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| THE KIND OF KINGDOM
PEOPLE EXPECTED |
#301
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In the days when Jesus walked the earth, the people of
Judea were living under Roman domination. They were a conquered
people. They had overthrown the tyranny of the Greeks, only to
be conquered again by the Romans. They harbored great resentment
toward the Roman legions which occupied their land. Jewish
patriots, called “Zealots,” would gladly take any opportunity to
murder Roman soldiers or other officials. The greatest goal in
the minds of these defeated people was to reclaim their land and
restore their kingdom.
This hope was fueled by Old Testament prophecies (Daniel
9:25) about a coming Savior who would be called “Messiah” (which
means “anointed one”). Everyone was looking for Him to appear.
When Andrew told Peter about Jesus, he said, “We have found the
Messiah” (Jn 1:41). Most people expected the Messiah to be a
political leader, a king who would defeat the Romans and provide
for the physical needs of His people. They expected the Messiah
to restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). When Jesus came on
the scene, the people found in Him the kind of leader who could
defeat any opposition; after all, He could feed scores of
troops with only meager rations, He could restore the sick and
wounded, and even raise the dead to life again. An army led by
Jesus would be invincible! Because of this, many of the
multitude believed in Him. In their minds, they could not
conceive of anyone performing the signs of Messiah better than
Jesus had done (John 7:31). It was their intention to make Him
their king (John 6:15). The triumphant entry into Jerusalem,
recorded in John 12:13, was a royal reception. The people “took
the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and
began to cry out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name
of the Lord, even the King of Israel.’”
However, Jesus did not lead His people in warfare against
Imperial Rome. He never lifted a sword. He never spilled a drop
of Roman blood. Instead, He laid down His own life and poured
out His own blood. Why? Why would Jesus submit Himself to
crucifixion when He had the power to prevent it? Why would He
not lead the forces of Israel to victory when they had rallied
at His feet? They did not reject Him until He was arrested and
humiliated; then they thought Him weak, and a false Messiah.
After all, how could the Kingdom of God be established by a king
hanging on a cross? Jesus answered this question for an equally
confused Pontius Pilot, Roman governor of Judea. In John 18:36,
Jesus explained it this way: He said, “My kingdom is not of this
world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would
be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but
as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
The people were expecting a physical kingdom; but Jesus
came to establish a spiritual kingdom. The “Spiritual” nature of
Jesus’ Kingdom has always been a difficult concept for some
people. Paul said that the crucified Christ was a “stumbling
block” to the Jews and “foolishness” to the Gentiles (I
Corinthians 1:23). But not for disciples of Jesus. In the
epistles of the New Testament, the Hebrew word “Messiah” was
replaced by its Greek counterpart, “Christ.” And the confident
affirmation of first century disciples was very clear, “God has
made Him both Lord and Christ - this Jesus whom you crucified”
(Acts 2:36). The spiritual nature of the Lord’s kingdom had
finally registered. Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed
one, the King, the Christ. To deny this was considered spiritual
treason. John wrote,
“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the
Christ?” (I Jn 2:22)
Jesus established a different kind of kingdom than people
were expecting. But many people finally caught on and entered
into that kingdom. You, too, can be a part of this “Spiritual
Kingdom.” Maybe you are now; but regardless, you will surely
want to learn more about it. The next six lessons explore
this subject. We shall study prophecies about the kingdom, the
beginning of the kingdom, and what the kingdom of God is like.
This is going to be an interesting and most important study.
| Bible
Probe |
THE KIND OF
KINGDOM PEOPLE EXPECTED |
301
|
1. What did the people of Israel expect from their “Messiah”
in the days of Jesus? (Acts 1:6)
2. What does the word “Messiah” mean?
3. Beside each of these verses, write an explanation of how the
people felt about Jesus:
John 7:31
_________________________________________________________
John 6:15
_________________________________________________________
John 12:13
_________________________________________________________
4. Do you think Jesus had opportunity to establish a “physical”
kingdom while on earth?
Explain:
5. What kind of kingdom was Jesus planning to establish? (John
18:36)
6. According to I Corinthians 1:23, the concept of a crucified
Christ became a ____________ _____________ to the Jews; and to
the Gentiles it was ______________________.
7. Do you believe Jesus accomplished the mission that God had
sent Him to do? (John 17:4)
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Your Bible questions answered here.