NOTES for Luk 17:20-21

The account of what the Kingdom of God looks like and how it acts is understandable to any person if, strangely enough, one does not speak about the Kingdom. When we seek emotional comfort for ourselves, other people's recipes rarely work. If we feel very bad, we will of course throw ourselves at the words "there you will feel good." But the situation will not change for the better until we change from within. Once our inner state improves, problems that yesterday caused anguish and sorrow already seem not so hopeless today. Everything becomes easy for us. True, moments of illumination rarely last long and never last a whole life.

The Kingdom's effect on our life is immeasurably stronger, because the Kingdom is eternal and God's presence within us is constant. Jesus described this same fact elsewhere in the words: "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for My yoke is good, and My burden is light." We fear the Cross, fear submitting ourselves to God's will, fear being with Him. If we let the Kingdom inside ourselves, the Cross, the Will, the yoke, all this will remain. Only we will look at all this without fear, and with joy.