Appendix B: Concerning the kingdom of heaven

 

Appendix B: Concerning the kingdom of heaven

Accompanies commentary on MT 6:19-34

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Table of Content and Links
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Please see Notes to Readers here:
https://zioncallingyou.blogspot.com/2019/12/on-writing-of-sermon-draft-3-include.html

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Some have questioned whether heaven's kingdom has really arrived on earth, as Jesus predicted it would. But those who could see, as well as hear, certainly witnessed the son of man coming "on the clouds of heaven" at the feast of Pentecost^1a, when the church was born. Does not heaven come down to earth with the Spirit's powerful inrush, with tongues of fire burning on Mary, the apostles and other disciples? Was not a nation, the New Israel, born on that one day? Did not God's kingdom right here on earth begin then in Jerusalem -- in a brand new way that no one could have anticipated?

In an important sense, the apostles saw Jesus sitting at the right hand of power. That is, when the Spirit struck them they began to speak with "new tongues" in great power, and so they realized that their teacher, Jesus, was the source of this astonishing miracle. So when they realized that it was Jesus who had come, they in effect understood that he had come from heaven at the "right hand" of power, the power of the Holy Spirit as sent by the Father. "Right hand" as used here is similar to our idiom "right-hand man" -- an indispensable person, such as the boss's son.

Moreover, when Peter and the other apostles began their divine preaching, each was a son of man who was situated at the right hand of power. Each of these sons of men had been transformed into a son of God who was fulfilling a messianic role, being "junior partners" in Christ.^1b

And even though some of Jesus' accusers did not really see what had happened, they saw enough so that one could say that they had seen the son of man arrive on the clouds of heaven at the right hand of power, even though they had "eyes to see, but could not see."

Moreover, as son of man was an Aramaic expression for a man or the man, we can take it to applying to the apostles and others on whom the Spirit fell in power. Witnesses indeed saw mere humans going from the former "kingdom" or dispensation into the New World. We don't exaggerate by saying that, because they received the Spirit, they were sitting at the right hand of Power. Weren't they Jesus' best friends?. Did they not come into this New World on "the clouds of heaven"? There is nothing wrong with using the phrase "divine clouds" as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit and his action in this case.

When Jesus at his trial answered the question as to whether he was the son of God, he replied, "I AM. And you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (MK 14:16).¹ We know that the Father was speaking through Jesus, so that the I AM may be read as "yes" or it may be read as God asserting his presence. By using the third person "son of man," Jesus avoids testifying about himself, though he certainly was and is the preeminent son of God. In addition, Jesus here is making a strong allusion to DAN 7:13.

DAN 7:13

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

As we go along in our Christian walk, we find that God fulfills and interprets OT scripture in surprising ways. And I think one can safely say that he did so and will do so with the respect to DAN 7:13. That Scripture was, in my view, fulfilled at the Feast of Pentecost, which is not to say that it cannot be fulfilled again in some other surprising way. People who worry that MK 14:16 doesn't seem to have been fulfilled should remember Jesus' admonition that what counts is the spirit. If you look with the eyes of flesh, you can't see. You're blind (JN 6:63). (We should acknowledge that even very early Christians were confused by this saying, having interpreted it too rigidly.)

Also consider

MK 9:1

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. (Parallel passages found at MT 16:28 and LK 9:27.)

All three synoptic writers follow this statement with an account of the Transfiguration, which no doubt does fulfill Jesus' prophetic assertion. But, under our line of reasoning, this statement also applies to the Pentecost event.

None of the foregoing should be taken to mean that I deny Paul's prophecy that Jesus will "descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 THESS 4:16).

Many things in Scripture that seem to be mutually exclusive are not really so.

ACTS 1:13-14

13 ... they went up into an upper room, where Peter and James were staying, along with John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew. Also there were James the son of Alphaeus, Simon Zelotes and Judas the brother of James.
14 All of them continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, along with the women -- including Mary the mother of Jesus (and his brothers).

ACTS 2:1-8

1 And after dawn on Pentecost day as everyone was sitting together,
2 suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 There appeared to them pronged fiery tongues that rested on each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them voice.
5 There were at the time in Jerusalem devout Jews from every nation on earth [many Jews, who spoke a variety of languages, lived outside Judea but visited that city on business and for other reasons, as did various proselytes].
6 Now when people began to hear about this event, a crowd arrived and people were confounded, because everyone heard the men speak in his own language.
7 They were all amazed. To each other they marveled,  "Look here! Aren't all these who are speaking Galilaeans?
8 "So how can we each hear every one of these men in our native tongue?"

ACTS 2:22-24

22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know,
23 "was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.  The one you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain,
24 "God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible for death to hold him."
People from all over the world, Jews and proselytes, were astonished and were converted.

ACTS 2:41

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. That day the group of believers grew by about three thousand souls.

In addition, let us consider that the arrival of God's kingdom is something like the dawning of a new day. Even before the dawn, bits of sunlight may reflect off clouds. The glory of the day begins as a crack on the horizon and bursts into magnificence as the world turns. Similarly, God's kingdom was evident in the miracles of Jesus -- indeed in his very presence -- before his crucifixion. At and after his resurrection, God's kingdom was expressed in manifold ways here on earth, as it still is.

LK 17:20-21

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

MT 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Consider that a born-again person has within him God's Spirit. He or she is lit up with the kingdom of heaven! And for the truly born again, God's presence shows! The light of God's kingdom shines from their eyes. Similarly, when two or three people are focused on Jesus, he is right there among them. Thus, God's kingdom is present.

MT 18:20

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

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Footnotes

1a. We take note of the fact Karl Barth, the theologian, suggested that the parousia (arrival or presence) includes not only Resurrection Sunday but Pentecost as well. That is, Barth concluded that the New Testament notion of parousia covers more than Christ's final return.

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1. MTp and LKp have Jesus reply, "As you say," or "Your words." They favored this standard means of answering a direct question with a polite indirect response because, no doubt, they wished to avoid the idea that Jesus testified about himself. But, if the Father was speaking through Jesus -- as he was -- then it was the Father who was testifying about Jesus and himself.

From this, we can rationally decide that MTp and LKp were probably incorporating the Marcan text, rather than MKp summarizing MT or LK. That is, the Marcan reading being the more difficult, we see that it is more likely that others would correct it or tweak it than that MT or LK would have been changed, as there would have been little motive for doing so.

Interestingly, MT and LK copy MK precisely (MT 27:11, LK 23:3) as to Jesus' reply to Pilate:

MK 15:2

And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.

In any case, let us consider what JN says on the topic of bearing witness.

JN 5:31-43

31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
41 I receive not honour from men.
42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

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1b. Son of God is a phrase carrying several meanings. Among them is the meaning: Directly created, without being born of a woman. Hence, once a person is born again of the Spirit (and not of the flesh), he or she is on the same level as an angel, having been given the right to be called a son of God.

Just as, for our sake, Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, his victory over death resulted in the Father subjecting everything -- including the devil, death and evil spirits -- under the Son, though defiance is permitted to continue for a period while souls are still being harvested.

And in verse 2:11 we see that born-again believers are now one with the Son, meaning we are no longer lower than the angels. But, we should nevertheless keep a low profile and, while here on earth, take a meek and lowly attitude toward our fellow humans.

HEB 2:7-11

7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands:
8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers...

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Draft 5

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