The Central Theme of Jesus
Posted by Brad BriscoDec 18
Matthew 3:2
“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ”
Matthew 4:17
“From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”’
Matthew 5:3
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
Matthew 5:10
“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
Matthew 6:33
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 12:28
“But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.”
Matthew 19:24
“I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
Matthew 21:31
“Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.”
Mark 1:15
“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Mark 4:11
“He replied, ‘You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,”’
Mark 4:26
“Jesus also said, ‘The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.’”
Mark 4:30
“Jesus said, ‘How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?’”
Mark 9:1
“Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!”
Mark 10:14
“When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.’”
Mark 10:15
“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
Mark 10:23
“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”
Mark 12:34
“Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God.’”
Mark 14:25
“I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 4:43
“But he replied, ‘I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”’
Luke 6:20
“Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.’”
Luke 7:28
“I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!”
Luke 8:1
“Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him.”
Luke 8:10
“He replied, ‘You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand.’”
Luke 9:2
”Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Luke 9:11
“But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.”
Luke 9:60
“But Jesus told him, ‘Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”’
Luke 10:9
“Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’”
Luke 10:11
“We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!”
Luke 11:20
“But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.”
Luke 12:31
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.”
Luke 17:20
“One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘When will the Kingdom of God come?’ Jesus replied, ‘The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.”’
Luke 17:21
You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. ”
Luke 19:11
“The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.”
Luke 21:31
“In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.”
Luke 22:16
“For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 22:18
“For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”
John 3:3
“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”’
John 3:5
“Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.’”
The Book of Acts
Acts 1:3
“During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.”
Acts 8:12
“But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized.”
Acts 19:8
“Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.”
Acts 28:23
“He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening.”
Acts 28:31
“Boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.”
And my favorite passage on the Kingdom from the Epistles
Romans 14:17
“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
5 comments
Comment by Georges Boujakly on December 18, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Brad,
What expansive relationality this term is pregnant with! I think what we are missing today is the dynamic relational implications this term carries versus the time-bound discussions, and the rules often imposed on the term by its nominative aspects. For those with power, the KG is the way they would care for those who belong in it. For those who belong and are without human power, the KG is the place to belong on the same footing.
A Willardesque rendition is: The KG is where and how God rules in our heart to do what he wants to do and gets done what he wants to get done.
I wonder what Myers does with the Kingdom of God as a verb versus as a noun?
Comment by Brad Brisco on December 18, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Georges, I love the Willard take. Is this a paraphrase or a quote from one of his writings. If a quote I would love to post it.
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[...] Brad Brisco on “Jesus’ Central Theme.” [...]
Comment by Tim Keller on December 22, 2007 at 4:51 am
I’d say the central message of Jesus was Jesus.
Comment by Matt Svoboda on February 11, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Brad,
The Kingdom of God is not only the central them of Jesus… It is the central theme and motif of all of Scripture!
Goldsworthy has a lot of good work on this topic! Gospel and Kingdom and According to Plan are two of his great works! He has a new one called Gospel Centered Hermeneutics taht I am wanting to read.
Tim,
The only thing I would say to your comment is that you are right. You are right because Jesus is the central theme/person within the kingdom of God! God builds his Kingdom through the person and work of Jesus Christ!