Jesus Proclaimed the Kingdom of God

What is it? What are the implications for us?

After a brief introduction of John the Baptist, the forerunner to Jesus, the Gospel of Mark goes straight to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee: “Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of God: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!’” ^[1]

If you spend any time reading the Gospels, it doesn’t take long to realize that one of the primary themes Jesus taught about was the Kingdom of God. Matthew prefers the term Kingdom of Heaven because his Jewish audience refrained from speaking God’s name, so Matthew uses the place from which God rules.

What is it?

The term Kingdom of God is not found in the Old Testament, but the Jewish people in Jesus’ day certainly understood that God is the King of His people (and all nations) and that He would one day rule through His promised Messiah.

What is the Kingdom of God? Simply, every kingdom has a king, and the Kingdom of God implies that God is King, and His reign comes through His Messiah, Jesus. Every Kingdom has a realm and a people, so it includes those who turn away from their rebellion to God and submit to His rule in their lives through Jesus. God reigns over the hearts and lives of His people. That’s probably a good place to start.

But the invasion of God’s Kingdom goes beyond His human subjects but includes the overcoming of evil and the Evil One. Jesus’ miracles of healing and deliverance were signs to those around him that the Kingdom of God had come with power.

In many ways, Jesus had to clarify and redefine what the Kingdom is (and is not) to his contemporaries. The Parable of the Sower/Soils (see Mark 4:1-20) is one example of this. For those anticipating an immediate arrival of the Kingdom, Jesus teaches that it does not come all at once, but that there is both an “already” and “not yet” aspect to the kingdom. For those expecting that the Kingdom would come with irresistible power, we see that there are different responses to the message of the kingdom (represented by the soils). For those believing God’s judgment would be immediate, Jesus taught that final judgment has been delayed to allow many to enter the Kingdom during the present age.

What are some implications?

• Make sure you are a citizen of God’s Kingdom. This involves repentance — turning away from your self-rule — and placing your trust in Jesus for your salvation.
• One manifestation of the arrival of God’s Kingdom is that Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to empower believers to reflect Kingdom values in this world. Take full advantage of this resource.
• The “already” part of the kingdom should give you great hope that God’s work can and will be done in this world. Jesus is powerfully at work in and through his people in the world.
• The “not yet” part of the kingdom is a reminder that we are realists who understand that we can never have a utopian society until Jesus returns, though we work to combat both personal evil (the evil within) and corporate evil (i.e. systemic evil in our society). We have a future hope that one day all creation will be restored to perfect harmony and wholeness under God’s reign.

^[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Mk 1:14–15.