When we think of a kingdom we think of the queen of England. When people heard the word kingdom in Jesus’ time they thought of a new power coming in and taking over. But the Kingdom Jesus spoke of is not like any other earthly kingdom. Jesus often used stories to describe what the Kingdom of God was like. Often the Kingdom of God was the opposite of what people thought and often very confusing. The hero in the world’s eyes was often the villain in the Kingdom of God and the hero was often the least likely – or even the despised. Jesus is calling us to lose everything in the earthly kingdom to gain everything in His. Although these are ancient stories they speak to the very same issues we experience today.