Jesus was born in Bethlehem in 5 or 6 B.C., late in the reign of Herod the Great (Matt 1-2; Luke 1-2). He was descended from Abraham, Judah, and David, which made him a potential heir to the Jewish throne (Matt 1; Luke 3).

In childhood, he displayed an unusual awareness of and intimacy with God. Jesus referred to Him not only as "Lord" or "the Almighty," but as his "Father," making himself the "Son of God." On one occasion, he became separated from his parents, who later found him in the Temple.

"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49, NIV).

When he grew up, Jesus began a public ministry primarily in Galilee, but also in Samaria and Judea (see the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). He proclaimed the imminent coming of a new Kingdom -- not another human kingdom like Greece or Rome, but the eternal Kingship of God Himself.

"The time has come," he said. "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)

Jesus announced the Kingdom not only through his words, but also through his deeds. To illustrate: Jesus called disciples to himself and taught them how to live their lives under God's Lordship (Matt 6:33). He healed the sick and cast out demons, showing that God was in the process of ending evil, destroying Satan's power, and restoring Creation to its original goodness (Luke 11:20).

Over time, Jesus' disciples began to realize that he was not merely a herald of God's Kingdom, but the Lord's appointed Ruler over that Kingdom. At Caesarea Philippi, Peter confessed:

You are the Christ (the Messiah or anointed King descended from David), the Son of the Living God. (Matt 16:16)

The Jewish governing class viewed Jesus as a threat to their power and position. To remove that threat, they arrested Jesus, accused him of plotting a rebellion against Caesar, and turned him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

Pilate...summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"...Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not of this world...my Kingdom is from another place." "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a King. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world...." (John 18:33, 36-37)

The Jewish leadership shouted, "Crucify him!" "We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:1-16) So Pilate relented and ordered Jesus' execution.

But his death was neither an accident nor a mere tragedy. For weeks, Jesus had predicted, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life" (Matt 17:22-23). The previous night, Jesus had explained to his disciples that he would die as the sacrifice that establishes a New Covenant between God and Jesus' followers. Under this covenant, people from all nations receive forgiveness of sins and a place in God's Kingdom through a faith commitment to Him (Luke 22:20; Bare Roots 1.2, 7.1, and 15.1).

True to his word, Jesus rose from the tomb on the third day, never to die again. After 40 days spent instructing his disciples, he ascended into heaven with a promise to one day return (Luke 24; Acts 1:1-11). This divine vindication gave new boldness to his disciples. They began to proclaim to everyone, "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).

Jesus proved to be the "offspring of Eve," who destroys Satan and reverses the Fall (Gen 3:15). He is the "seed of Abraham," who offers all nations the "blessing" of a New Covenant with God (Gen 22:18; Gal 3:8-9). He is the "Lion of Judah," who fulfils God's redemptive plan (Gen 49:9-10; Rev 5:5). He is the "Son of David," the anointed Messiah or Christ, who rules as King over God's eternal Kingdom (2 Sam 7:12-16; Bare Roots 19.1, 19.2, and 19.5).

Reflect...

1. God promised a "blessing" for all nations or ethnic groups through one of Abraham's descendants (Gen 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). According to Galatians 3, what exactly is this "blessing"? (For help with Paul's language, see Bare Roots 15.1.)
   
   
2. Page through Matthew's Gospel. Find three examples of Jesus expanding the scope of God's Kingship by teaching disciples how to live life with God as our King.
   
   
3. Read Matthew 21:1-11. How did Jesus announce the coming of God's Kingdom through his deeds, without saying a word?

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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