Kingdom of God I
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Kingdom of God I: The Content of the Messianic Movement
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The selected texts are The Sermon on the Mount and the Parable of the Rich Fool.
The
text “The Sermon on the Mount” is taken from the gospel of Matthew 5:1-11, 17-48 and chapter
6.
Jesus delivers a Sermon on the Mount side teaching on variety of topics including the
Beatitudes, loving one’s enemies, prayer and not worrying about material possessions. The
Beatitudes outline the characteristics of those who are blessed by God including the poor in
spirit, the meek and the merciful. The sermon also includes teaching on more practical matters
such as giving to the needy, fasting and not worrying about material things. The Sermon on the
Mount is a central text that emphasizes on the need to live a righteous life and placing
importance on humility. The “Parable of the rich fool” is taken from the Gospel of Luke. The
parable talks about a man whose land produces abundance of crops and the man decides to build
a bigger barn to store his crops and relax for the rest of his life. However, he earns that he will
die that night thus he will not enjoy his surplus harvest. This parable is a warning on greed and
desire of earthy possessions. It rather warns Christians to seek out spiritual wealth.
The Sermon on the Mount and the parable of the rich fool both emphasizes on the need to
concentrate on spiritual wealth rather than material possessions. Jesus teaches his followers not
to worry about accumulating material possessions, but instead to focus on living ethical life. The
texts urge Jesus followers to show humility and even share their earthy possessions because upon
death they will leave them on earth. The texts show the characteristics of those who are blessed
by God including the meek and the poor in spirit.
In “A New Sensitivity in Judaism and the Christina Message”, David Flusser discusses
the concept of God’s Kingdom and how it can be understood in Christina context. Flusser shows
that in Jesus teaching, the kingdom of God was his main emphasizes. Flusser outlines the
importance of the Sermon on the Mount as the ethical and moral principles necessary for
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Christians wishing to inherit the kingdom of God. Flusser point out that Jesus perceived himself
has the eschatological being that was to guide Jewish and Christians to the kingdom of God.
Flusser further discusses the concept of the kingdom of God and its significance in Jesus
teachings. From the texts Sermon on the Mount and the parable of the rich fool it can be seen
that Jesus was teaching his followers about the kingdom of God through parables. Flusser argues
that the kingdom of God is in present state through our actions and connection to God.
This text
on how the Sermon on the Munt was Jesus way of teaching his followers what is required to be a
good Christian showing humility and seeking heavenly possessions. In “Treasure in Heaven:
Examining an Ancient Idiom for Charity” Marcos Garcia explores how the kingdom of God was
understood in ancient Jewish world. “Treasure in Heaven” was used to describe charity and
benevolence as way of storing treasure in heaven. Garcia discusses about ancient Jewish records
of charity contributions. This text supports the primary sources of Jesus teaching on spiritual
wealth.
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References
D. Flusser, “A New Sensitivity in Judaism and the Christian Message,”
HThR
61/2 (1968), 107-
127, “Kingdom of Heaven,”
Jesus
(2001), 104-112.
J. Garcia, “‘Treasure in Heaven’ Examining an Ancient Idiom for Charity” Jerusalem
Perspective.
Sermon on the Mount
The Parable of the Rich Fool