Scientists at IBM have recently measured the force required to push a single atom of cobalt across a smooth surface made of platinum. In case you missed the announcement, you may be interested to know: the feat requires approximately one-130-millionth of an ounce of lateral force. (See the entire report here.)
You might not be interested in measuring such a thing, of course. But nano-technologists, let me tell you, are very interested indeed. What if you were thinking to build an atom-sized engine, or lever, or pump, to accomplish some atom-sized feat of engineering? Well, you might like to know the energy cost required to make the pump or lever work.
But what if you were interested in moving something larger – like a human body? Let’s try some extrapolating.
I am told that a 70 kg body (but many of our readers weigh something more than this, of course) contains approximately 7 x 10-27 atoms – mostly hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. If you attempted to move the entire thing, atom by atom (don’t try this at home), and every atom were to require one-130-millionth of an ounce of lateral pressure, the force required to get you across the room would amount to an astronomical 5 x 10-19 ounces – the weight of Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, K2, and the entire Himalayan range put together, approximately.
And we can extrapolate even further. What if you were thinking to move many individuals? What kind of force would be required then? What if you were interested in building something significant among them? What if you were interested in building something extraordinary among them – like a Kingdom?
If you were building a Kingdom, your raw material would be – not atoms of cobalt or individual bodies – but human hearts and lives. And you would not have a smooth surface of platinum to work upon. You would have to move your hearts and lives through and around the many bumps and detours that crowd upon our environment. You would encounter friction and competition. And then you would have to assemble your raw material into something useful. A simple “pump” or “lever” would not do: a Kingdom consists of hearts and lives commanded by a King. It is made up of many, many hearts and lives animated by a single point of authority, commanded by its Sovereign’s will and enlisted for service in his cause. A Kingdom is a domain, really – a domain of rule, the rule of a King. In a Kingdom, hearts and lives move as their King commands.
God is building just such a Kingdom: it is the Kingdom of his Gracious and Sovereign Rule. It is the Kingdom of Life – the Kingdom of Light. It is filled everywhere with his justice, his love, his mercy, his astounding grace. It is the domain of hearts and lives transformed into children of God and agents of his rule forever. But all the mountains in the world could not pressure such a Kingdom into being.
This Kingdom required a cross.
This is the force described by St. Paul long ago: “The love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:14). And it cannot be measured by the millionth of an ounce. (See the full report at Bible Gateway.) The God of all gods and times and places, you see, has poured out his life – every ounce – for you. And now he lives that you may live for him.