Coin Trick

The way magicians move and their slight of hand makes you think that something should be in a place where it is not.

Luke 17:20-37

Reference:  v.21 “…nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (NIV Bible)

Explore:  I love to see magicians at work.  It’s not that I believe that they can do magic but they create an illusion that seems impossible.  I’m mesmerised by the most simple coin trick and shocked at the more impressive disappearing acts.  The way magicians move and their slight of hand makes you think that something should be in a place where it is not.  Even the most amateur of magicians are able to make a coin disappear only to have it turn up behind someone’s ear.  It’s not that the coin actually disappears – it is with the magician the whole time – but they only reveal it when they touch the back of someone’s ear.

Application:  Jesus would often talk to his disciples about the ‘kingdom of God’.  In one sense it sounded like some far off magical place where everything was possible and where all people were kind.  And yet Jesus tells them that it is not a place that is mysterious but is actually with them all the time.  It’s just like the coin, it doesn’t go to a far off place, only to reappear behind ears, but it is there all the time.  So too is the kingdom of God.  When we act in love, grace, and forgiveness there is the presence of God.  It is within our grasp.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for being close to us at all times.  May we all act in a godly way so that the kingdom of God is present in our every day.  Amen.

When have you experienced the kingdom of God?

Luke