How often men have wished to have God within their control, or at least within range of their own limited intelligence. It is difficult enough to live comfortably within a world which we basically understand and control. It is a more difficult task to live comfortably with mystery.

The Pharisees, and all who ask similar questions, wished to deal with the Kingdom of God like any problem, even like some predictable natural disaster. It would be comforting to be able to locate the Kingdom of God in time and space, and thus be ready for it when it comes - somewhat as we prepare for a typhoon, whose course we can plot and report, telling where and when it will hit land.

Part of the enchantment of true faith is that God is mystery, and so also is the Kingdom. If God and the Kingdom were mere locatable and predictable answers to questions or solutions to problems, we would be left rather with a feeling of betrayal. Within us, where the Kingdom of God truly is, we know that we are created for more than a mere answer. We are created for love and there is no mystery so great.