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The kingdom, according to Jesus

What did Jesus say and teach about the kingdom? On many occasions, he told a parable, a short story, to describe the kingdom. It’s critical to review the teachings of Jesus regarding the kingdom to understand what Jesus taught about His kingdom, its principles, and its way of living.

How can we talk about, know, and understand what the kingdom is if we don’t know what Jesus taught and did about it? How did the earliest followers of Jesus think, act, and believe about the kingdom of Jesus?

Knowing how the disciples, early followers, and early church fathers spoke, taught, and lived out Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom provides guidance for how we can live out the kingdom today.

What are the implications of what the early church believed regarding the spreading of the gospel and serving the poor?

The phrase, “the kingdom of God,” appears in the Gospels 111 times, eight times in Acts, 14 times in the letters of the Apostle Paul, four times in the other epistles, and twice in Revelation. In the Gospel according to Matthew, the concept of the kingdom is prominent.

Matthew 6:33 records Jesus’ teaching to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness [justice], and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew signaled the top priority of the kingdom and made this theme clear in the Beatitudes of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:3-10. In Matthew 13, the Gospel writer recorded a series of seven parables on the kingdom, followed by a second set in Matthew 21:28-22:14, but the most powerful teaching on the kingdom is found in Matthew 25:31-46 with the parable of the sheep and goats.

The decrease in the use of this phrase outside of the Gospels may be attributed to the context in which the early church existed. During this time, there were frequent revolts against the Roman Empire. Thus apostolic leaders and followers of Christ chose to use this phrase less frequently to avoid suspicion and provocation by Roman officials. Nevertheless, the disciples of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament used “the kingdom of God” as a concept – forming a framework for faith and practice in the early church.

Question for Reflection:

• What stands out about how the disciples of Jesus and early church fathers spoke and wrote about the kingdom?