Kingdom of God: Main features (Parables + Miracles)

Introduction:

The Kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' teaching. The term 'kingdom' would have been familar to his audience. It is expressed by the hebrew word 'malkuth' meaning rule of sovereignty. The Jews looked forward to a future kingdom rules by a descendant of David, called Messiah. The Jewish understanding was that it would be an earthly kingdom.

Eschatology:

In Luke's Gospel however, Jesus' teaching about the kingdom is different from the Jewish belief. Those who believe in eschatology believe that the kingdom had already come, in and through the person of Jesus. CH Dodd was the main proponent of this belief. He saw the kingdom in terms of conquering evil which was realised in Jesus' life and death.

Some even thought the Kingdom begun with the life of Jesus but still had to be fufilled.Oscar Lullamann was the main proponent of this type of eschatology.

Parables:

One of the clearest ways Jesus taught about the kingdom was through the parables. Sometimes he mentuons it explecitly, sometimes not, but nearly all the parables say something about it.

Scholar Cooper divides Jesus' teaching about the kingdom into 4 sections

Some deal with the arrival of the kingdom eg. wineskins. The parable of the Mustard Sees, "the seed grew and grew and became a tree", explaining that it is in such humble beginnings that God's reign is being established.

Another aspect of the kingdom is is how we enter it. The parable of the Lost Son reveals the character of the king who is God who is compassionate and forgiving. He is always reaching out to us in order to to bring us back into his family. Also in…