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| Notes from a dear friend |
Russ, here is my summary of N.T. Wright's teaching on the Kingdom of God. Am I summarizing him correctly?THE KINGDOM OF GOD - WHAT DID JESUS MEAN BY THIS?"It assumes that Israel's God was the world's true ruler. Israel's God would rule Israel in a whole new way returning in Power and Glory, to rescue His people, rebuke the wicked, and set up a new rule of justice and peace. Torah would be fulfilled at last, The Temple would be rebuilt and the Land cleansed. Israel's God would rule in the way He always intended through properly appointed persons and means. By implication the rest of the world will also be ruled through Israel whether for blessing or judgment. Promised Kingdom of God as promised throughout Psalms, Isaiah 40-55, and the Book of Daniel. The people in Jesus' day had long cherished hope for a new exodus out of the exile that began with the Babylon Captivity in 597 BC, a new Temple, a reconstitution of the 12 tribes, a renewal of the Covenant, a national forgiveness of sins, the release from captivity, an epoch of peace and justice and an end of foreign rule. Through Jesus, God was now unveiling his age-old plan." - Anon
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| The Upside Down Kingdom of God |
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| Become the Living Water of Jesus |
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| https://www.ntwrightonline.org/ebooks/ |
‘Gospel’ is the announcement that everything has changed in the coming of Jesus and it leads us to a new kind of living. It is a Kingdom of God lifestyle with allegiance to a King as the ultimate restorer.
One of my roles in leading this effort called N.T. Wright Online is to provide a framework for understanding the apparent ‘goal’ or ‘end’ to which the biblical narrative points. Of course, many of Prof. Wright’s teachings focus on this. In the world of many Christians, the idea of ‘what’s in it for me’ often seems to be the focus of concern. I understand that. Many people have a deep sense that they are in need of God’s intervention, a ‘healing’ perhaps, or a desire to be at peace with God. This is evident even in the Gospel narratives where people are approaching Jesus to solve a particular problem.
Perhaps we think of the paralytic who complains that nobody is available to place him in the Pool of Bethesda when the water is stirred. The expectation was that if he was the first one into the water, a healing would have taken place. We find this story in John Chapter Five:
John 5:1-15 (KNT)
After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which is called, in Hebrew, Bethesda. It has five porticoes, 3 where there were several sick people lying. They were blind, lame and paralysed.
There was a man who had been there, in the same sick state, for thirty-eight years. 6 Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been there a long time already.
‘Do you want to get well?’ he asked him.
‘Well, sir,’ the sick man replied, ‘I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool when the water gets stirred up. While I’m on my way there, someone else gets down before me.’
‘Get up,’ said Jesus, ‘pick up your mattress and walk!’
At once the man was healed. He picked up his mattress and walked.
The day all this happened was a sabbath. 10 So the Judaeans confronted the man who had been healed.
‘It’s the sabbath!’ they said. ‘You shouldn’t be carrying your mattress!’
‘Well,’ he replied, ‘the man who cured me told me to pick up my mattress and walk!’
‘Oh, really?’ they said. ‘And who is this man, who told you to pick it up and walk?’
But the man who’d been healed didn’t know who it was. Jesus had gone away, and the place was crowded.
After this Jesus found the man in the Temple.
‘Look!’ he said. ‘You’re better again! Don’t sin any more, or something worse might happen to you!’
The man went off and told the Judaeans that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 This was why the Judaeans began to persecute Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.
This was Jesus’ response to them.
‘My father’, he said, ‘is going on working, and so am I!’
So for this reason the Judaeans were all the more eager to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but spoke of God as his own father, making himself equal to God.
Assumptions
Isn’t it amazing to examine the ‘assumptions’ of the many people involved? The paralyzed man thought he knew that the answer to his problem was found in the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus becomes the answer to his problem by healing him, very unexpectedly, it seems. The man did not ask to be healed; the man just described his barrier to healing. Jesus changed the world of this man (as well as the world of Jewish leaders) by restoring his body. The man gets up, takes up his mat, and walks. Jesus upsets the people there because he breaks the rules of ‘the way things are supposed to be’. The Pool of Bethesda becomes irrelevant to the paralytic; the Jewish leaders complain that the healed man is walking around carrying his mat against Sabbath laws; Jesus explains, much to the consternation of the Jewish leaders, that the Father is at work so Jesus must be at work as well. As John writes,
‘So for this reason the Judaeans were all the more eager to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but spoke of God as his own father, making himself equal to God’.
God seems to ‘break the rules’ by restoring the man to health and, at the same time, be present in Jesus himself. God is not supposed to do that, so thought the Jewish leaders. But, of course, the restoration of things that are broken IS what God is about. It is we who forget the ultimate plan of God and focus on our own personal, local, or religious concerns.
I happen to live in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where we have a street named Bethesda, a school named Bethesda, and a park named Bethesda. In times past, the city was a destination for many people who were seeking the restoration of their bodies through the healing, ‘medicinal’ waters that came from the wells of this geographical area. There used to be a thriving ‘spa’ atmosphere because of the famous qualities of the water and people would come to the businesses that catered to those seeking cures for their ailments.
Think of the mixture of motivations and assumptions surrounding that era: ailments cured or helped by the medicinal waters, money to be made by the local business people who could ‘market’ the spa reputation, pride of the local people who knew that their small city was a destination. Now, those ‘health spas’ of past times are long gone and the city is more known for manufacturing and also as the birthplace of Les Paul, the inventor of the electric guitar! If people wish for healing, they go to the local hospital or to their doctor. Money is still made by those who cater to the need… now it is called the ‘healthcare industry’. But the needs still exist and there are methods of seeking solutions to one’s maladies.
How Jesus Changes Expectations
Jesus has changed the rules and the expectations. Something new has broken into the world with his coming. The Kingdom of God is active and moving in and through God and his people.
During the first part of 2020, we at N.T. Wright Online are putting the focus on this idea of Kingdom Living at the forefront of our efforts. In these times there is a plethora of problems—whether personal, national, or even international—we are trying to remind everyone that for all those needs, Jesus has changed the narrative. We are part of the New Creation people of God. The restoration project that has been going on since Genesis 3 has found its ‘goal’ its ‘end’ in Jesus the King. We, the people who are in the Messiah, are those who reflect God’s continuing work in the world. Restoration and Renewal are the ends to which we point.
The title of this piece is ‘The Gospel and the Kingdom of God’ because we often think of ‘Gospel’ as the part that brings the forgiveness of sins (and of course, that is part of the idea), but ‘Gospel’ is the announcement that everything has changed in the coming of Jesus and it leads us to a new kind of living. It is a Kingdom of God lifestyle with allegiance to a King as the ultimate restorer. We are his workers to reflect that good news and a new way of life in a world that is seeking answers in profoundly short-sighted ways rather than in the Way of Jesus.
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| Love is the language of God's Kingdom |
Kingdom of God (Christianity)
The Kingdom of God (and its related form the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew) is one of the key elements of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.[1][2] Drawing on Old Testament teachings, the Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity inherently involves the notion of the Kingship of God.[3][4] The Old Testament refers to "God the Judge of all" and the notion that all humans will eventually "be judged" is an essential element of Christian teachings.[5] Building on a number of New Testament passages, the Nicene Creed indicates that the task of judgment is assigned to Jesus.[5][6]
The New Testament is written against the backdrop of Second Temple Judaism. The view of the kingdom developed during that time included the restoration of Israel to a Davidic Kingdom and the intervention of God in history via the Danielic Son of Man. The coming of the kingdom of God involved God finally taking back the reins of history, which he had allowed to slacken as pagan Empires had ruled the nations. Most Jewish sources imagine a restoration of Israel and either a destruction of the nations or a gathering of the nations to obedience to the One True God. Jesus stands firmly in this tradition. His association of his own person and ministry with the "coming of the kingdom" indicates that he perceives that God's great intervention in history has arrived and that he is the agent of that intervention. However, in the Parable of Mustard Seed,[7] Jesus seems to indicate that his own view on how the kingdom of God arrives differs from the Jewish traditions of his time. It is commonly believed that this multiple-attested parable suggests that the growth of the kingdom of God is characterized by a gradual process rather than an event, and that it starts small like a seed and gradually grows into a large firmly rooted tree.[8] His suffering and death, however, seem to cast doubt upon this (how could God's appointed king be killed?) but his resurrection affirms his claim with the ultimate proof of only God having resurrection power over death. The claim includes his exaltation to the right hand of God establishes him as "king." Jesus' predictions of his return make it clear that God's kingdom is not yet fully realized according to inaugurated eschatology but in the meantime the good news that forgiveness of sins is available through his name is to be proclaimed to the nations. Thus the mission of the Church begins and fills the time between the initial coming of the Kingdom, and its ultimate consummation with the Final Judgment.
Christian interpretations or usage of the term "kingdom of God[9]" regularly make use of this historical framework and are often consistent with the Jewish hope of a Messiah, the person, and ministry of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, his return, and the rise of the Church in history. A question characteristic to the central theme of most interpretations is whether the "kingdom of God" has been instituted because of the appearance of Jesus Christ or whether it is yet to be instituted; whether this kingdom is present, future or is omnipresent simultaneously in both the present and future existence.
The term "kingdom of God" has been used to mean Christian lifestyle, a method of world evangelization, the rediscovery of charismatic gifts and many other things. Others relate it not to our present or future earthly situation but to the world to come. The interpretation of the phrase is often based on the theological leanings of the scholar-interpreter.[10] A number of theological interpretations of the term the Kingdom of God have thus appeared in its eschatological context, e.g., apocalyptic, realized or Inaugurated eschatologies, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars.[11][12]
Etymology
The word Kingdom (in Greek: βασιλεία basileíā) appears 162 times in the New Testament and most of these uses relate to either basileíā toû Theoû (βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ) i.e. the Kingdom of God or to basileíā tō̂n Ouranō̂n (βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν) i.e. Kingdom of Heaven in the Synoptic Gospels.[13] Kingdom of God is translated to Latin as Regnum Dei and the Kingdom of Heaven as Regnum caelorum.[14] Kingdom of Heaven (Basileíā tō̂n Ouranō̂n) appears 32 times in the Gospel of Matthew and nowhere else in the New Testament.[15] Matthew also uses the term the Kingdom of God (Basileíā toû Theoû) in a handful of cases, but in these cases, it may be difficult to distinguish his usage from the Kingdom of Heaven (Basileíā tō̂n Ouranō̂n).[15]
There is general agreement among scholars that the term used by Jesus himself would have been "Kingdom of God".[1][2] Matthew's use for the term the Kingdom of Heaven is generally seen as a parallel to the usage of Kingdom of God in Mark and Luke's gospels.[1][2] Matthew is likely to have used the term Heaven due to the fact that the background of his Jewish audience imposed restrictions on the frequent use of the name of God.[16] R.T. France suggests that in the few cases where the Kingdom of God is used, Matthew seeks a more specific and personal reference to God and hence goes back to that term.[17]
Kingship and kingdom
The Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity involves the notion of the "Kingship of God", whose origins go back to the Old Testament, and may be seen as a consequence of the creation of the world by God.[3][4] The "enthronement psalms" (Psalms 45, 93, 96, 97–99) provide a background for this view with the exclamation "The Lord is King".[4] However, in later Judaism a more "national" view was assigned to God's Kingship in which the awaited Messiah may be seen as a liberator and the founder of a new state of Israel.[18]
The term "Kingdom of God" does not appear in the Old Testament, although "his Kingdom" and "your Kingdom" are used in some cases when referring to God.[19] However, the Kingdom of God (the Matthean equivalent being "Kingdom of Heaven") is a prominent phrase in the Synoptic Gospels and there is near-unanimous agreement among scholars that it represents a key element of the teachings of Jesus.[4][10]
Historically, the Church Fathers presented three separate interpretations of the Kingdom of God: the first (by Origen in the 3rd century) was that Jesus himself represents the Kingdom.[21][22] The second interpretation (also by Origen) is that the Kingdom represents the hearts and minds of the faithful captured by the love of God and the pursuit of Christian teachings.[21][23] The third interpretation (influenced by Origen but brought forth by Eusebius in the 4th century) is that the Kingdom represents the Christian Church composed of the faithful.[21][23]
Over the centuries a wide range of theological interpretations for the term Kingdom of God have appeared.[10][21][23] For instance, in Catholic teachings, the official declaration Dominus Iesus (item 5) states that the kingdom of God cannot be detached either from Christ or from the Church, for "if the kingdom is separated from Jesus, it is no longer the kingdom of God which he revealed."[21][24] Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that the Kingdom of God is present within the Church and is communicated to believers as it interacts with them.[25]
R. T. France has pointed out that while the concept of "Kingdom of God" has an intuitive meaning to lay Christians, there is hardly any agreement among theologians about its meaning in the New Testament.[10] Some scholars see it as a Christian lifestyle, some as a method of world evangelization, some as the rediscovery of charismatic gifts, others relate it to no present or future situation, but the world to come.[10] France states that the phrase the Kingdom of God is often interpreted in many ways to fit the theological agenda of those interpreting it.[10]
Eschatology
Interpretations of the term Kingdom of God have given rise to wide-ranging eschatological debates among scholars with diverging views, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars.[11][12][26] From Augustine to the Reformation the arrival of the Kingdom had been identified with the formation of the Christian Church, but this view was later abandoned by some Christian Churches and by the beginning of the 20th century, some Protestant churches had adopted the apocalyptic interpretation of the Kingdom.[11][26][27] In this view (also called the "consistent eschatology") the Kingdom of God did not start in the first century, but is a future apocalyptic event that is yet to take place.[11]
By the middle of the 20th century, realized eschatology, which viewed the Kingdom as non-apocalyptic but as the manifestation of divine sovereignty over the world (realized by the ministry of Jesus), had gathered a scholarly following.[11] In this view the Kingdom is held to be available in the present.[12] The competing approach of inaugurated eschatology was later introduced as the "already and not yet" interpretation.[11] In this view the Kingdom has already started, but awaits full disclosure at a future point.[12] These diverging interpretations have since given rise to a good number of variants, with various scholars proposing new eschatological models that borrow elements from these.[11][12]
Judgment
Denominational variations
Given no general agreement on the interpretation of the term Kingdom of God, significant diversity exists in the way Christian denominations interpret it and its associated eschatology.[10] Over the centuries, as emerging Christian denominations introduced new concepts, their teachings and experiments with the linking of personalism with new notions of Christian community often involved new interpretations of the Kingdom of God in various socio-religious settings.[29][30]
Thus the denominational attempt at incorporating the ideals expressed in the Acts of Apostles regarding the sharing of property within the Christian community came to interact with the social issues of the time to produce various interpretations regarding the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.[29][30] Eschatological perspectives that emphasized the abandonment of the utopian visions of human achievement and the placement of hope in the work of God whose Kingdom were sought thus resulted in the linking of social and philanthropic issues to with the religious interpretations of the Kingdom of God in ways that produced distinct variations among denominations.[30]
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