Jesus and the Kingdom of God

451 Pages·1988·32.62 MB·English

by  G.R. Beasley-Murray

JESUS
AND THE KINGDOM
OF GOD
G. R. BEASLEY-MURRAY
WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY
THE PATERNOSTER PRESS
To Ruth
in gratitude
for our years of partnership
in the service of the Kingdom
Copyright © 1986 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
for
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503
and
The Paternoster Press Ltd.
3 Mount Radford Crescent, Exeter, Devon, UK EX2 4JW
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beasley-Murray, George Raymond, 1916-
Jesus and the kingdom of God.
Bibliography: p. 417
Includes indexes.
1. Kingdom of God-Biblical teaching.
2. Jesus Christ-Teachings. I. Title.
BS2417.K5B43 1986 236 85-20739
ISBN 0-8028-3609-7
Reprinted, December 1987
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Beasley-Murray, George R
Jesus and the kingdom of God
1. Kingdom of God--Biblical teaching
I. Title
231.7'2 BS 2417.K5
ISBN 0-85364-394-6
CONTENTS
Preface x
PART ONE
THE COMING OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Chapter 1: Theophany in the Old Testament 3
Chapter 2: The Day of the Lord in the Old Testament 11
Chapter 3: The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament 17
Chapter 4: The Coming of God in Daniel 7 26
PART1WO
THE COMING OF GOD IN THE WRITINGS
OF EARLY JUDAISM
Chapter 5: Theophany in Apocalyptic Literature 39
Chapter 6: The Day of the Lord in Apocalyptic Literature 43
Chapter 7: The Kingdom of God in Apocalyptic Literature 46
Chapter 8: The Messiah in Apocalyptic Literature 52
Excursus One: The Date of the Similitudes of Enoch
PART THREE
THE COMING OF GOD IN THE TEACHINGS
OF JESUS
Chapter 9: Sayings of Jesus on the Coming of the Kingdom
of God in the Present 71
1. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
Mark 1:15
2. The Kingdom of God and Demonic Powers
Matthew 12:28, Luke 11 :20
3. Signs of the Presence of the Kingdom of God
Matthew 11:5-6, Luke 7:22-23
4. Blessed Eyes and Ears
Matthew 13:16-17, Luke 10:23-24
5. The Sermon at Nazareth
Luke 4:16-30
6. The Violent Kingdom
Matthew 11:12, Luke 16:16
7. The Least in the Kingdom
Matthew 11:11, Luke 7:28
8. The Incalculable Kingdom
Luke 17:20-21
9. The Secret of the Kingdom
Mark 4:11-12
v
CONTENTS
Chapter 10: Parables of Jesus on the Coming of the Kingdom of God
in the Present 108
1. The Strong Man Bound
Mark 3:27, Matthew 11:29, Luke 11:22
2. The Treasure and the Pearl
Matthew 13:44-46
3. The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Two Lost Sons
Luke 15:4-32
4. The Unmerciful Servant
Matthew 18:23-25
5. The Laborers in the Vineyard
Matthew 20:1-16
6. The Great Feast
Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:16-24
7. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
Mark 4:30-32, Matthew 13:31-32, Luke 13:18-19
8. The Seed Growing Secretly
Mark 4:26-29
9. The Sower
Mark 4:1-9, Matthew 13:1-9, Luke 8:4-8
Note on the Interpretation of the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4: 14-
20
10. The Tares and the Wheat
Matthew 13:24-30
Note on the Interpretation of the Parable of the Tares and the Wheat,
Matthew 13:36-43
11. The Dragnet
Matthew 13:47-50
12. The Bridegroom and His Friends; Old Clothes; New Wine
Mark 2: 18-22
Excursus Two: The Relation of Jesus to the Kingdom of God in the
Present
Chapter 11: Sayings of]esus on the Coming of the Kingdom
of God in the Future 147
1. The Disciples' Prayer
Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4
2. The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:3-12, Luke 6:20-23
3. The Feast of the Kingdom of God
Matthew 8:11-12, Luke 13:28-29
4. Sayings on the Entry into the Kingdom of God
a. Mark 9:43-48 I I Matthew 8:8-9
b. Parabolic Sayings
c. Matthew 7:21
d. Mark 10:23 I I Matthew 19:23 I I Luke 18:24
e. Mark 10:15 I I Matthew 18:3 I I Luke 18:17
f. Matthew 5:20
g. Matthew 21:31, Matthew 23:13 II Luke 11:52
vi
CONTENTS
S. The Keys of the Kingdom
Matthew 16:19
6. The Little Flock
Luke 12:32
7. The Kingdom Coming in Power
Mark 9:1, Matthew 16:28, Luke 9:27
Chapter 12: Parables of Jesus on the Coming of the Kingdom of God
in the Future 194
1. The Parables of Growth
a. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
Mark 4:30-32// Matthew 13:31-3211 Luke 13:18-19;
Matthew 13:33/1 Luke 13:20-21
b. The Seed Growing Secretly
Mark 4:26-29
c. The Sower
Mark 4:1-9, Matthew 13:1-9, Luke 8:4-8
d. The Wheat and the Tares
Matthew 13:24-30
e. The Dragnet
Matthew 13:47-S0
2. The Unjust Steward
Luke 16:1-8
3. The Judge and the Widow
Luke 18:1-8
4. The Burglar
Matthew 24:43-44 1I Luke 12:39-40
S. The Wise and the Foolish Maidens
Matthew 2S:1-13
6. The Talents and the Pounds
Matthew 2S:14-30 II Luke 19:11-27
Chapter 13: The Son of Man and the Kingdom of God 219
1. Jesus and the Son of Man
Luke 12:8-9, Matthew 10:32
2. The Son of Man in Ministry
a. The Authority of the Son of Man
Mark 2:10
b. The Son of Man and the Sabbath
Mark 2:28
c. The Son of Man Who Feasts
Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34
d. The Son of Man Who Is Homeless
Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:S8
e. The Son of Man Who Seeks and Saves
Luke 19:10
3. The Son of Man in Suffering
a. The Markan Predictions of the Passion
Mark 8:31, 9:31, and 10:32ff.
b. Fire and Baptism
Luke 12:49-S0
vii
CONTENTS
c. The Sign of Jonah
Luke 11:29-30 II Matthew 12:39-40
d. The Last Supper
Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-29, Luke 22:15-20
The Eschatological Anticipation
Mark 14:25, Matthew 26:26, Luke 22:15-18,
1 Corinthians 11:16
The Saying concerning the Bread
Mark 14:22, Matthew 26:26, Luke 22:19,
1 Corinthians 11:24
The Saying concerning the Cup
Mark 14:23-24, Matthew 26:27-28, Luke 22:15-18,
1 Corinthians 11 :25
The Vicarious Atonement
The Last Supper Traditions Questioned
e. Thrones of Judgment
Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:28-30
Note on the Authenticity of Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:28-30
f. The Ransom of the Son of Man
Mark 10:45, Matthew 20:28, Luke 22:27
4. The Son of Man in His Parousia
a. The Son of Man and the Mission to Israel
Matthew 10:23
b. The Son of Man and Judgment
Mark 8:38, Matthew 16:27, Luke 9:26
c. The Son of Man Exalted and Appearing
Mark 14:62
d. He Who Comes
Matthew 23:37-39 I I Luke 13:34-35
e. The Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 25:31-46
Chapter 14: Discourses ofjesus on the Parousia 313
1. The Q Apocalypse
Luke 17:22-37
a. Introduction: Yearning for the Day of the Son of Man
Luke 17:22
b. The Universality of the Parousia of the Son of Man
Luke 17:23-24
c. The Necessity for the Passion of the Son of Man
Luke 17:25
d. Unpreparedness for the Parousia
Luke 17:26-30
e. Exhortations in Light of the Parousia
Luke 17:31-33
f. Separation in the Judgment of the Parousia
Luke 17:34-35
g. The Parousia: An Event of UniversaIJudgment
Luke 17:37
viii
CONTENTS
2. The Markan Eschatological Discourse
Mark 13 (1/ Matthew 24, Luke 21)
a. The Doom of the Temple
Mark 13:1-2
b. The Disciples' Questions
Mark 13:3-4
c. Dangers from Deceivers
Mark 13:5-6,21-22, 7-8
d. Tribulations for Disciples
Mark 13:9-13
e. Tribulations for Israel
Mark 13:14-20
f. The Parousia
Mark 13:24-27
g. The Parable of the Fig Tree
Mark 13:28-29
h. The Times of Fulfillment
Mark 13:30-32
i. The Call for Vigilance
Mark 13:33-37
Chapter 15: Conclusion 338
Notes 345
Bibliography 417
Indices 433
Authors 433
Scripture References 435
ix
Preface
The twentieth century has been marked from its outset, and is likely so to
continue to its close, by an uncertainty as to who Jesus was. This uncertainty has
been acute among New Testament scholars and has spread among theologians.
The problem is to no small extent bound up with the difficulty of ascertaining
what Jesus thought of himself and of his calling. Its complexity has been in
creased through a conviction that the traditions relating to Jesus have been
radically modified by those who handed them on in the earliest Christian
communities and by the evangelists themselves. R. H. Lightfoot's famous words
aboutJesus in the gospels express the mood of the time: "For all the inestimable
value of the gospels, they yield us little more than the whisper of his voice; we
trace in them but the outskirts of his ways. "1 So we find a recent writer stating,
"We do not have the evidence available now to speculate realistically about
Jesus' so-called messianic consciousness."2 There is, however, one area in the
testimony of the gospels to Jesus the authenticity of which is agreed on by
virtually all New Testament scholars--namely, the teaching of Jesus on the
kingdom of God. It pervades the entire proclamation of Jesus recorded in the
gospels and appears largely to have determined the course of his ministry. While
this has been commonly acknowledged, its significance for interpreting Jesus
has been strangely ignored. This work is offered as a contribution toward
clarifying this element in the teaching of Jesus and its implications for the
question of who Jesus is.
The length of the work is a reflection of the complexity and profundity of
the instruction ofJesus. The concentration of thought in few words that charac
terizes his sayings eludes cursory examination. Moreover, a frequent failure
adequately to relate this teaching to the Old Testament and contemporary
Jewish literature has made necessary the provision of a brief overview of their
content. Prolonged meditation on the teaching of Jesus concerning the theme
that dominated his life produces a remarkably consistent image. To provide an
opportunity for such attention to Jesus is the aim of this book.
I record my grateful thanks to Dr. Larry Kreitzer, research student/lecturer
of King's College, London, for kindly furnishing the indices for this work.
x
Part I The Coming of God
in the Old Testament