Most Jews in Jesus’ time were looking forward to God’s rule - the Kingdom of God. The Jews had been ruled by foreign powers for many centuries. The people began to hope for a time when God would be in charge. God would save them from their enemies, just as long ago he had saved them from the Egyptians when Moses was their leader. Instead of just another human kingdom, the Kingdom of God would arrive. The Kingdom of God meant that God would be in charge. But different Jews had different ideas of the way in which God would rule.

p the Zealots thought the kingdom of God meant that the Jews would rule their own country. Jewish rule was God’s rule, so a Jewish kingdom would also be a kingdom of God. Once he had defeated the Romans, the Messiah would be their king.

p the Essenes thought it meant there would be a war against the powers of darkness. All evil powers and evil people would be destroyed. The paradise that followed would be the Kingdom of God.

p Jesus’ teaching shows that he disagreed with both these views. He believed in the kingdom of God, but thought that only God could bring it about. Just as only God could make a seed grow, only he can make the kingdom come. The Kingdom would not involve a struggle against the Romans but it would involve a struggle against:

î sin, which Jesus forgives

î illness, which Jesus heals

î demons, which Jesus defeats by exorcising them

The Kingdom would also be a new society. It was not just about God ruling over the people, but also people living by God’s laws. Also the kingdom was not just open to Jews, it was open to everybody. Sinners, outcasts and Gentiles could enter. The relationship with God in the Kingdom was not just for this life: after death people would be happy with God forever. The future with Jesus, which would continue after death, is the full and final arrival of the Kingdom.

Note: in some of Jesus’’ sayings about the Kingdom, he appears to expect it to arrive in the future. In others, he speaks as though it is already here.

Different Christians interpret the Kingdom of God differently.

Some people would say that you have to be a Christian to be part of the Kingdom, others would say that anyone who lives out the teachings of Christ ( i.e. treating people with compassion and love) is a part of the Kingdom.

N.B. You need to understand the meaning of the passages about the kingdom of God in Mark.