The theological concept of “already but not yet” holds that believers are actively taking part in the kingdom of God, although the kingdom will not reach its full expression until sometime in the future. We are “already” in the kingdom, but we do “not yet” see it in its glory. The “already but not yet” theology is related to kingdom theology or inaugurated eschatology.
(www.gotquestions.org)
In the gospel reading, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come, and Jesus replies that it is already here, ‘you must know, the kingdom of God is among you’. The kingdom of God was already present in and through the ministry of Jesus, in his preaching and teaching, in his healing of the sick, in his seeking the lost and in his casting out unclean spirits. The kingdom of God was understood as a future reality by them. But Jesus corrects this concept and teaches the the already present reality of the kingdom. Yet, Jesus admits that the kingdom of God, the days of the Son of Man, may not have come in all its fullness and the timing of that future coming can never be calculated. That is why Jesus taught us to pray ‘thy kingdom come’. The rule of God is already working itself out in the lives of those who are seeking to live by the values of Jesus, who strive to walk in his way and to live by his truth. Whenever the ministry of Jesus is carried out in our daily lives, there is the kingdom of God. When those who are in need are helped, when the sick and elderly are cared, when the sorrowful are comforted or those who feel unwanted find some sort of acceptance, there is the kingdom of God. The seeds of the kingdom are already within us. Are we ready to find them?
✍️CB