Good News for All Nations

At the end of his sermon, Jesus claimed absolute authority for his words. If we ignore them, we risk rejection by him – Matthew 7:21-28. “ I never knew you! Depart from me! ” These are the most frightening words we might ever hear from Jesus. His warning demonstrates that Christ’s teachings are not optional. The commandments of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ teach us how we are to live as faithful citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Just as unprepared men were destroyed by the Flood, so unrepentant men and apostates will be overtaken by destruction when Jesus arrives . Jesus compared the final years before his return to the days before the Great Flood. “ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be ” when the “ Son of Man ” returns. In the account in Luke’s Gospel, Christ also equated this future period with the “ days of Lot .” Both analogies stress the same point - (Luke 17:26-30).

Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, which bears little resemblance to the political systems and regimes of this age . Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the Kingdom of God – “ Repent, for the kingdom is at hand .” The Kingdom promised by God was arriving in Christ’s life and ministry. He is the Messiah and King of Israel who summons all men to turn from their wicked ways and submit to his lordship while the opportunity remains.

Forgiveness connects the call of the tax collector to the healing of the paralytic – Christ’s authority to forgive sins  – Mark 2:13-17. When Jesus pronounced the paralytic man’s sins forgiven, he offended the Scribes and Pharisees. But he went on to alienate them even further by showing mercy “ to sinners ,” individuals considered unacceptable by religiously observant Jews. Seeing him eating with “ tax collectors ,” the Scribes and Pharisees insinuated that Jesus was also a notorious sinner – (Mark 2:1-17).

The followers of Jesus are called to rejoice when they are found worthy to suffer for him and his Gospel . Persecution is always a possibility for the Church. We may face hostility from employers, neighbors, the government, and our family members because of our beliefs and practices. So, how should we react when the possibility becomes reality? Jesus and the Apostles provided clear instructions and examples of how we must respond when faced with persecution.

When we react to hostility with hostility and anger, Satan wins .  The reality of persecution raises questions. How should we respond when attacked by the State, the culture, society, or even our family and friends? Is resorting to anger or retaliation appropriate, or should we emulate examples from the life of Jesus? In his teachings, he warned us to expect “ tribulation ,” and he summoned us to follow his path (“ If they persecuted me, so they will persecute you ”).

The Gospel of Mark provides only a few examples of the many parables taught by Jesus (“ Apart from a parable he did not speak to the crowds ”). In them, the dominant theme is the Kingdom of God that invaded the Earth in the ministry of Jesus and continues to grow and produce fruit wherever the Gospel is preached. The “ Son of Man ” taught the Jewish people in parables, but only as they “ were able to hear ,” and this clause stresses the responsibility of the listener to hear and heed his words.

The Parable of the Sower provides the key to understanding the parables of Jesus. The story’s point is that the Kingdom of God began to invade the present age starting with the proclamation of the Gospel by the “ Son of Man .” That process commenced with his announcement of the Good News when he was in “ Galilee of the Nations .” Ever since then, the Kingdom has been advancing across the Earth though largely unnoticed by humanity and even by many of his followers.

Retaliation and violence are not appropriate reactions to hostility and persecution for the disciples of Jesus. Instead, they must meet threats and assaults with humility, mercy, and forgiveness. This is what it means to “ deny yourself ,” “ take up his cross ,” and follow him “ wherever he leads .” Doing good to one’s “ enemy ” is contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ,” yet doing so is how we become “ perfect as the Heavenly Father .”

The arrival of Jesus will mean the resurrection of the dead, the commencement of the New Creation, and the final judgment . Several Greek terms are applied by the New Testament to the return of Jesus, including ‘ Parousia ’ (“arrival”), ‘ erchomai ’ (“coming”), ‘ apokalupsis ’ (“revelation”), and ‘ epiphaneia ’ (“appearance”). Regardless of which one is used, it is always singular in number, it always refers to only one future “arrival,” “appearance,” “revelation,” or “coming.”

Jesus summons us to become “ perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect ,” yet how can we emulate the perfect righteousness of God? His explanation is clear – By performing acts of mercy for others,  especially our enemies . Self-sacrificial love is the heart of the Gospel and the essential nature of the merciful God. Was Jesus not the Messiah who submitted to an unjust death on our behalf when we were yet the “ enemies of God ”?

Fulfillment  is a key theme in the  Gospel of Matthew . With the arrival of the Messiah, the time of fulfillment began. What were the implications for the Law of Moses? In his ‘ Sermon on the Mount ’, Jesus provides clear answers. He did not come to settle the interpretive disputes between competing Jewish sects over the details of the Law but to  FULFILL  the “ Law and the Prophets .”

The life, words, and deeds of Jesus echo key events from the History of Israel. He brings the things God began in the past to their intended fulfillment. He is the  Greater Lawgiver  foreshadowed in the story of the Exodus from Egypt. By presenting parallels between Moses and Jesus, the  Gospel of Matthew  prepares us for the teachings of Christ, especially as represented in his ‘ Sermon on the Mount ’.