JESUS AND THE KINGDOM
As John the Baptist is preaching from Isaiah, he baptizes Jesus and an audible voice from Heaven speaks according to the testimony in Mk. 1: 2-3, 11. The Kingdom confrontation was immediate as Jesus goes into the desert to battle Satan directly. The confrontation typically in the Old Testament was with an earthly kingdom and God now switches to the spiritual level with Jesus. Events begin to happen quickly. The Jewish nation had been waiting for a long time for the Kingdom to return and Jesus arrives with authority (Mk 2: 10-11). Jesus demonstrates his authority proclaiming the Kingdom is at hand. 45 Jesus forgave sin healing the paralytic man to authenticate that God’s presence was there and those present were amazed at the wonder of it all for which they had never seen before. This is the Son of Man that Daniel prophesied would come with authority. God’s rule had come again and was being demonstrated through various miracles signs and wonders. Jesus calms the sea (Mk. 4: 35-41), cast out evil demons (Mk. 5:1-20), heals a woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years when power is released from him (Mk. 5:21-43), and raises Jarius’s daughter from the dead and all were astonished. In every account of Jesus’ miracles he demonstrated his authority bringing the Kingdom of God. The future presence of the eternal kingdom he brings sets people free from whatever binds them or keeps them captive. Jesus has brought the Kingdom in a new dimension. He states in Mk. 3:26-27 how the opposition to Gods Kingdom is in reality Satan’s Kingdom. In Luke 4:16-19 Jesus himself tells us he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic words. Again in Matt.11:1-5 when asked if he’s the one they should expect, Jesus response is not a simple yes or no. He tells them to look at what they hear and what they see. Look at the healings, look at the deliverance, and hear the proclamation of the Good News. Matthew an eyewitness testifies in chapter 9:35:
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness”
This demonstration of the miraculous along with the signs and wonders were associated with the specific teaching of the Kingdom of God. Saucy in his book
Mk. 2:12 Mk. 5 Bauckham Richard, p 4-11 Mat. 9:35
J. Mundle in his book who argues how the works and words of Jesus are interconnected:
“The witnesses of Jesus deeds are amazed, just as they are with his words rendering impossible any clear division between his acts and his teaching.”
James Kallas in his book affirms:
“The miracles have precisely the same message as the words of Jesus. The message of Jesus concentrated on the announcement of the Kingdom of God….and the miracles showed what the Kingdom would be like.”
George Eldon Ladd maintains:
“in Jesus’ miracles of healing for which the Greek word meaning to save is used…..The Kingdom of God is not only with men’s souls but with the salvation of the whole man.”
