Editor’s note: Do you ever feel like you get lost in the weeds when you read the Bible, or that you don’t understand the story arc from beginning to end, or you don’t know how what you’re reading applies to your regular life? Zach Windahl breaks it down for us in The Bible, Simplified. Enjoy the excerpt shared earlier this month if you haven’t already read it (here), and then dive into this:
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Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Jesus did not come to earth to start a new religion called Christianity. He came to earth to expand upon an old religion and show its followers how He was the fulfillment of all they had been waiting for.
When Jesus began His ministry, His first recorded words were,
The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! — Mark 1:15 NIV
Remember what “good news” was referring to? It was the announcement that someone new was in charge and their ways were better than the old ways.
Everything Jesus did and said had to do with the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven, as the Gospel of Matthew says it). In modern times we don’t fully understand the weight behind a new kingdom coming to the scene, but this would have meant a lot to the original audience.
When Jesus said the Kingdom of God had arrived, He was saying He held the role of King. He was now ruling and reigning over a new group of people: Anyone who repented of their ways was told to separate themselves from the kingdom of the world and join the Kingdom of God instead. It was a gospel message far greater than what they were currently experiencing under the Romans. To call yourself a Christian means you reside under the authority, the rule, of King Jesus, and if you are part of His Kingdom, you do what He says and obey His commands. This Kingdom began in Jerusalem and was being spread to the ends of the earth.
Jesus claimed that things were going to be different. A new Kingdom had arrived.
And Jesus was in charge of all of creation.
Here and now. In the present.
The Teachings of Jesus
Jesus went all throughout the region, teaching in synagogues in front of the religious elite, on the sides of hills in front of the poor and lowly, and in more private settings among His disciples.
He spent his time with people who were sick and outcast, politicians and wealthy tax collectors and sinners, inviting everyone to repent of their sin and join His Kingdom. Jesus spent time around people of all walks of life in order to understand them and share the good news in ways they could individually relate to.
Matthew’s gospel records a teaching of Jesus called the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7). It was sort of a “remix” of the law that showed His followers what it meant to be Kingdom people. It’s truly a gift for us to have today. Jesus explained that His Kingdom is an upside-down Kingdom compared to the kinds of kingdoms they were accustomed to.
He said things like
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
and
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
and
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. — Matthew 5:4, 8–9
The Kingdom of God wasn’t taking over the old one with force and violence, but with peace and love and joy and an emphasis on holiness. This Kingdom was the exact opposite of the kingdom of the world. The Kingdom of God cared for the poor and sick and hurting and defenseless; it wouldn’t take over in a military fashion like the powers of the world always did.
Jesus taught believers how to handle anger and lust and divorce and enemies. He taught them how to pray and fast and handle money and deal with anxiety. He went on and on, teaching about this new Kingdom that had come near — God’s Kingdom.
- Jesus basically said, “If you accept me as your Messiah, as your King, this is how you should live from here on out.”
This “Kingdom lifestyle” is how God planned to partner with humans to rescue and redeem the world. If people were willing to obey His teachings, the world would slowly become what God had intended it to be.
Miracles of Jesus
Not only did Jesus teach about the Kingdom of God, but He also showed the people through different miracles what life was like inside the Kingdom.
What is a miracle?
A miracle is when God works outside of our human, physical understanding and does something extraordinary.
Jesus used miracles to confirm His teachings and bring glory to God. The Gospels tell story after story of Jesus performing miracles for people.
Healing miracles like giving sight to the blind and curing leprosy and other illnesses.
Nature miracles like calming the storm and walking on water.
Exorcisms that cast out demons and set people free.
Provision miracles like feeding the five thousand and turning water to wine.
Each miracle Jesus performed was to show what life would be like when Heaven and earth collided. In Heaven there is no sickness, no possession, no chaos, and no lack — so anywhere Jesus displayed the Kingdom of God, He brought wholeness, freedom, justice, peace, and provision. This is what the future would look like for all who believed.
John said in his gospel account,
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. — John 21:25 NIV
The miracles of Jesus were numerous.
Heaven was invading earth once again.
In the early stages of Jesus’ ministry, He rose in popularity just as you would imagine. He was the talk of the town, bringing the living Kingdom into their present reality through His teachings and miracles. Everyone flocked to Him because everyone was invited into His Kingdom. When the rest of society and the religious elite cast people out from their presence, Jesus brought them closer, showing them their value and worth in God’s eyes.
But this Kingdom was turning out to be quite different from what the Jewish ancestors and tradition had expected it to be. And even though Jesus was doing great things, many people had hoped for someone who would take over with power and military might. They didn’t want to love their enemies, as Jesus commanded. They wanted to see their enemies defeated the old-fashioned way, and it was becoming clear that Jesus wasn’t interested in that kind of power. Furthermore, while they tended to focus on the external actions, Jesus focused on the heart. So the religious leaders began to speak up and question everything Jesus said.
In the church today, people will often talk negatively about the Pharisees and Sadducees and chief priests of Jesus’ time, but a lot of what they believed was rooted in their fear of God. Yes, many of them missed the Messiah when He was right in front of them, and yes, they sometimes focused more on tradition than Scripture — but it’s easy to see how the words and actions of Jesus would have been confusing to them. Jesus spent time hanging out with sinners, challenging the Pharisees’ authority, and breaking some of the laws they had set up in addition to the law of Moses.
The tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day continued to escalate until Jesus declared Himself the Son of God, saying He had the divine power to forgive sins.
For the Pharisees, that was the final straw. They’d had enough of Jesus and began looking for ways to kill Him.
The Bible, Simplified One-Sentence Recap
The ministry of Jesus began with the announcement that the Kingdom of God had arrived, and He spent the next few years talking about life in God’s Kingdom and showing it physically through His miracles.
How to Apply This Lesson to Your Life
When we accept Jesus as our King and Lord, He invites us to participate in the Kingdom of God, bringing Heaven to earth in the present, and boosting our hope for the future where He reigns for the rest of eternity.
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Excerpted with permission from The Bible, Simplified by Zach Windahl, copyright Zach Windahl.
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Your Turn
When Jesus came to earth, He ushered in a new Kingdom… His Kingdom. He ruffled feathers because He didn’t do what was expected from the Messiah; He came in love, servanthood, and peace. Let’s pray today that the Lord would open our eyes to see what He is doing that is different than we expected so that we can join Him in His work with enthusiasm and joy! ~ Devotionals Daily