Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

Keys of the Kingdom 61

posted by xscot mcknight

There are 85 separable instances of “kingdom” in the Synoptic Gospels; we have three left and two of them are in our text today:
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, ?The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
1. Kingdom ethics are not the same as Roman ethics: power and honor shape Roman ethics; service and love shape Jesus’ ethics.
2. Jesus “confers” on his followers a kingdom as his Father conferred one on him.
3. What Jesus seems to be conferring is two-fold:
His followers are permitted at the table: fellowship with Christ
His followers will rule alongside him over the twelve tribes of Israel: judgment
4. Again, kingdom is intimately — never more so in fact — connected to fellowship with Jesus and it is also clearly associated with Davidic expectation of an earthly rule of the Messiah; disciples are his viceregents.



Leave a Comment »
Related Topics: Kingdom of God
beliefnet
  list archives most recent most popular  
beliefnet
You Might Also Like...
Previous Posts

More Blogs To Enjoy!!!
Thank you for visiting Jesus Creed. This blog is no longer being updated. Please enjoy the archives. Here are some other blogs you may also enjoy: Red Letters with Tom Davis Recent prayer post on Prayables Most Recent Inspiration blog post Happy Reading!  

posted 11:15:58am Aug. 16, 2012 | read full post »

Our Common Prayerbook 30 - 3
Psalm 30 thanks God (vv. 1-3, 11-12) and exhorts others to thank God (vv. 4-5). Both emerge from the concrete reality of David's own experience. Here is what that experience looks like:Step one: David was set on high and was flourishing at the hand of God's bounty (v. 7a).Step two: David became too

posted 12:15:30pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Theology After Darwin 1 (RJS)
One of the more important and more difficult pieces of the puzzle as we feel our way forward at the interface of science and faith is the theological implications of discoveries in modern science. A comment on my post Evolution in the Key of D: Deity or Deism noted: ...this reminds me of why I get a

posted 6:01:52am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Almost Christian 4
Who does well when it comes to passing on the faith to the youth? Studies show two groups do really well: conservative Protestants and Mormons; two groups that don't do well are mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. Kenda Dean's new book is called Almost Christian: What the Faith of Ou

posted 12:01:53am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Let's Get Neanderthal!
The Cave Man Diet, or Paleo Diet, is getting attention. (Nothing is said about Culver's at all.) The big omission, I have to admit, is that those folks were hunters -- using spears or smacking some rabbit upside the conk or grabbing a fish or two with their hands ... but that's what makes this diet

posted 2:05:48pm Aug. 30, 2010 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(6)
post a comment
Dan

posted March 31, 2008 at 9:07 am


would you be able to put these all together as one file like you did with one of yor other long bible series?
thanks



report abuse
 

sheryl

posted March 31, 2008 at 10:08 am


?The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that.”
I think this is one of the single most important sayings & teachings of Jesus. It really deals a blow to our appetite and inclination for power and ruling over others, especially within the Church.
Scot, how would you (if you even would) harmonize Jesus’ teaching here with Paul’s instructions in the Pastoral epistles for Ecclesiology?



report abuse
 

AaronJ

posted March 31, 2008 at 10:29 am


It’s crazy to watch our churches in light of this. I run out of fingers when I try to count all of the Pastors I know who have left a church because the Sr./Lead Pastor rules with this kind of “Roman” approach. And it’s so natural to do so.
What practical things are those of you who are in some place of leadership doing to practice these kingdom values?



report abuse
 

Andrew Murray

posted March 31, 2008 at 10:26 pm


Dan #1,
Hey, long time lurker here. I’m not sure what Scot has in the works, but as I have been following this series I have been compiling it into a word document (with the URL at the beginning of each entry). If you would like, I would be happy to e-mail the document to you (and anyone else who interested) after the conclusion of the series. Just let me know: spinwizard@truevine.net.



report abuse
 

sheryl

posted April 1, 2008 at 12:42 pm


Andrew – I’d love a copy of it. I’ll send you my email address. Thanks!



report abuse
 

Scot McKnight

posted April 1, 2008 at 12:53 pm


All, I linked to a pdf of the whole on my Sidebar. Scroll down to “Stuff online” and it’s there.



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.




Related Topics: Kingdom of God
beliefnet
  list archives most recent most popular  
beliefnet

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.