Topic 8Kingdom of God

1
Topic 8 Kingdom of God

• Terminology
• The central motif in Jesus teaching.
• Frequency 61x in Synoptics (Mk., Q, M, L).
• Infrequent in rest of NT and in Judaism
  (dissimilarity).
• Synoptic summaries (Mk. 114-15 Mt. 423 935
  Lk. 443 81).
• Prominent theme in parables (The kingdom of God
  is like).
• Kingdom of heaven kingdom of God.
• Kingdom of heaven used only in Matt. (32 out of
  37x).
• Usually changes k. of God in Mk. or Q to k. of
  heaven.
• Reflects Jewish tendency to avoid direct
  reference to God.
• Kingdom not spatial but dynamic.
• Malkut (Hebrew) basileia (Greek).
• Not so much a place but an activity (the kings
  reign).
• Kingdom of God primarily Gods kingly
  rule/reign.
• Does not exclude physical image gospels speak
  of entering the kingdom Gods new world.

2

• Kingdom of God in Judaism
• OT King by virtue of Creation and Covenant.
• Rightfully King of Creation, though nations have
  turned away.
• King of Israel to extent Israel submits to Torah
  (puts on the yoke of the kingdom of God
  submission to Torah).
• Judaism k. of God becomes primarily an
  eschatological hope.
• Gods final reign when he intervenes to destroy
  evil and set things right.
• Present age Gods reign opposed by Satan and his
  agents.
• Age to come Gods reign fully manifested.
• The Kaddish (synagogue prayer) May he establish
  his kingdom during your life, and during your
  days, and during the life of all the house of
  Israel. (Cf. Lords Prayer)
• The Eighteen Benedictions (synagogue liturgy)
  Bring back our judges as at first, and our
  rulers as at aforetimes, and be thou King over
  us, O Lord, thou alone.
• Jesus announced arrival of long-awaited kingdom.
• Eschatological or not?
• Present or future?

3

• C. Kingdom of God as Future/Eschatological
• Synoptic summaries ( 9 Mk. 115 par.)
• The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
  has come near repent, and believe in the good
  news (Mk. 115).
• Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near
  (Mt. 417).
• Nearness of future kingdom lends urgency to
  repentance.
• Lords Prayer ( 30 Mt. 610 Lk. 112)
• Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as
  in heaven.
• Like Kaddish, prays for eschatological
  sovereignty of God.
• Sayings associating Kingdom with final judgment.
• 131 Mk. 943-48 par. Entrance requires
  radical repentance.
• If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out
  (radical repentance).
• It is betterto enter the kingdom of God with
  one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into
  hell (judgment determines fate kingdom of God
  or hell).
• 42 Mt. 721-23 par. Entrance requires radical
  obedience.
• Not everyoneshall enter the kingdom of heaven
  but the one who does the will of my Father
• On that day (judgment day)I will declare to
  them, I never knew you depart from me, you
  evildoers.
• Many parables have theme of final judgment (Weeds
  and Wheat Fishnet Marriage Feast Sheep and
  Goats).

4

• C. Kingdom as Future/Eschatological cont.
• Sayings associating Kingdom with eschatological
  feast of salvation (Messianic Banquet)
• 165 Mt. 811-12 par. many will come from
  east and west and sit at table with Abraham,
  Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven
• 236 Mk. 1425 par. I will not drink again
  of the fruit of the vine until that day when I
  drink it new in the kingdom of God.
• Sayings about a coming Son of Man to pronounce
  judgment and establish Kingdom
• 123 Mk. 838-91 par. Those who are ashamed
  of meof them the Son of Man will also be ashamed
  when he comes in gloryThere are some standing
  here who will not taste death before they see
  that the kingdom of God has come with power.
• 219 Mk. 1326-27 par. Then they will see the
  Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and
  glory. Then he will send out the angels and
  gather his elect

5

• C. Kingdom as Future/Eschatological cont.
• Conclusion
• Jesus announces the eschatological Kingdom of God
  coming in near future.
• It is urgent to repent, live right, and be
  prepared to enter.
• Burden of proof is on those who claim Jesus
  taught a non-eschatological Kingdom (Borg,
  Crossan, etc.).

6

• D. Kingdom of God as Already Present
• 149 Lk. 1120 par. Mt. 1228 Explanation of
  exorcisms
• If it is by Gods finger that I cast out demons,
  then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
• In Jesus healings Gods sovereignty is being
  restored.
• 176 Mt. 1112-13 par. Lk. 1616 Words about
  John
• (Since John) the kingdom of heaven has suffered
  violence, and men of violence take it by force
  (Lk. everyone enters it violently).
• John marks shift of the ages time of
  fulfillment has come already people are entering
  Kingdom.
• 183 Lk. 1720-21 The kingdom of God is in
  your midst.
• Liberal theologians (mis)translated entos as
  within you, i.e., a non-eschatological,
  spiritual rule of God in hearts of men.
• Not within but among Kingdom is present in
  Jesus activity, if only you have eyes of faith
  to see it.
• Not coming with observable signs rejects
  apocalyptic speculation (cosmic signs, etc.)
  discerned by faith.

7

• D. Kingdom of God as Already Present cont.
• 64 Mt. 112-6 par. Reply to Johns question
• Go tell John what you see and hear the blind
  receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers
  are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
  and the poor have good news brought to them (cf.
  Isa. 2918-19 355-7 611-2).
• Jeremias Jesus eschatological cry of joy
  fulfillment of prophetic hope for age of
  salvation is dawning.
• 10 Lk. 416-21 Inaugural sermon in Nazareth
• Reads Isa. 611-2 The Spirit of the Lord is
  upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good
  news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
  release to the captives and recovery of sight to
  the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to
  proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
• Declares Today this scripture has been
  fulfilled in your hearing.
• Messianic age has arrived.
• Couched in Jubilee imagery release of
  debt-slaves and return of forfeited land in the
  50th year (Lev. 25).
• Esp. relevant to Palestinian conditions of
  poverty, debt, and absentee landlordism.

8

• D. Kingdom of God as Already Present cont.
• 142 Lk. 1023-24 par. Blessing of disciples
• Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For
  I tell you that many prophets and kings desired
  to see what you see
• What the prophets longed for, the disciples have
  in their experience.
• Many parables depict something decisively new
  present in Jesus ministry.
• 54 Mk. 221-23 par. Parables of New Cloth and
  New Wine
• Cant patch old garment with new cloth or put new
  wine in old wineskins.
• Something new has come which does not fit old
  patterns or expectations.
• Elsewhere imagery of harvest, feasting, and
  light.
• Conclusion
• Many sayings imply that Kingdom of God is already
  dawning in Jesus ministry.
• Kingdom of God can already be experienced through
  proper response to Jesus.

9

• Main lines of interpretation
• The non-eschatological school Liberal lives
• Jesus used language of eschatology (husk), but
  heart of his teaching was an inward moral ethic
  (kernel).
• Kingdom is inward reign of God in hearts of
  people.
• An ethical ideal toward which we strive through
  human effort, work of Church, and advance of
  Christian (European) culture.
• School of thoroughgoing (consistent)
  eschatology A. Schweitzer
• Eschatology is not the husk but the kernel.
• Jesus taught an imminent, apocalyptic kingdom
  urgent to repent.
• Ethical demands are conditions for entering, an
  emergency interim ethic applicable to brief
  period before K. comes.
• Present texts explained as meaning that K. is
  so near that its effects are felt aforetime, or
  that Jesus prophetically sees it in advance.
• By 1930, most scholars agreed on some form of
  eschatological view.

10

• Main lines of interpretation cont.
• The school of realized eschatology C. H. Dodd
• Kingdom has arrived in Jesus ministry
  eschatology has been realized (i.e.,
  experienced) eschaton has come.
• Jesus looked for no future critical events the
  eschatological crisis is present in his ministry
  (healing, preaching, passion, resur.).
• The eschaton has moved from the future to the
  present, from the sphere of expectation into that
  of realized experienceIn the ministry of Jesus
  Himself the divine power is released in effective
  conflict with evil(Kingdom of God) represents
  the ministry of Jesus as realized eschatology,
  that is to say, as the impact upon this world of
  the powers of the world to come in a series of
  events, unprecedented and unrepeatable, now in
  actual process (Dodd, Parables of the Kingdom,
  pp. 34-35).
• Future texts are explained away final
  judgment is graphic depiction of judgment taking
  place now.
• Dodd has been influential in calling attention to
  the present motif in Jesus teaching on K. but
  not in his total rejection of the future
  element.

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• Main lines of interpretation cont.
• The school of inaugurated eschatology
  Jeremias, et al.
• Jesus taught Kingdom is both present and future
  became mainstream consensus for most of 20th
  cent.
• Kingdom has already arrived, but not yet in its
  fullness power of evil is broken but not yet
  eliminated.
• Jeremias eschatology in the process of
  realization.
• Cullmann D-Day (decisive battle) has come
  V-Day (final victory) still lies in future.
• Bultmann future Kingdom impinges on present by
  compelling a decision (the future determines the
  present).
• Recent trends
• Jesus Seminar non-eschatological interpretation.
• Attributes apocalyptic texts to later tradition.
• Divides Q into earlier (wisdom) and later
  (apocalyptic) layers.
• Third Quest emphasizes future aspect.
• Sanders Jesus expected an imminent K of G
  established by intervention of God elimination
  of evil building of a new Temple restoration of
  Israel, ruled by Jesus and disciples.
• Did not expect the end of the time-space universe.

12

• Characteristics of the Kingdom
• Present hiddenness of the Kingdom.
• It takes eyes of faith to see K of G in Jesus
  activity (whoever has ears to hear, let them
  hear).
• Kingdom is not yet complete.
• It comes in unexpected ways (not in military
  might or cosmic events but in servant ministry).
• Parables of contrast (see Topic 7).
• Mustard Seed ( 97 Mk. 430-32 par.).
• Leaven ( 98 Mt. 1333 par.).
• Sower ( 90 Mk. 41-9 par.).
• Kingdom comes not by human effort but
  miraculously, by power of God.
• Parable of Seed Growing Secretly ( 95 Mk.
  426-29).
• Emphasizes not natural process of growth but
  miraculous contrast between dead seed and new
  life/harvest.
• May answer demands for Jesus to act more
  decisively zap sinners or rally a revolt No,
  we will plant seed and wait for God.
• This does not rule out human involvement seeds
  must be planted and watered, but God gives the
  growth (1 Cor. 36).

13

• Characteristics of the Kingdom cont.
• Kingdom demands a response.
• Repent turn around from sin towards God.
• Embrace ethic which embodies the values of the
  Kingdom.
• Kingdom offers salvation or judgment, depending
  on response.
• Repent or perish ( 162 Lk. 131-5).
• Assumption that disaster/suffering is evidence of
  extraordinary sinfulness is false.
• All are sinful and must repent to avoid
  destruction (cf. OT prophets preaching doom of
  nation unless it repents).
• Parable of Barren Fig Tree ( 162 Lk. 136-9).
• Owner orders tree cut down gardener begs for
  one-year reprieve.
• Jesus ministry involves a one-time blanket
  pardon for those who will embrace it before it is
  too late.
• Kingdom is not political but has political
  implications.
• Not plotting to revolt and take over government.
• Kingdom does involve restructuring social order
  according to Gods values.
• Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth
• Kingdom of God contradicts/condemns kingdom of
  Caesar/ Herod.