restoration. What is lost is actively sought and brought back.

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### The Kingdom as Present Reality

Finally, the kingdom is not future:

> *“It will not come by watching for it… Rather, the Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it.”* (Saying 113)

The kingdom is already present. It does not arrive; it is recognized.

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### The Kingdom and Transformation of Identity

The final saying emphasizes transformation:

> *“For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven.”* (Saying 114)

This reflects the same principle as Saying 22—the unification of opposites. Entry into the kingdom requires transformation into a unified state.

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### Conclusion

The kingdom of the Father is not a place but a structured reality. It is:

* Present within and outside

* Growing from small beginnings

* Requiring transformation and unity

* Separated from disorder

* The origin and destination of those who find it

* Mixed with opposing elements until completion

* Of highest value

* Revealed through alignment with Jesus

* Transforming the whole mind

* Requiring awareness and action

* Defined by obedience, not biology

* Restoring what is lost

* Already spread out upon the earth

The kingdom is therefore a state of consciousness, a condition of being, and a process of transformation. It is hidden, yet present; growing, yet complete; internal, yet universal.

It is not found by searching elsewhere, but by understanding what is already before and within.