KINGDOM OF GOD

“The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

“Because he has anointed me, to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captive
and the regaining of sight to the blind.”
(Luke 4:18-19)

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

(John 10:10)

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
(Matthew)

The Kingdom
- central theme of Jesus’ ministry
- both Jesus’ mission and vision

OLD TESTAMENT: The Kingdom of Israel

- Israelities: saw days of glory as a wealthy and powerful kingdom, but also witnessed how the transgressions of
their rulers led to the downfall of their kingdom and the loss of their freedom
- fall of monarchy —> economic and political injustices
- salvation: synonymous to political freedom (unthreatened possession of the promised land, victory in battles,
bountiful harvest, economic prosperity, posterity, peace and justice, greatness and prestige as a nation) —
verbalized through politcal expression, “kingdom”

Kingdom of God = Salvation (For Israel)

- Jews: did not speak of salvation that is exclusively for the soul (for in the first place, they never thought of the soul
as separate from the body)
- salvation: for the total person, body and soul
- Kingdom: has visible and tangible components
- Kingdom of God: a new world, a new order
> the reign of God was as concrete as food on their table, and the land on
which their houses stood

The Royal Messianic Hope

- Messiah: “The Anointed”, ַ‫מָ ִׁשיח‬, (Hebrew), Χριστός (Ancient Greek)
- Israelities nurtured a communal hope for the coming of the time when YHWH would anoint a king who would
bring salvation and restore the Kingdom
- time of David: remembered for the glories of his reign and the covenant God made with David (that a future
descendant would rule Israel with similar authority and justice)
2 Characteristics of the Messianic Age
1. The Transformation of the World
- the reign of YHWH’s anointed shall be:
> a time of rich harvests and abundance of food > trade with foreign countries would bring
prosperity and poverty would disappear
> disease and crippling disabilities would be cured, and death would be rendered powerless
2. The Establishment of a Righteous Community
- Judah and Israel would be reunited by their worship of the one true God
- other nations shall come to know the God of Israel and worship Him in Jerusalem
- YHWH will gather all nations and bring an era of peace
- Mark 1: 11, 9:7
- Psalm 2:7
- Isaiah 42:1
- Deuteronomy 18:15

“This is my Son, whom I love, listen to him!” (Mark 9:7)

The Temptation of Jesus

- after being baptized, Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the Judean Desert where he was tempted
1. Satan: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
- Jesus: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
2. Satan (on highest point of temple): “If you are the Son of god, throw yourself down.”
- Jesus: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
3. Satan: “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.”
- Jesus; “Away from me, Satan! Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

The Good News: preached to the poor

Liberty: given to captives
Sight: restored to blind
Year of the Lord’s Favor is proclaimed: Jubilee

Where is the Kingdom of God?

> wherever the will of God is fulfilled

“His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever
he is loved and wherever his love reaches us.”
(Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI)

“May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is
already present in our midst!”
(Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis)

Sinful Conditions —> Happy Life

1. Poverty (hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness)
—> Good News (food, shelter, clothing, restore dignity)

2. Captivity and Oppression (as a result of injustice)

—> Liberation

3. Disease (both physical and spiritual)

—> Restorationof Health

“The condition to become part of this kingdom is to make a change in our life, that is to repent: It is to leave the
streets, convenient but misleading, the idols of this world: the success at all costs, the power at the expense of the
weak, the thirst for wealth, pleasure at any price and instead to open the way for the Lord who comes.”
(Angelus message of Pope Francis)

“Repent and Believe the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

BLESSINGS
• Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.
• Blessed are you who hunger, for you will be satisfied.
• Blessed are you who weep, for you will laugh.
• Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the
Son of Man.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how
their ancestors treated the prophets.” (6:22-23)

WOES
• Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
• Woe to you who are well fed, for you will go hungry.
• Woe to you who laugh, for you will mourn and weep.
• Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

8 BEATITUDES

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Parables
- Parabolē (Greek): fictive illustration in narrative form
- are narrative metaphors; picture stories
- mashal (Hebrew): also means “riddle”, something to puzzle the mind. Jesus intended that his stories would stick to
mind of his audience to be puzzled over.

THE PARABLES OF JESUS

1. Parables on the Good News of the Kingdom
- shares how valuable the Kingdom is, and the good it will bring to those who will enter it
2. Parables on the Children of the Kingdom
- shares how disciples should behave and the attitudes they must possess in the face of the Kingdom’s imminent
coming
3. Parables on the Kingdom of God as Judgement
- illustrate the sad fate of those that reject the gift of the Kingdom or those who did not realize its urgency

MIRACLES OF JESUS
1.Healing Miracles
– show how God, in his mercy, restored to “wholeness” those that showed faith in his power to heal
2.Exorcisms
– show that the power of God is greater than all evil that can inflict humanity
3.Resuscitations
– prefigure Christ’s own resurrection, and manifest his power over death
4.Nature Miracles
–show Jesus’ power to suspend the laws of nature, thus showing Jesus’ lordship over the universe
Gk. DYNAMIS (Power)
 - essential characteristic of his Kingship since a powerless king cannot rule
- every miracle is a “breaking in” of God into time and space, thus, a means by which he asserts his kingship over all

Gk. SEMEION (Sign)
 - miracles point to the greater reality of the Kingdom
> intended to show what it would be like when God’s Kingdom is fully established:
there would be no more hunger, no more thirst, no more disease, no more death

The Church: a Kingly people

The Eucharist: taken, blessed, broken, shared