What is the Kingdom of Heaven…
That is what we are going to be investigating. Jesus had frequent opportunities to share. Many times they were in parables, metaphors and similes.
Jesus’ unorthodox behavior did not only provoke the criticism of the religious authorities, it also puzzled ordinary people. They wanted to know why Jesus’ followers were different from those of the Pharisees and John the Baptist and did not seem to worry about some of the rituals of Judaism like, for instance, the weekly fast-days. Such practices, though not in the Law of Moses, had come to be just as important in Jewish eyes.
We begin the series right after Jesus calls Matthew to join in and he returns to his hometown of Galilee. Upon arrival, it is clear that the locals see him and his followers arrive with different behaviors and this draws attention, even to the point where the local religious leaders confront the situation. He begins to explain the situation, in his own way. He describes what has happened, what has changed. It is sometimes referred to as the kingdom of Heaven and other times, the kingdom of God.
These phrases are only used in the New Testament and can be used interchangeably. The phrase “kingdom of God” occurs 68 times in 10 different New Testament books, while “kingdom of heaven” occurs only 32 times, and only in the Gospel of Matthew. Some thought because Matthew was Jewish he had different focus or different meaning, and this has proven to be inaccurate. Even Jesus, himself, uses them interchangeably (Matthew 19:23-24), so let us know get hung-up on thinking they are different.
This brings us to possibly the next question. What is the reference to kingdom? We understand to have a kingdom, there has to be a king, ruler, one who reigns and governs. If we think about heaven, who would be the ruler? The king?
Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is.
More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God.
First parables of explanation
All of the synoptic Gospels have a parable of the Cloth and Wineskins. Let’s go ahead and read each account.
It’s “like”
Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. The smallest of seeds becomes a great plant that birds can use for nests. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a man who found a treasure in a field and in joy sold everything he had to buy that field. the kingdom of heaven is like leaven to flour – it raises the entire loaf of bread. (Matthew 13). But Jesus never says the kingdom of heaven is any of these things. That’s because the kingdom of heaven is a great mystery.
A Question About Fasting
These parables begin with a statement that the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting. When we look at the concept of fasting, this whole situation gets questioned.
The Old Testament required people to fast only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The Pharisees required fasting twice a week, but Jesus disregarded this innovation. He held that it would be as fitting for his disciples to fast as for the friends of the bridegroom to fast at a wedding instead of joining in the festivities. The new era of salvation had arrived, and the mournful rites of the past were incompatible with it. Only during the sad days between the death of Jesus and his resurrection would mourning be appropriate. Are you aware that there will be no fasting in heaven? Now that is something to look forward to.
Bridegroom, groomsmen & wedding feast
In all three gospels, Jesus uses the parable of the wedding, the interaction with the wedding party.
What is your interpretation of the use of the wedding parable?
Jesus’ point is that fasting during the wedding feast is pointless. In this story Jesus is the Bridegroom, and while He is present in this world, it is a time of celebration because He is the fulfillment of their Messianic prophecies. Jesus Himself said that He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). To continue fasting with Jesus present is akin to fasting and being mournful during a wedding celebration in which the groom is present.
How do these parables of the wedding relate to Revelation 19?
6Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” – Rev 19:6-9 ESV
What is John describing in reference to a wedding? Does that coincide with the parables Jesus provided?
New and Old
The other two parables, which are similar, make the same point. The first one says you don’t put a new patch on an old garment, and the second says you don’t put new wine into an old wineskin. Meaning, mixing old and new things.
What are your insights and thoughts about the reference of combining “old” and “new”?
In the first parable, if you put a new patch on an old garment, when the new patch shrinks due to washing, it will tear away from the older garment, making the tear worse.
What insights and awareness come to mind with this parable?
Similarly, new wine needs a new wineskin because as the new wine expands during the fermentation process, it stretches the wineskin. An old wineskin will burst under the pressure of new wine.
What insights and awareness come to mind with this parable?
What does the parables of the cloth and wineskins have to do with the initial question about fasting?
These two parables illustrate the fact that you can’t mix old religious rituals with new faith in Jesus. Jesus’ disciples were not fasting along with the Pharisees and John’s disciples because they were now under the new covenant of grace and faith in Christ. As mentioned earlier, Jesus fulfilled the law; therefore, there is no longer any need to continue with the old rituals. Jesus cannot be added to a works-based religion. In the case of the Pharisees, they were consumed with their own self-righteousness, and faith in Jesus cannot be combined with self-righteous rituals.
It does need to be noted that Jesus was not opposing fasting and prayer, but speaking to a specific context when he is present with his disciples.
Next Week…
We will see about some more parables referring to the kingdom of God, specifically “The Builder” and the “Lamp under a Basket”.
Bibliography
Cole, R. A. (1994). Mark. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 954). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-heaven-God.html.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Re 19:6–9). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.