What did Jesus Christ actually teach about the Kingdom of God/Heaven?
First, it is clear that he preached about it Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:43, 8:1, 9:11
He taught that the pursuit of the kingdom should be our priority Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31; and that no second guessing would be tolerated Luke 9:62
He equated himself with the kingdom Matthew 12:28, Mark 1:15, Luke 11:20, Luke 17:20-21
He said that it was hard for wealthy individuals to enter Matthew 19:23-24, Mark 10:23-25, Luke 18:24-25
He said that the kingdom belongs to the poor Luke 6:20, Matthew 5:3 and persecuted Matthew 5:10
Jesus said that the most inconsequential person in the kingdom will be greater than John the Baptist Matthew 11:11, Luke 7:28
He said that it was easier for sinners to enter that kingdom than for religious leaders to do so Matthew 21:31; but that those who adhere to the commandments will be the greatest Matthew 5:19; and that those who wish to be a part of the kingdom must be more righteous than the religious leaders of Christ's day Matthew 5:20
He said that it is not the birthright of the Jews Matthew 21:43; and that people will come from all over the world to be a part of it Matthew 8:11, Luke 13:29
He said that it had been revealed only to those whom God had chosen to reveal it Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11; and he told a parable about how different people react to the message Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:10
Jesus compared the kingdom to the growth of a farmer's crop Mark 4:26-29
He also compared the kingdom to a mustard seed - pointing out that it starts out small and grows into something big Matthew 13:31-35, Mark 4:30-34, Luke 13:18-21
He compared the kingdom to a a farmer who planted good seed and an enemy who planted weeds, and that the two would be separated at harvest time Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40
He said that the kingdom will be manifested in power and glory (the transfiguration) Mark 9:1-12, Luke 9:28-35 He also said that the patriarchs and prophets would be in kingdom Luke 13:28
He said that the inhabitants of the kingdom will exhibit the innocence and humility of children Matthew 18:1-4, 19:14, Mark 10:14-15, Luke 18:16-17
He compared the kingdom to a nobleman going to a distant country to be crowned and return and settle accounts with his servants Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-26
Jesus compared the kingdom to a treasure or priceless pearl Matthew 13:44-46
He compared the kingdom to a fisherman sorting the good fish from the bad Matthew 13:47-50
He compared the kingdom to the owner of a vineyard who employed the people whom he chose to work for him and rewarded them how he wanted to reward them Matthew 20:1-16
He compared the kingdom to a king who prepared a great wedding banquet for his son and invited the guests Matthew 22:1-14
He also compared it to a polygamous marriage ceremony in which 5 of the brides were prepared and five were not, and the ones who were unprepared didn't make it into the marriage/kingdom Matthew 25:1-13
He said that the institution of the kingdom would be preceded by signs Matthew 24, Luke 21
He declared that one must be born again to see the kingdom John 3:1-5
He gave the keys of the kingdom to his disciples Matthew 16:19
Jesus said that the inauguration of the kingdom would involve rewards and punishments Matthew 25:31-46
Finally, Jesus Christ said that those who would overcome in this life would be allowed to share his throne Revelation 3:21; but he also said that it would be God's prerogative to assign positions under him Mark 10:35-40
Now, it is true that his disciples elaborated on these teachings, but it appears that these constitute the actual teachings of Jesus Christ on the subject of the Kingdom of God/Heaven.
While these scriptures clearly define a theocracy, a visible government, there is that enigmatic statement by Christ:
ReplyDelete"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
This makes it sound as if the Kingdom of God is initiated in the heart and will later, in a second phase, become a visible theocracy. Maybe a foreshadow followed by the real. C.S. Lewis wrote words to the effect that as Christians we are experiencing the Kingdom of God now. I have never been able to relate well to that. Maybe the world is too much with me. I tend to think of a palpable theocracy with a visible Christ putting down the human enemies of good. I think that was the simplistic, geo-political view that the disciples took and they probably missed the full spirit of what Christ was saying. That view does not incorporate that continuous battle fought in the spirit realm against Thrones, Principalities and Powers.
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Neo,
DeleteGreat observations. As Christ identified himself with the kingdom, and we receive Christ into our hearts, it seems clear to me that there is a very real sense in which we carry the Kingdom within us. Moreover, even in the literal sense, I don't think that the Armstrong understanding of a literal political entity is accurate. Christ told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world - I believe there's more to that statement than may first appear. God does not share our political notions. Do we really believe that our notions about territorial boundaries, political offices, dignitaries, diplomacy, citizenship, policy, executives, legislatures, judiciaries and the like apply to God's Kingdom? I think that the Kingdom is a much more expansive concept than most of us have dared to imagine.
Miller:
ReplyDeleteI am in agreement with your statement about the Kingdom being an "expansive concept." I do believe there will be a geo-political government on earth but that is only a sub-set of the great Kingdom that is limited only by Christ. David Bentley Hart in his New Testament translation points out Paul's focus on the overthrowing of thrones, principalities and powers. This is activity that took place in the invisible spirit realm as a consequence of the sacrifice of Jesus. And something that it is very easy for us to read over because we are not concerned so much with the invisible. But it is nevertheless a huge part of what happened when Christ was resurrected. Atheists will say that Christ's sacrifice really did not change much. But the Cosmos was revolutionized.