Kingdom of God

1. Kingdom of God • Jesus may have been first to use phrase “kingdom of God” • Roots lie in OT • Origin in Kingship of Yahweh • Yahweh is understood as King of Israel • Later appears not just as God over Israel, but king over all nations • Finally as a cosmic king ruling over creation • Idea of God’s kingdom occurs more frequently in late OT

2. Kingdom of God • At minimum the theme is familiar, if not the phrase • Sometimes interpreted as freedom from Roman rule • Others understood broader context of messianic hope of Israel • Heart of Jesus’ message • Appears in Q tradition • Mark • Material unique to Matthew and Luke • John • Center of Sermon on the Mount • Many parables

3. What did the Kingdom of God mean? • Event not place • Eschatological tension • Call for immediate response • Relation between kingdom and Jesus

4. Event not Place • Kingdom of God ‘reign’ or ‘rule’ of God • Dynamic concept that refers to event, not place • Early Church understood it to be coming of messianic age of salvation • Substitutes

5. Eschatological Tension • Both present and future • From beginning Jesus proclaimed God was already present • There is a present, dawning age of salvation

6. Kingdom of God as Present • Parables • Illustrates reign of God is taking place right now • Matthew includes 7 parables about the kingdom • According to the parables kingdom is • Accessible • Growing • Transforming • Hidden • Found • Gathering

7. Kingdom of God as Present • Miracles and Exorcisms • Palestinian Jew: sickness/infirmity was attributed to demonic power & sin • Exorcisms & healings showed w/ arrival of reign of God, evil’s power over humans being broken • God’s salvific power becoming effective in bodies of humans & in spirits of people to whom he ministered • Jesus saw his deeds of power (dunameis) to be a sign of the dawning end times • “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20) • Saying is almost certainly authentic; ‘star witness’ for presence of the kingdom in Jesus’ ministry

8. Kingdom of God as Present • The Forgiveness of Sins • Additional evidence that age of salvation is at hand • Jesus’ preaches reconciliation w/God & community • Whether he actually said “your sins are forgiven” is unclear • Objections were raised God is alone to forgive sins • Jesus redefining how you share blessings through membership in community defined by Temple & Torah • Some viewed this as Jesus replacing adherence to Temple/Torah with following him

9. Kingdom of God as Present • Table Fellowship • Much of Jesus’ preaching takes place at meals • Irritation at criticism of table fellowship tradition • Contrasts with John the Baptist’s ministry • Meal tradition in Middle East • Sign of communion • To share bread with head of house is blessing signified fellowship with God • Purity laws forbid associating with those who were unclean or outside the law • Clear difference b/w sinners & righteous • Jesus’ table fellowship had implications for sinners

10. Table Fellowship • Meals with Jesus were joyous occasions • Impossible for disciples to be sad in his presence • God’s reign is inclusive • No one is excluded

11. Kingdom of God as Future • “Thy kingdom come” • Coming judgment future kingdom • Parables mustard seed, etc • Present and future aspects of reign of God • God in the near future would bring the present state of things to an end

12. Call for Immediate Response • Repent connotation of being sorry for one’s sins • Metanoeite(Gk) means more • Think again, to change one’s heart, one’s mind, one’s way of life, to assume a new standpoint • One desiring the kingdom must become like a little child • Conversion Jesus calls for means more than sorrow for sins • Parables bring out magnitude of decision & radical nature of the conversion itself • Compares news of reign of God to discovery of something of such great value that person gives up everything to possess it • Nothing is worth more

13. Relation b/w the Kingdom & Jesus • Jesus doesn’t say much about himself in the synoptic Gospels • In John Jesus is the center of his preaching • Preaching was not just ‘good news of God’s reign’ • Also included a warning of imminent judgement • Regular affirmation of the eschatological finality of Jesus’ ministry • Clearly present in Q • A decision for or against Jesus is the same as a decision for or against the reign of God • Jesus’ preaching cannot be reduced to universal message about unconditional love • To encounter Jesus is to encounter God’s reign

14. Reinterpreting the Kingdom • Death & resurrection of Jesus transformed the disciples understanding of the reign of God • Paul: emphasis falls on eschatological future • On the immoral & unjust not inheriting the kingdom • Uses eternal life to express salvation in Jesus • Both present and future • Christian communities need to express the Good News of God’s reign, but at times the kingdom as been improperly identified as the Church

15. Reinterpreting the Kingdom • Church receives the mission to proclaim & establish the kingdom • Church itself represents its budding on earth • Kingdom is one of love; its God’s love that releases the human compassion & God’s power in the world.

16. Miracle Tradition • Jesus is known as healer & exorcist • Nature miracles are more complicated: • Water into wine, etc • Historical basis for most miracles, whether entirely accurate or not. • Two extremes to avoid • Supernaturalist displays of divine power suspending or contradicting laws of nature • Perspective of their original biblical meaning • Authors do not use terata miraculous or extraordinary • Synoptics dunameis: acts of power • John semeia: signs • Reduces some of these to acts of God or God as some sort of cosmic architect

17. Jesus’ Death • Why did he return to Jerusalem? • What did/didn’t he learn from John’s example? • Who was responsible, Romans or Jews? • Was there a political reason? • Was there a religious reason? • Why crucifixion? • Jesus was not humiliated & executed for proclaiming the passionate love of God.

18. Offense Behind Jesus’ Death • Mark: Jesus accused of destroying temple, blasphemy, prophesy/prophet, messianic pretensions • Mix of threats against Jews/Romans • Temple claim • Evidence Mark/Matt understands it to be true • John uses variation: Temple cleansing • Luke omits it in Gospel, but includes in Acts (Stephen) • Temple story in all four • Different places in ministry • Connection b/w Temple action & his death

19. Temple Action • Wright • Strike against existence of Temple as center of Judaism • Judgment, symbolic and prophetic, upon the Temple in word and in action • Temple is central symbol of Israel, which would be destroyed without repentance • Jesus was not only challenging authority of religious leaders, but most important symbol of Jewish life

20. Crucifixion • Shattering event for disciples • Fearful of their own lives • Fled Jerusalem • Scandal

21. Theological Perspectives • Rejected Prophet • Controversy b/w Jewish community and Jewish followers of Jesus • Luke/Acts • Compare Jesus and followers w/rejected prophets of Israel • Also found in Mark, Q, and Paul • Theme of Israel killing prophets • More symbolic then historical • Israel bringing judgment on themselves by failing to heed prophets

22. Suffering Righteous One • Prophets: misunderstood and persecuted • Becomes popular through Wisdom tradition • Daniel, Wisdom, Servant Song • Just are tested • Falsely accused

23. A Redemptive Death • Jesus as sacrifice who atones for sins • ‘For us’ or ‘ for our sins’ • Pauline tradition • Last supper accounts • ‘ransom for many’ • Mark and 1 Peter • Exist in pre-synoptic and pre-Pauline accounts • sparse

24. Stone Rejected by the Builders • Temple and Fig Tree • Mark • Acted parable of an acted parable • Both will be destroyed • Psalms 118 • Probably from an ancient proverb • Something thought to be insignificant triumphed through divine election • Jesus is rejected by Israel; become basis of new, eschatological Temple • Play on words in saying and parable: • Stone: eben (Hebrew) • Son in parable: ben (Hebrew) • Recurring theme in NT

25. How did Jesus Understand His Death? • Jesus ultimately died because it was his vocation • Reading Daniel, Zechariah, Psalms (110 &118) • Understood God’s kingdom comes w/true king sharing suffering of people • Freely accepted his death • Saw it as part of his ministry • Particularly through Last Supper

26. Last Supper • Mark 10:45 • Connection between Jesus’ life of service & death • Diakonein: waiting at table (secular) • Comes to take on new meaning in light of Jesus’ life of service • Christian service or ministry • Luke 22:27 • 2nd text on diakonia • Shift to in meaning has already occurred • This text serves as model for those who hold office in the Church, the disciples, and local church leaders • Same connection b/w service & meaning of death as Mark

27. Last Supper • Johannine Foot Washing (John 13:1-20) • Last of diakonia texts • Disciples enter new covenant w/Jesus

28. Did Jesus See Salvific Meaning in His Death? • Last supper language is influenced by early Christian communities • Context for commemorating last supper • ‘I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God’ • Through his death, or perhaps in spite of it, God’s reign would come

29. How did Jesus See His Own Destiny • Difficult to enter psychology of another person • Especially one who is human and divine • Since time of Maccabees—hope for resurrection • Perhaps Jesus shared in this hope • Apocalyptic resurrection of all dead • Did Jesus understand his end from the beginning? • Fear was real