Chapter Six: Public

Ministry of Jesus
Chapter Six: Public Ministry of Jesus
 According to biblical studies, “the phrase Kingdom of God (Greek,
basileia tou theou) can be found 92 times in Jesus’ own words.
Jesus, even at simple indication, put greater emphasis on the
Kingdom of God as his message.
 Scholars agreed along with other supporting essential arguments
that “Jesus’ vision is centered on the Kingdom of God, the Reign of
God.”
1. Kingdom of God: Layers of Interpretations
The Kingdom of God is quite a challenging matter for scholars and
theologians.
Even the New Testament writings apparently differ on their nuances.

1.1 Kingdom of God as a Future Event

The Kingdom of God was characterized with the absence of suffering,
sorrow, sin and death.
It is viewed as a future when God completely reigns over evil.
People look towards the future with great anticipation, and
excitement.
1.2 Kingdom of God as a Present
Reality
This is also known as “the Kingdom of God is right here and now.”
It is embraced as a present moment where God reveals himself and
his power, without any doubt, through the lives of men an women.
One does not need to wander in the future to seek traces of God’s
intervention but in the healing, the exorcism and the manifold ways by
which he manifest Himself to all in and through the person of his Son,
Jesus Christ.
1.3 Kingdom of God: Both a Present and a
Future Reality
1.3.1 JEWISH CONCEPT
Before Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, the Jews had already
understood it as the “reign of YHWH as God and King.”
In the future, He shall judge the nations and bring peace, justice and
equality to all people, especially to those who are opposed and
marginalized.
Obedience to the law was equated with obedience to the will of God.
Excessive devotion to the law was criticized by Jesus because some
Pharisees became more legalistic, that is, obedient to the very letters
of the law without high regard to its spirit, its wisdom.
1.3 Kingdom of God: Both a Present and a
Future Reality
1.3.2 JESUS’ TEACHING
Jesus made an urgent announcement that now is the fulfillment of
the Kingdom of God.
It is from this perspective that scholars designated Jesus as the
Autobasiliea, that is, the Kingdom of God himself through his words
and works. His emphatic call of the “present” is truly imperative.
Jesus’ call for repentance, means that “God’s Kingdom will demand a
reorientation of life.”
1.3 Kingdom of God: Both a Present and a
Future Reality
To follow Jesus means to be of service to the Kingdom of God with a
loving trust and a firm commitment to God.
The Kingdom of God will have its full realization in Jesus’ Second
Coming when Christ shall be the supreme Judge and King.
The Disciples are called to face the future with great hope and
anticipation, and to constantly be reminded of the need for renewal,
commitment and to devote one’s life to the Lord, and his Kingdom it to
dedicate it for Jesus Christ.
LOVE: JESUS’ GREATEST
COMMANDMENT
What is love?
■ In the entire New Testament, the “Greek words for love, agapao
(willing) and agape (committed love) occur well over 300 times
■ The very foundation and origin of love is God Himself for God is
love (1 John 4.8b)
■ God – The Father, the Son and the Spirit – is a community of
overflowing love. His love is unconditional, unrelenting and
compassionate.
■ When Israel entered the covenant, was tested, succumbed to temptations,
and fell into sin, the loving God did not give up on Israel. Instead, He kept his
arms wide open to welcome Israel with understanding, forgiveness and love.
■ Israel violated and offended God by worshipping pagan gods, and therefore,
in great need of being redeemed. God’s messengers, and leaders were sent
to rescue her but she kept on hardening her heart to sin.
■ Finally, God’s ultimate expression of God’s love culminated in sending his only
begotten Son to redeem a stubborn, sinful humanity.

“In this way, the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world that he
might have life through him. In this love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and
sent his Son as an expiation for our sins” (1 John 4.9-10)
■ In Matthew 5.44-48, he taught:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I ay to
you, love your enemies, and pray to those who persecute you, that you may be children of your
Heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on
the just and the unjust.

■ Given that the very idea of an enemy is enough to stir an emotion of

hare, rejection, protest and even vengeance, is it humanly possible
and doable to love our enemies in the way that Jesus asked us to do?
■ It is humanly possible and doable, aided by the grace of Christ. The
key, therefore, to love one’s enemy is to ask for the grace if Jesus
Christ, and to train our will to love even those we hate and those who
hate us.
KINGDOM OF GOD
FULFILLED THROUGH HIS
WORDS AND HIS WORKS
Fulfilled through his Words
■ Autobasilea – the Kingdom of God himself through his words and works

■ Jesus’ words refer to his teachings, stories and sayings in the gospels. Then,
Jesus spoke of the Beatitudes:
• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
• Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied
• Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
• Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
• Blessed are they who are persecuted for sake of righteousness.

 Matthew indicated 8 Beatitudes while Luke listed only 4

• Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of god is yours.
• Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
• Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
• Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you, and
denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of man.

 Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, “blessed, happy”) is the term traditionally

used to designate Jesus’ sayings at the beginning of the Sermon of the
Mount.
 The beatitudes have been interpreted as
1. As a praise
2. As a blessing
3. As a proclamation
 Without a doubt, the Beatitudes truly “represents the demands and obligations
made on those who are prepared to accept the gift of the Kingdom. Indeed, blessed
is he who lives for Christ.
OUR FATHER: JESUS’
INSTRUCTION TO HIS
DISCIPLE
■ The greatest prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, the “Our Father” still
continues to be an essential part of Christian spirituality.
■ It is considered as one of the most beautiful prayers that a disciple of
Jesus can utter.
■ Matthew wrote:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors;
And do not subject us to the final test,
But deliver us from evil one. (6.9-13)
■ The prayer was intended for Jesus’ immediate disciples, the
Twelve, when he taught them how to pray. This is a prayer
that rightly speaks of our need for God.
■ William Barclay elaborated that the Lord’s Prayer is
specifically and definitely stated to be the disciples prayer.
■ The first three petitions have to do with God and with the
glory of God and the second three petitions have to do with
our needs.
■ Prayer ought always to be an attempt to submit our wills to
the will of God.
Parables
■ Greek word “parabole”, literally means “comparison” and “usually
build from a literary device called a simile. In a simile, two different
things are compared to illustrate a point.
■ When Jesus spoke about the parable of the prodigal son: from his
excess wealth, to returning home with grieving, repentant heart, and
people would be moved by the Father who forgave his son.
■ It was a simple and clear example that definitely mark a reflection in
the minds and hearts of Jesus’ listeners.
■ Jesus based his parables on the day-to-day experiences of his
contemporaries, also made use of parables to explain and illustrate
the reality of God’s kingdom in their midst and finally, led his listeners
to reflection after telling them the moral of the parable.
Fulfilled Through His Work
■ Jesus works refers to his miracles and deeds throughout his
entire life such as turning water into wine, healing the sick,
multiplication of loaves and many more.
■ Jesus is loved by the people for his wisdom and his miracles
and was hated by the Pharisees, the Scribe and the
Sadducees because his claims were controversial to the
tenets and traditions of the Jewish religion.
Miracles: A Variety of Signs
■ Healing Miracles – Jesus is shown of relieving the people afflicted with fever,
paralysis, leprosy, blindness and so on.
■ Exorcism – Jesus driving evils spirits or demons out of people. [See Matthew
8.28-34, 9.32-4, 12.22-4, 17.14-8, Mark 1.23-28, Luke 13.10-7 and parallel
texts for examples]
■ Restorations to Life – Three stories tell of Jesus’ raising people from the dead.
[John 1.1-44, Mark 5.35-43, Luke 7.11-17 for examples]
■ Nature Miracles – The Gospel demonstrates Jesus’ apparent control over the
forces of nature such as walking on water, calms a storm, feeds thousand with
just a few loaves and fish and so on. [Mark 6.48-52, Mark 6.30-44, 45-52 for
examples]
CONTROVERSIAL
ENCOUNTERS
Jesus may have been well-loved by ordinary people seeking healing and
signs of God but his critics continued to follow Him – with suspicion and
accusation to discredit his claims and destroy hid person.
1. HEALING ON THE DAY OF THE
SABBATH

Two examples are:

◦ The healing of the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12)
◦ The cure of a man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1-6)

For the religious authorities of His time, such incidents

were considered violations against the law of the Sabbath,
indicated in Exodus 20:8-11.
3. GRANTING OF FORGIVENESS TO THE
PARALYTIC

For the Jews, only God can forgive. But in Mark 2:1-5,
the scribes, experts on Jewish percepts, heard a man
from Nazareth who uttered a word of pardon for the
paralytic’s sins. For this, they judged Jesus as guilty of
blasphemy.
4. CALLING OF LEVI, A PUBLIC SINNER,
AS JESUS’ DISCIPLE

The religious leaders of his day were so concerned about purity, even to the
point of labeling people as clean and unclean. In Mark 2:13-17, Jesus called
Levi, a tax collector that is considered as a public sinner. Jesus did not come
to save those who are not in need of salvation, who think highly of themselves
as good. Righteous or holy. Those who are sinners but recognize their weakness,
and believe in God’s invitation to change anew, and become part of his circle are
warmly welcomed by Jesus Christ in His kingdom.
5. DISPUTE ON FASTING

Scott Hahn defined ‘fasting’ as “an abstention from food,

either wholly or partially, as an act of mourning or penance.”
This topic was seen in the bible at Mark 2:18-20 but was
misunderstood by the people where he really meant was His
passion and death. And also, at Matthew 6:16.
MIRACLES AND THEIR
MEANINGS
Jesus was a controversial figure during His time.
1. He disturbed people from their excesses of
legalism and bothered them from their
indifference and hypocrisy.
2. The opportunity to sow the seeds of
goodness and help people be liberated from
their ailing situation was neglected for fear of So, how do we interpret the
violating society’s convention. meaning and relevance of
3. The sick and possessed were in need of help Jesus’ miracle, considering
but a lot of people cared less because the law that it was welcome with
forbid them to do it. both appreciation and
condemnation?
These miracles by Jesus were sign-events of God kingdom
present in the lives of his people/contemporaries. It is because:

• They point the reality of God and His Kingdom

• They embody Go’s mercy and forgiveness of sins (at that time,
sickness was viewed as divine punishment
• They show the visible in-breaking of God’s Kingdom in the lives of
men and women, especially in time of disease and distress
• They reveal Jesus’ power and authority over sickness, nature and
evil
• They manifest of triumph of God over evil
Without a doubt, what Luke recorded in 4:18-
19, which was originally the prophecy of
Isaiah, was fulfilled in the person of Jesus
Christ:
Not only that Isaiah’s prophecy
‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me,
was fulfilled but Jesus is truly-
because he has anointed me and bring glad
the Autobasiliea.
tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to
proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.’
SUMMARY
I – Kingdom of God: Layers of Interpretation
1. Kingdom of God as future event
2. Kingdom of God as present reality
3. Kingdom of God: Both a present and future reality
3.1 – Jewish Concept
3.2 – Jesus Teaching
4. Love: Jesus Greatest Commandment
5. Kingdom of God Fulfilled through his words and works
5.1 – Fulfilled through his words
5.1.1 – Beatitudes
5.1.2 – Our Father
5.1.3 – Parables
5.2 – Fulfilled through his works
5.2.1 – Miracles: A variety of Signs
5.2.2 – Controversial Encounters
5.2.3 – Exorcism on the Day of the Sabbath
5.2.4 – Granting of Forgiveness to Paralytic
5.2.5 – Calling of Levi
5.2.6 – Dispute on Fasting
5.2.7 – Miracles and their Meanings