The Passage
Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; John 4:43-45[1]
Now after the two days He departed from there and went
to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own
country.
So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received
Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also
had gone to the feast.
From that time Jesus began to preach the gospel of the
kingdom of God and to say, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
A Little Background
The feast referred to here is the Passover. Jesus had
left Galilee after the wedding at Cana and gone to Jerusalem for the Passover.
All faithful Jews observed Passover, and the Galileans had seen Jesus there
when He defied the authorities and cleansed the temple, and when he did the
many signs referred to in John 3:2. Now He was returning to His own region. The
people of Galilee were eager to see and hear Him again.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, they rejected God’s command, and were deceived by
the serpent, Satan. The result of their sin was death, both physical and
spiritual. But also God gave them hope in a promise or covenant. One day a son
would be born who would defeat Satan’s power. (Genesis 3:15) From that point
on, every woman’s hope was to give birth to a son who would be the Promised One—the
One set apart or anointed as God had promised. They looked for this Messiah.[2]
As time went on, God began to tell the people, through
the prophets, of a future time when the Messiah would rule and all would be
redeemed. By the time that Jesus was born, the Israelites knew the promises, and they were waiting. When the
Messiah came, He would subdue and deliver them from their oppressors and bring
about the glorious promised kingdom and Israel would be returned to its former
glory. But for 400 years prior to Jesus, there had been no prophets speaking
for God. It seemed as if God was silent.
The silence was broken when the angel Gabriel appeared
to Zacharias with the message that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would
be the Messiah’s messenger. As Jesus began His ministry, perhaps rumors and old
shepherd stories had been spread about a baby who had been born some 30 years
before. Expectation was high as the people looked for this Promised One to
reveal Himself.
Some Explanation
Mar 1:14-15 states, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” It
is important to understand what is meant by the Kingdom of God/Heaven[3] and how it
relates to the Gospel. If we get this wrong, not only can it open the door to
false teaching and deception, but it can also have eternal consequences.
Vine’s
Complete Expository Dictionary explains that the term “Gospel” means "good message or "good news":
In the NT it denotes the "good tidings"
of the Kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith,
on the basis of His expiatory [Ed. atoning] death, His burial, resurrection,
and ascension, e.g., Acts
15:7; 20:24;
1Peter
4:17.[4]
The term Gospel also identifies the
first four books of the New Testament—in other words, “The good message (good
news) according to Matthew” or “The good news according to John,” etc.
The term Kingdom sometimes refers to
the Kingdom of God and sometimes Kingdom of heaven. Many times these
terms are interchangeable. Matthew 11:11, 12, and Luke 7:28 are parallel
passages that use both terms. Jesus also used both terms interchangeably in the
same conversation in Matthew 19:23, 24. In other places in the New Testament,
the term Kingdom of God refers to a future time when Jesus returns and sets up
His own rule upon the earth.[5]
From the announcement of Gabriel to
Zacharias until now, we have read that Jesus is revealed as the Christ/Messiah
who will establish God’s Kingdom just as the Old Testament prophets foretold.
Zacharias stated that John would
give knowledge of salvation for the remission of sins. The angel declared that
Jesus would save His people from their sins. Simeon saw his salvation and John
pointed to the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Jesus
told Nicodemus that he could not see the Kingdom unless he was born again, and He
told the woman at the well that He was the source of everlasting life. The
Samaritans proclaimed that He was indeed the Savior of the world.
Jesus’ kingdom is established in
the salvation He was to provide on the cross. As we move forward now, we will
see Jesus preaching and teaching the character of His Kingdom. The law said, “You
shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But Jesus
said that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
The law required love for one’s neighbors, but Jesus taught to love our enemies.
So, the good news is that Jesus
is the Anointed, Promised One—Messiah—who will deliver individuals from the judgment
and destruction from Genesis 3 and bring us into a spiritual kingdom in which
He reigns. We enter into this kingdom by salvation which is a new, spiritual
birth, known as being born again. The subjects of His Kingdom will live with God’s
law of love written on their hearts of flesh.
Jesus did not set up an earthly
political kingdom. He will say to the Pilate in John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this
world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I
should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Jesus
will indeed establish an earthly kingdom,
but until that future day, His kingdom must first be established in those who
will believe on Him and give Him the realm or domain of their hearts in which He
reigns as King.
Observations and Insights
The Jews could only understand the Kingdom as earthly
and political, and that power, influence, and righteousness would earn one prominence
and leadership. Just as the Pharisees misunderstood the Kingdom, others have
made disastrous errors in history. The Crusades and the Inquisitions were cruel
tools of the Roman church to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Even the
protestant Cromwell thought that he could establish a righteous government, and
tyrants have perverted the promise of a kingdom to manipulate the masses.
Today, two streams of misinterpretation of the Kingdom
vie for attention in the church at large. One teaches that all mankind is being
pulled into God. This stream of the church rejects Jesus’ blood atonement, and
preaches Christian Universalism that denies any future judgment. Doug Pagitt
states:
God is
constantly creating anew. And God also, invites us to be re-created and join
the work of God as co-(re)creators...Imagine the Kingdom of God as the creative
process of God reengaging in all that we know and experience...When we employ
creativity to make this world better, we participate with God in the
re-creation of the world.[6]
Bob DeWaay, an opponent and researcher of the movement
explains, “These writers often refer to “God’s
dream.” Apparently they mean that God imagines an ideal future for the world
that we can join in and help actualize. When this dream becomes reality in the
future, it will be the Kingdom of God.” [7]
The second stream of error teaches that God is
establishing His Kingdom now through a new apostolic reformation. All churches
will organize under these apostles and prophets who receive new revelation from
God for taking over spheres/mountains of culture and government. These leaders
promote using “the sword” as necessary. They separate the Gospel from salvation
and minimize it stating that Jesus didn’t preach the Gospel of salvation—He preached
the gospel of the kingdom. Our task is to legislate gospel principles.
The
first part of the Dominion Process happens by God’s initiative in a moment of
time. The second part happens by man’s
efforts over a course of time. The first
part happens when God declares the word of righteousness over His
subjects. The second part happens when
His subjects proceed to subdue the earth and take dominion of it. God takes responsibility for the first
part. Man takes responsibility for the
second part. [8]
Proponents claim that communities can be transformed
without even being aware of it. How can this be? It can only happen if
salvation is marginalized, and morality prioritized. It brings others under the
dominion of legalism and turns the gospel of peace into a gospel of dominion.
History teaches us that such dominion does not work.
Both of these streams, though seemingly opposite,
merge together in unexpected ways. Both deny future judgment. Both embrace a
future Kingdom by attracting followers with the promise of being a part of an
elite leadership that will be co-creators with God. Both either deny the means
of salvation or undermine it so that unbelievers will receive it as a means of
prospering rather than an acceptance of God’s way of mercy from His coming
wrath.
As an American Christian, I
recognize a great and precious privilege that I have had to be in a nation established
in Judeo-Christian principles. Many have given their lives to secure the
freedoms we have enjoyed, and constitutional rights that have protected and prospered
us. We have enjoyed a prosperity unrivaled in human history. We view these
unique blessings as part of a Christian heritage. Although our constitution guarantees us certain unalienable rights,
Jesus promised us no such rights. On the contrary, He promised that we would experience
tribulation in this world, and that if the world hated Him, it would hate us as
well.
I confess that I worry about the
world that my grandchildren will inherit. It’s easy to fixate on a lifestyle
that once was free and prosperous. I am sometimes tempted to get caught up in a
militancy that demands a return us to the values of our forefathers, for we
know how godliness benefits a free society. But I also know that Jesus’ commandment
is my first priority—to preach the Gospel, that Jesus died and was buried for
our sins, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Jesus
said, “...the
Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.”
Repent from sin. Believe that Jesus’ cross-work paid its price.
This is God’s way of salvation
into His Kingdom, “For
our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be
conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to
Himself.” (Phil. 3:20, 21)
Next John 4:46-54
Next John 4:46-54
[1]
Note: Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced
together like a puzzle putting the four Gospels together into one
narrative. I am copying the order or
format from A Simplified Harmony of the
Gospels, George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001. However, I am using the New King James rather
than the HCSB. This order is from the
research of Wright and is open to discussion.
Of course, you can also read the passages side by side separately if you
prefer.
[2] Many
commentators believe that this is what Eve meant when she gave birth to Cain
saying, ““I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Eve had
hoped that Cain was the fulfillment of God’s promise.
[3]
The
study of future events particularly as it relates to the coming kingdom is
called eschatology. It is not the scope of this blog to discuss the various
view of the millennium or tribulation.
[4]
Vine, W.
"Dictionaries :: Gospel (Noun and Verb: to Preach)." Blue Letter
Bible. Sowing Circle. 24 Jun, 1996. Web. 13 Feb, 2014.
.
[5]
For more
on this topic see, http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?topic=VT0001572
[6]
Doug
Pagitt as quoted by Bob DeWaay, The Emergent
Church- Undefining Christianity, 2009, Bethany Press International, St.
Louis, MO.
[7]Ibid,
pg. 18.
[8]
Mark
Pfeifer, “Theology of Reclaiming 7 Mountains: The Dominion Process”
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