Kingdom of God |
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The Kingdom of God:
Parables
E.g. The Parable of the Lost Sheep:
Jesus told this parable to a tax collector to show how God treats those
who lose their way in life.
The story tells that one when sheep went missing the shepherd kept the
rest of the sheep safe and went off to find the lost one (Didn’t leave him
behind). He is delighted when he finds the sheep and tells everyone the
good news.
E.g. The Good Samaritan:
Miracles
These are wonderful events caused by the power of God.
Jesus performed 35 miracles in his life. (3 types).
Why was it necessary for Jesus to perform miracles?
Evidence of Jesus’ power over sin, suffering and death was needed, or else his Jewish audience would have ignored his teachings about the Kingdom of God.
E.g. The Blind Man:
Bartimaeus was a blind, roadside beggar in Jericho.
When Jesus came to Jericho he kept shouting “Jesus son of David take pity on me”.
Jesus said to him “Go, your faith has made you well”. Bartimaeus got his sight back and he opened his eyes to the way that Jesus treats people.
Jesus also healed a man in Bethsaida. The poor have a very special place in the Kingdom of God.
The Twelve Disciples
Jesus needed helpers to spread the word + teach about the Kingdom of
God.
He found Simon, Andrew, James and John at Galilee and then found Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas.
Some of these were rich, some poor, some related and some not.
The Beatitudes
Beatitudes - A list of good ways of behaving towards God and towards others (Comes from the teachings of Jesus Christ). For example: Be prayerful, caring, gentle, fair, forgiving, respectful, be a
peacemaker and be brave.
Followers of Jesus follow the teaching of Jesus to love God and love their
neighbors as themselves.
In the eight Beatitudes, Jesus outlines 2 dimensions of the Kingdom of God:
1. In the first four, he mentions certain situations that are to be found in this world but will be reversed in the Kingdom of God. Those who are poor, sad and downtrodden will not be forgotten by God.
2. In the second four, Jesus outlines the attitudes and behavior that will help bring about the Kingdom. Followers of Jesus are encouraged to be compassionate, dedicated to God, and to work for justice and peace.
Jesus and Outsiders
E.g. Zaccheas = A rich tax collector in Jericho who was hated by everyone, they wouldn’t let him see Jesus when he visited. He climbed a tree so he could see Jesus. Jesus saw him and they had lunch together, Zaccheas promised to change his ways.
This shows that the Kingdom of God is for everyone.
Jesus Forgiving Sins
The Paralyzed man:
There was a paralyzed man and his friends couldn’t get him to Jesus
when he was in Capernaum because of the crowds. They made a hole in
the roof of the building were Jesus was and lowered the man down on a
mat. It was obvious they had great faith and Jesus healed man and told
him his sins were forgiven. He told him to roll up his mate and go home.
After this the Pharisees accused him of Blasphemy because they
believed that only God could forgive sins.
Jesus and the Sabbath Laws:
The Pharisees were very angry but Jesus said that people must come
before the Law.
The same thing happened when Jesus healed a mans paralyzed hand in
the synagogue on the Sabbath.
- Jesus had a dream, he could see what the world would be like if people allowed the love of God to rule their hearts – Heaven on Earth.
- Jesus believed that this Kingdom of God was found inside people.
- Jesus said that the kingdom of God is all around us and that it has already arrived in him.
Parables
- These are simple stories with a hidden meaning that Jesus told.
- They are easy to understand and remember.
E.g. The Parable of the Lost Sheep:
Jesus told this parable to a tax collector to show how God treats those
who lose their way in life.
The story tells that one when sheep went missing the shepherd kept the
rest of the sheep safe and went off to find the lost one (Didn’t leave him
behind). He is delighted when he finds the sheep and tells everyone the
good news.
E.g. The Good Samaritan:
- Someone asked Jesus “Who are our neighbors” and he replied with this parable.
- A Jewish man was beaten up on the side of a road and a Samaritan (Samaritans tended to look down upon Jews) stopped and helped the Jewish man. He stayed up all might caring for him and then payed an innkeeper to look after him. This says that we are all neighbors and should look out for each other.
Miracles
These are wonderful events caused by the power of God.
Jesus performed 35 miracles in his life. (3 types).
- Healing Miracles – He healed people who were sick/disabled (Healing the blind, sick and lame).
- Nature Miracles – He changed things in nature (Calming a storm, changing water into wine).
- Expelling Miracles – He got rid of evil from people’s lives.
- Restoration of Life - bringing people back to life.
Why was it necessary for Jesus to perform miracles?
Evidence of Jesus’ power over sin, suffering and death was needed, or else his Jewish audience would have ignored his teachings about the Kingdom of God.
- At that time, most Jews regarded physical suffering as punishment from God for sins
- They would only believe a person was forgiven if s/he was cured
- By healing a person, Jesus showed he had authority to forgive sins and that his power to heal came from God and that what he preached to them was true
- Miracles were signs that helped people believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
E.g. The Blind Man:
Bartimaeus was a blind, roadside beggar in Jericho.
When Jesus came to Jericho he kept shouting “Jesus son of David take pity on me”.
Jesus said to him “Go, your faith has made you well”. Bartimaeus got his sight back and he opened his eyes to the way that Jesus treats people.
Jesus also healed a man in Bethsaida. The poor have a very special place in the Kingdom of God.
The Twelve Disciples
Jesus needed helpers to spread the word + teach about the Kingdom of
God.
He found Simon, Andrew, James and John at Galilee and then found Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas.
Some of these were rich, some poor, some related and some not.
The Beatitudes
Beatitudes - A list of good ways of behaving towards God and towards others (Comes from the teachings of Jesus Christ). For example: Be prayerful, caring, gentle, fair, forgiving, respectful, be a
peacemaker and be brave.
Followers of Jesus follow the teaching of Jesus to love God and love their
neighbors as themselves.
In the eight Beatitudes, Jesus outlines 2 dimensions of the Kingdom of God:
1. In the first four, he mentions certain situations that are to be found in this world but will be reversed in the Kingdom of God. Those who are poor, sad and downtrodden will not be forgotten by God.
2. In the second four, Jesus outlines the attitudes and behavior that will help bring about the Kingdom. Followers of Jesus are encouraged to be compassionate, dedicated to God, and to work for justice and peace.
Jesus and Outsiders
- Jesus mixed with people that others despised.
E.g. Zaccheas = A rich tax collector in Jericho who was hated by everyone, they wouldn’t let him see Jesus when he visited. He climbed a tree so he could see Jesus. Jesus saw him and they had lunch together, Zaccheas promised to change his ways.
This shows that the Kingdom of God is for everyone.
Jesus Forgiving Sins
The Paralyzed man:
There was a paralyzed man and his friends couldn’t get him to Jesus
when he was in Capernaum because of the crowds. They made a hole in
the roof of the building were Jesus was and lowered the man down on a
mat. It was obvious they had great faith and Jesus healed man and told
him his sins were forgiven. He told him to roll up his mate and go home.
After this the Pharisees accused him of Blasphemy because they
believed that only God could forgive sins.
- Jesus showed that he had the power to heal and forgive sins.
- In Jesus’ time they thought that illness & disease were forms of punishment for sins.
Jesus and the Sabbath Laws:
- On the Sabbath Day Jews weren’t allowed to do any work whatsoever.
- One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples picked corn from a field (This was considered to be work).
The Pharisees were very angry but Jesus said that people must come
before the Law.
The same thing happened when Jesus healed a mans paralyzed hand in
the synagogue on the Sabbath.
