Why did Jesus come? I
mean, what’s the point? What was his
purpose?
“Well, to save us from our sins!” would be the automatic
answer from most good, upstanding conservative evangelicals. But I propose that, although this may be The
Truth, it is not The Whole Truth, and it is most certainly not Nothing But The
Truth.
Let us examine his own words. The vast majority of Biblical scholars and
critics hold that Mark was the earliest of the canonical gospels. The first words attributed to Jesus in this
Gospel are in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near.
Repent and believe the gospel!”
He is first depicted as declaring the advent of the kingdom
of God, and calling people to repent.
So, what is the kingdom of God? And what does it mean to repent? Because these two things are obviously
central to Jesus’s earthly teachings.
And yet, they are often misunderstood by many Christians.
First of all, the phrase “kingdom of God” does not refer to
heaven (although Matthew does insist on changing the wording of the phrase to “kingdom
of heaven” in his account). Rather, it
refers to a new state of being, a new “the way it is” based on how it would
look if God ruled (on earth, as it is in heaven, so to speak). In a very real way, it is set over and
against the “kingdom of Caesar,” as a way to live dependent on God rather than
the power of this world. It does not
denote a place or location. The concept
as taught by Jesus in the Gospels reflects, rather, the “kingness” or “kingship”
of God – what the world would be if God ruled.
So how do we get there?
There are no physical directions, since it isn’t a physical kingdom with
borders and guards. "The kingdom of
God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, `Lo, here it
is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke
17:20-21)
The kingdom is Jesus’s announcement of something that had
been described in the Prophets. God is a
God justice and righteousness, who desires a people of justice and righteousness,
to live in justice and righteousness, in a land of justice and righteousness.
Basically, the kingdom of God is to be ushered in by. . .
us. We, who follow the teachings of
Jesus, and how we live. We, in
partnership with God, are to bring about the kingdom.
There are many kingdom teachings in the Gospels, and some of
them seem esoteric or symbolic, because they are speaking not necessarily of
details of the kingdom itself, but rather how it will spread. However, since, by his own testimony, the
kingdom of God is central to Jesus’s purpose, I think it is to be revealed in
his teachings about how we should live our lives.
So what are the main things Jesus taught about? I will stick to the Synoptic tradition (Mark,
Matthew, and Luke), because they are the Gospels that focus more on Jesus’s
teachings about God, the kingdom, and how we are to live. John is completely different, and should be
treated so. (That's a subject for a future post.)
Jesus, by example, taught that we should welcome those on
the fringes of society. He met with
them, shared the table with them, and, yes, partied with them. The fringe in his society was perhaps
different than the people on the fringe in our society, but the concept is the
same. He associated with the poor, the
downtrodden, the despised, the rejected, the unclean. Is there a group of people with whom you have
little in common and would never welcome into your home or hang out with? Those are the people you should be hanging
out with. Think about that the next time
you post something angry on your Facebook page, or send a chain email decrying
one segment of society or another. (It
seems strange to me that this kind of activity is seemingly displayed most by
people who would characterize themselves as conservative Christians, a group
who are most likely to view the Bible as the literal Word of God. You would think that such people would take
Jesus’s examples even MORE seriously than others, not LESS. But I digress.)
Jesus taught total commitment. Not commitment to attending church once a
week (or even worse, once or twice a year – Chreasters, I’m looking at you!),
and then doing whatever we want the rest of the week. Following Jesus and serving the kingdom is a
lifestyle, not something you turn on and off.
It’s always on.
We are to help those who need help. That means comforting the broken-hearted,
feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, healing those with illnesses. Acting with compassion to EVERYONE, not just
those who live like us, think like us, and vote like us. And, if we are to use the parable of the Good
Samaritan as an indicative example (which of course we should), we aren’t
merely to give some assistance – we are to help as much as we can, WHEN we can,
and make sure that the whomever we help continues to receive the help they
need. Dropping a dollar in a Salvation
Army bucket at Christmas time is not enough.
Look at how he taught his disciples. “Go! I
am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves. Do not carry a money bag, a
traveler’s bag, or sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whenever you enter a
house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house!’ And if a peace-loving person is
there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will return to you. Stay
in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, for the worker
deserves his pay. Do not move around from house to house. Whenever you enter a
town and the people welcome you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in
that town and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come upon you!’ But whenever
you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go into its streets and
say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against
you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’” (Luke 10:3-11)
They were to be reliant on God and the provisions he would
provide through those they encountered.
They were NOT to be self-sufficient or self-reliant. “God helps those who help themselves” is, and
let me be absolutely clear here, NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURES. Rather, bring the peace of God with you
wherever you go and share it with whomever you meet. Eat and drink that which is provided, and help
those who need help. In this way, “The
kingdom of God has come upon you.”
If we all lived like this, what would the world look
like? It would be transformed. It would be completely different than the way
it is now. It would usher in the kingdom
of God.
The other thing Jesus called us to in Mark 1:15 was to
repent. What does repent mean? Contrary to popular belief, it does not mean
to say that you’re sorry or to ask for forgiveness (although I’m not saying not
to do those things). To repent is to
change course, to stop the way you are currently traveling and change
direction, to travel the correct path.
Jesus paired “repent” with his announcement of “kingdom”
because the two must necessarily go together.
If the kingdom is to be ushered in by us and how we live, we MUST
repent. If it could be ushered in by the
way were already living, it would already be here. For us to live in such a way, with such
commitment, that our lives help to bring in the kingdom of God, repentance must
be a foundational piece of the equation.
We often see caricatures (or even real-life examples) of
street preachers who proclaim “Repent, for the end is near!” I can’t help but think that these guys have
got it wrong. Repent, for the BEGINNING
is near. The kingdom can’t really arrive
until we repent, change the course we are on, and live our lives in such a way
that the kingdom draws near those we encounter.
Repent. The kingdom
is near. Or, it could be near. It's really up to you.
