The Kingdom of God in Luke: parables of the kingdom and eschatology

Question 1

What Jesus’s teachings on the Kingdom of God mean exactly?

Answer 1

The way God acts in human history to establish his reign. (mentioned 35 times in Luke)

Question 2

The term ‘kingdom of God’ is not mentioned in the Old Testament. What concept did people think about a ‘kingdom’ overall though?

Answer 2

• Idea of sovereignty
• Expressing God’s authority over all

Question 3

Why did Jewish people look forward to a future kingdom (like the golden era under King David)?

Answer 3

As God’s rule was no accepted by all nations + being under Roman power and control

Question 4

It is unclear when the kingdom would arrive. Provide the three differing views regarding this and what they mean.

Answer 4

• The past: established before Jesus (continues into present and future)
• The present: made known to people through life/teachings of Jesus
• The future: eschatological happening (second coming of Christ)

Question 5

Hans Conszelmann viewed God’s Kingdom to be in the past, and interpreted this in a historical way. How does he divide it into three stages?

Answer 5

1) The age of Israel (kingdom given to the Jews)
2) Jesus’s minstry ushered new age
3) Jesus’s acension as start of third stage, where Christians must spread the message until the end of the age in the future

Question 6

Sodd explains that Jesus taught about a present kingdom. What ideas did he bring up regarding this?

Answer 6

The present kingdom was:
- Available to all (especially those who were least on Earth)
- With people now

Question 7

Why does Dodd acknowledge that there are references made in Jesus’s teachings regarding a future stage for the coming of the kingdom?

Answer 7

• Jesus using apocalyptical language in his ministry (e.g., Son of Man)
• Judgement usually linked with the future happens in present (some accept/reject Jesus)

Question 8

How is Dodd criticised?

Answer 8

• All inerpretations assume realised eschatology is correct
• The ‘futuristic’ passages had more to do with the eschatology of the early Church than Jesus’s own teachings

Question 9

Schweitzer argued that the coming of the Kingdom will occur in the future. Explain his views further.

Answer 9

He believed that Jesus saw himself as the Son of Man who would bring about the kingdom of God:
- First through his ministry (+ disciples)
- Then, through his suffering and death

Question 10

Today, why do most scholars reject Schweitzer’s views?

Answer 10

• His theory is dependent on the Gospel’s content being chronological
• Jesus’s death is seen as a failure
• Ignores early Church’s views (that God intervened through the resurrection and Jesus’sn death made salvation possible)

Question 11

Some scholars suggest that there are references to the Gospels to both present and future kingdoms. What does this view suggest overall?

Answer 11

• The kingdom came into being through Jesus’s life
• But kingdom will be completed in the future

Question 12

Cullmann saw Jesus as the midpoint of sacred history. How does he illustrated this view as an analogy?

Answer 12

• D-Day as the decisive battle, the war was not won until VE Day
• Jesus’s death compared to D-Day and future Paurosia to VE Day

Question 13

Marshall concludes that the kingdom of God is present and a future reality. Explain his view further.

Answer 13

• It is present in the ministry of Jesus; Jesus offers salvation to all
• Jesus speaks of the future Parousia, a time when Son of Man will come and arrive when least expected

Question 14

What is the meaning and theological significance of the Parable of the Sower?

Answer 14

• Deals with question why all those that hear message do not act upon it
• Knowing the about the kingdom depends on seeing beyond the superficial
• Conzelmann: message is present, kingdom will come in the imminent future

Question 15

How is the Parable of the Sower important for earlier believers?

Answer 15

(Allegorical)
- Warns against such dangers (e.g. initial enthusiasm, obsession with posessions)
- Teaches what is required while waiting

Question 16

What is the meaning and theological significance of Jesus and Beelzebul and the sign of Jonah?

Answer 16

• People do not see Kingdom of God present among them
• ‘finger of God’ echoes account of Exodus
• Realised eschatology (“The kingdom of God has come upon you”)
• Jesus reproaches people for not realising the kingdom is present
• Just as jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Jesus is to them

Question 17

How is the story of Jesus and Beelzebul and the sign of Jonah important for earlier believers?

Answer 17

• Early church saw itself as ‘house’ under attack, and need to continue fight against Beelzebul
• Teachings fit Luke’s salvation history (church belongs to the third age)
• Redacts argue Luke removed reference to crucifixion (he removed idea end had already started)

Question 18

What is the meaning and theological significance of the narrow door?

Answer 18

• Question raised whether Jesus deals with many or few being saved
• Apocalyptic parable (owner = God, door = salvation, people knocking = judgement)
• Jews do not have an automatic right to enter the kingdom (they must respond to Jesus and if the door closes, they will miss opportunity to enter the kingdom)

Question 19

How is the story of the narrow door important for early believers?

Answer 19

• Reflects confused beliefs about the klngdom in the early church
• First believers = claim there’s automatic entry
• Dodd ~ Kingdom was a presence for the poor
• Unclear when ‘door will shut’ ~ future?

Question 20

What is the meaning and theological significance of the parable of the great banquet?

Answer 20

• Directed against the Pharisees’ expectation on that they are invited into the kingdom
• Jewish custom imagery ~ God is master and Jesus his servant
• Israel (of the day) find excuses as why they cannot attend (cannot ‘hear’ message)
• Master tells Jesus to invite outcasts of Israel
• Israel has excluded itself being part of Kingdom

Question 21

How is the parable of the great banquet important for earlier believers?

Answer 21

• Represents how the Church should welcome ‘outcasts’, like God does
• When compared to Matthew, apocalyptic elements are removed suggesting Parousia being delayed, and banquet as a reward

Question 22

What is the meaning and theological significance of the coming of the kingdom of God?

Answer 22

• “The kingdom of God is in your midst” –> kingdom will come with no warning as a spiritual state
• “Son of Man in his day” & “first he may suffer many things” –> 2nd coming of Jesus, he needed to die before Kingdom
• Kingdom takes people by surprise -> no time to react and should be responded with urgency when arrived

Question 23

How is the coming of the kingdom of God important for earlier believers?

Answer 23

• Early church = Parousia is immanent
• Form critics = passage taken from earlier collection of sayings
• People encouraged to live lives as Parousia can happen at any moment.

Question 24

What is the meaning and theological significance of the rich and the kingdom of God?

Answer 24

• Theme of salvation
• reply to “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” –> dangers of wealth, hard for rich to enter Kingdom
• Rich ruler as contrast to children –> children have trust, request to sell everything was a test of the rich’s trust in Jesus (unwillingness to give up wealth is an issue)

Question 25

How is the rich and the kingdom of God important for earlier believers?

Answer 25

• Jesus’s reply is reassuring to early Christians as they contributed so much
• Delayed Parousia = early church seeing ‘age to come’ as eternal life