Jesus' Teaching on the Kingdom

I am teaching a Sunday Bible study class tomorrow, and these are my notes.  

 If you could ask God face to face one question this morning, what would it be?

For me, I'd have to choose from:  Why is America so blessed and the rest of the world suffers so?  What is the kingdom about?  Why did you teach about the kingdom?  What was the purpose of your teaching ministry in general (because I don’t think we get it)?

The lesson for March 10th is Jesus' Teaching. Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:16-21, Luke 8:4-8, and Matthew 7:28-29. This lesson focuses on the teaching ministry of Jesus was centered on the kingdom of God.

Mar 1:14  Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,

Mar 1:15  and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.

Luk 4:17  And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

Luk 4:18  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Luk 4:19  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Luk 4:20  And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

Luk 4:21  And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Luk 4:22  And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"

Notice he does not read Is. 53, which we now, would expect him to.  When we read the scripture, we must always see the historical context.  The readers would not have had a clue about Is. 53. 

Original passage:  Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Isa 61:2  to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

Isa 61:3  to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

The gospels show Jesus from the beginning claiming to be more than just another person. 

This happens in context after his temptation.  Why is the temptation important?  Is it just so we can say “This is how I can overcome temptation?”  Is the scripture about Jesus or about us?  Always look first to what it says about Jesus, then to what it says about us.  That will get it right. 

If the gospels are about authority, the temptation is about Jesus having authority over Satan despite what Satan tries to do.  Notice Satan comes at the weakest physical point.  V. 13- he left until an opportune time, for a season.  This was not the only temptation: at least at the time of the cross there was one.  Luke 22:3 and John 13:27 state that Satan entered into Judas.

Jesus said he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  Jesus obeyed the Jewish laws and customs as much as they were godly.  The synagogues had become the centers of Jewish worship after the exile.  He chooses the synagogue at Nazareth, his home town, to make this first pronouncement of his ministry, and the response:  Is this not Joseph’s son?  Not Mary’s son, notice.  At this point in his ministry, people are accepting and enthralled by Jesus.  What changes that?   

Luk 8:4  And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:

Luk 8:5  "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.

Luk 8:6  And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

Luk 8:7  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

Luk 8:8  And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Luk 8:9  And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,

Luk 8:10  he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

This is on the surface a bit disturbing, because it seems like Jesus is telling secrets and hiding the truth, but it was in the context of this particular story and parable.  Not all parables affected people this way.  The key is “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  How does one get ears to hear?  By trusting first.  John 7:17

Joh 7:14  About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.

Joh 7:15  The Jews therefore marveled, saying, "How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?"

Joh 7:16  So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.

Joh 7:17  If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand, but they chose not to.  This is a reference to Isa. 6.  The passage in Matthew shows this more:

Mat 13:10  Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

Mat 13:11  And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

Mat 13:12  For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Mat 13:13  This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Mat 13:14  Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

Mat 13:17  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

There are scholars who have devoted their lives to studying things they don’t believe, even the Bible.  They know everything, but do not have the deep learning and insight of a simple person because they do not trust it.  Like the old story, one knows the shepherd’s psalm, the other knows the shepherd. 

Mat 7:28  And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,

Mat 7:29  for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Why?  How do we define authority?  Someone has degrees and credentials, and someone has good oratorical skills.  But Jesus really had neither.  This is at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.  Being astonished doesn’t mean they believed.  Notice that it says “He was teaching them as one who had authority,” but the teaching itself was not the only way he established authority, which is the theme of Matthew, his authority as the Messiah to the Jews. 

The scribes quoted all their knowledge of the texts of the Old Testament and all the commentaries and glosses on them.  They drew their authority from the commentaries and their knowledge of them; Jesus does not do this.  He makes straight assertions and also says repeatedly, “You have heard it said but they are wrong, I say,” but not “It is written in the law and prophets, but they are wrong, I say.”  He respects the original writings of Scripture fully.

Also, he takes upon himself judgment authority, vs. 22, they will say to ME in that day.  But I say unto you….

We would tend to think that Jesus was Mr. Charisma, but even Isaiah 53:2 says not so. 

Isa 53:2  For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3  He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

There is a simplicity.  An example of the teaching of the scribes: "our Rabbins", or "our wise men say" so and so: such as were on the side of Hillell made use of his name; and those who were on the side of Shammai made use of his name.

He pulls from everyday life; the listeners do not have to be scholars to understand him.  Truly the Great Communicator.

And of course the Holy Spirit is behind the words.  This was the human perception—as one having authority, but in reality he was one having authority, and in the next few chapters he starts to have authority over nature, disease, the human body, the spirit world, etc.  So that one phrase sort of interprets what happens next.

The kingdom of God is a mysterious phrase for us, but let’s remember that what makes a kingdom is a king.  What makes a king is authority, so the real issue about the kingdom is Christ’s authority.  The kingdom of God is in your midst (himself).  What does it mean for Christ to have authority in our lives?

Is the kingdom of God then or now, visible or invisible, physical or spiritual? All of the above.

Is there a difference between kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven?

atthew avoids using the term “God,” which was reserved, to be used in the their synagogues and religious meetings. The Jews in place of saying, “God,” would substitute the phrase, “the name.” Matthew, writing his gospel to Jews and aware of their culture, used the term “kingdom of heaven” instead so it would be acceptable, not offensive to his Jewish readers.


The kingdom of God and the Kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably in the gospels. It is only Matthew that substitutes the kingdom of heaven for the kingdom of God. He does use the kingdom of God mostly as an admonishment or warning. He uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” over 30 times.

We do not live in the kingdom now—or do we?  The secular world is in many ways under Satan’s dominion—that’s why he could offer it to Christ—but God is still sovereign. 

The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are at hand.  We think of that as a place, but perhaps it is a person.  We will be with Jesus Christ. 

Jesus does not say, “Let me define the kingdom of God for you,” like a textbook.  We have to infer what it is from what he says. 

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  What does this mean?  To seek the Kingdom of God first?  Notice that it is in the context of worry, anxiety over the things of this world, everyday stressors.  HUMMMMM.

From http://www.gotquestions.org/seek-first-kingdom-God.html

Question: "What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?" Answer: Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:33). The verse’s meaning is as direct as it sounds. We are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world. Primarily, it means we are to seek the salvation that is inherent in the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. Does this mean that we should neglect the reasonable and daily duties that help sustain our lives? Certainly not. But for the Christian, there should be a difference in attitude toward them. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others—then He will take care of our business as He promised—and if that’s the arrangement, where is worrying? But how do we know if we’re truly seeking God’s kingdom first? There are questions we can ask ourselves. “Where do I primarily spend my energies? Is all my time and money spent on goods and activities that will certainly perish, or in the services of God—the results of which live on for eternity?” Believers who have learned to truly put God first may then rest in this holy dynamic: “…and all these things will be given to you as well.” Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of his heart. Psalm 37:4. My mother in law doing the puzzle upside down, looking at the box upside down.  She didn’t go by her own interpretation of the picture, which was complicated.  I would have never bothered to look!  But I wouldn’t have done a jigsaw anyway! God has promised to provide for His own, supplying every need (Philippians 4:19), but His idea of what we need is often different from ours, and His timing will only occasionally meet our expectations. For example, we may see our need as riches or advancement, but perhaps God knows that what truly we need is a time of poverty, loss or solitude. When this happens, we are in good company. God loved both Job and Elijah, but He allowed Satan to absolutely pound Job (all under His watchful eye), and He let that evil woman, Jezebel, break the spirit of His own prophet Elijah (Job 1–2; 1 Kings 18–19). In both cases, God followed these trials with restoration and sustenance. These “negative” aspects of the kingdom run counter to a heresy which is gaining ground around the world, the so-called "prosperity" gospel. A growing number of false teachers are gathering followers under the message “God wants you to be rich!” But that philosophy is not the counsel of the Bible—and it is certainly not the counsel of Matthew 6:33, which is not a formula for gaining wealth. It is a description of how God works. Jesus taught that our focus should be away from this world—its status and its lying allurements—and placed upon the things of God’s kingdom.

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/seek-first-kingdom-God.html#ixzz2MrlHbzy7

Jameson, Faucett, Brown Commentary:  Matthew 6:10;  Thy kingdom come — The kingdom of God is that moral and spiritual kingdom which the God of grace is setting up in this fallen world, whose subjects consist of as many as have been brought into hearty subjection to His gracious scepter, and of which His Son Jesus is the glorious Head. In the inward reality of it, this kingdom existed ever since there were men who “walked with God” (Gen_5:24), and “waited for His salvation” (Gen_49:18); who were “continually with Him, holden by His right hand” (Psa_73:23), and who, even in the valley of the shadow of death, feared no evil when He was with them (Psa_23:4). When Messiah Himself appeared, it was, as a visible kingdom, “at hand.” His death laid the deep foundations of it. His ascension on high, “leading captivity captive and receiving gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among them,” and the Pentecostal effusion of the Spirit, by which those gifts for men descended upon the rebellious, and the Lord God was beheld, in the persons of thousands upon thousands, “dwelling” among men - was a glorious “coming” of this kingdom. But it is still to come, and this petition, “Thy kingdom come,” must not cease to ascend so long as one subject of it remains to be brought in. But does not this prayer stretch further forward - to “the glory to be revealed,” or that stage of the kingdom called “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pe_1:11)? Not directly, perhaps, since the petition that follows this - “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” - would then bring us back to this present state of imperfection. Still, the mind refuses to be so bounded by stages and degrees, and in the act of praying, “Thy kingdom come,” it irresistibly stretches the wings of its faith, and longing, and joyous expectation out to the final and glorious consummation of the kingdom of God.

I think of Daniel in the lesson three weeks ago.  Daniel’s focus was on being faithful, and because he was, he was allowed to be in positions of great power.  When we Christians seek power, we might get it, but it won’t be used for the glory of God.  When we let God place us there, it’s going to be powerful and glorious.