The Bible Project | The Gospel of the Kingdom
For this post, I'm including a video and the manuscript for an Animated Explanation of The Gospel of the Kingdom by Tim Mackie and Jon Collins via The Bible Project that helps explain not only the history of the word "Gospel" in the Bible, but why it is such Good News that Jesus would bring about a Kingdom of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who walk like He did to share and show this history-altering, personally-transforming, and world-restoring Good News to their neighborhoods, villages, towns, and cities.
Animated Explanation of The Gospel of the Kingdom by The Bible Project
Produced by Tim Mackie and Jon Collins
There's this beautiful poem – it's in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 52:3-10). The city of Jerusalem has just been destroyed by Babylon, the great kingdom in the North. And all of these Jewish people, they have been sent away into exile. But a few remain in the city. And they are left there wondering, "What has just happened? Has our God abandoned us?"
Right, because Jerusalem was supposed to be the city where God would reign over the world to bring peace and blessing to everyone.
Now Isaiah had been saying that Jerusalem's destruction was a mess of Israel's own making. They had turned away from their God, become corrupt, and so their city and their temple were destroyed. Yeah, everything seems lost.
But the poem goes on. There's a watchman on the city walls, and far out on the hills, we see a messenger and he's running towards the city. And he's running and shouting, "Good News!" And Isaiah says, "How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring Good News?!"
Beautiful feet? Yes, the feet are beautiful because they're carrying a beautiful message. What's the message? That despite Jerusalem's destruction, Israel's God still reigns as King and that God Himself is going to one day return to this city, take up His throne, and bring peace. And the watchmen sing for joy because of the Good News that their God still reigns.
Now in the New Testament we find this same phrase: Good News. It's the Greek word, "Evangelion," and it's sometimes translated with the word, "Gospel." So when Christians say, "Do you believe the Gospel?" they mean, "Do you believe the news?"
But not just any news. In the Bible, this phrase is always about the announcement of the reign of a new king. And in the New Testament, the Gospels use this phrase to summarize all of Jesus' teachings. They say He went about proclaiming the Good News of God's Kingdom.
So Jesus saw Himself as the Messenger bringing the news that God reigns. Yes, but the way that He described God's reign surprised everybody. I mean, think, "powerful, successful kingdom." It needs to be strong, able to impose its will, able to defeat its enemies. But Jesus said the greatest person in God's Kingdom was the weakest: the one who loves and serves the poor. And He says that you live under God's reign when you respond to evil by loving your enemies and forgiving them and seeking peace. This is an upside down Kingdom.
Now Jesus also said that this Kingdom was arriving with Him. Yeah, so for example, there's this really interesting story that there's a high ranking Roman officer and He comes to Jesus begging Him to heal his servant. And He even calls Jesus his Lord, acknowledging that Jesus is his authority! Jesus praises this man for recognizing what no one else has, that not only was Jesus announcing God's Kingdom, He was the King.
And so the word gets out that this Jewish man from Galilee is talking and acting like He's the King of Israel. He's appointing twelve disciples which are an image of Israel's twelve tribes. He's healing people and forgiving their sins. And this all so threatened Israel's leaders, they finally decided to have Him killed.
And Jesus let them, which is a weird thing to do if you're trying to become king. But for Jesus, this is what had to happen. Jesus saw the sin and devastation of His people, Israel, as just one small part of the entire human condition, how all humanity has rebelled against God, resulting in the tragedy and devastation of our whole world.
So how is God going to bring His reign over such a world? Jesus believed that it was through an act of sacrificial love for His enemies. This is why in the Gospels Jesus' crucifixion is depicted as His enthronement as the King of the Jews.
He receives a crown. He also receives a robe. He's exalted up, not onto a throne, but onto the cross. How beautiful the feet that bring Good News.
And the Good News now is that Jesus has defeated death and that He reigns as King. That He's dealt with our sin and corruption Himself and that He's conquered it with His life and with His love.
And then Jesus sends His followers to go out and keep announcing this Good News of the upside down Kingdom and to invite everyone to give their allegiance to Him, the King who defeated death with His love.
Right, because Jerusalem was supposed to be the city where God would reign over the world to bring peace and blessing to everyone.
Now Isaiah had been saying that Jerusalem's destruction was a mess of Israel's own making. They had turned away from their God, become corrupt, and so their city and their temple were destroyed. Yeah, everything seems lost.
But the poem goes on. There's a watchman on the city walls, and far out on the hills, we see a messenger and he's running towards the city. And he's running and shouting, "Good News!" And Isaiah says, "How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring Good News?!"
Beautiful feet? Yes, the feet are beautiful because they're carrying a beautiful message. What's the message? That despite Jerusalem's destruction, Israel's God still reigns as King and that God Himself is going to one day return to this city, take up His throne, and bring peace. And the watchmen sing for joy because of the Good News that their God still reigns.
Now in the New Testament we find this same phrase: Good News. It's the Greek word, "Evangelion," and it's sometimes translated with the word, "Gospel." So when Christians say, "Do you believe the Gospel?" they mean, "Do you believe the news?"
But not just any news. In the Bible, this phrase is always about the announcement of the reign of a new king. And in the New Testament, the Gospels use this phrase to summarize all of Jesus' teachings. They say He went about proclaiming the Good News of God's Kingdom.
So Jesus saw Himself as the Messenger bringing the news that God reigns. Yes, but the way that He described God's reign surprised everybody. I mean, think, "powerful, successful kingdom." It needs to be strong, able to impose its will, able to defeat its enemies. But Jesus said the greatest person in God's Kingdom was the weakest: the one who loves and serves the poor. And He says that you live under God's reign when you respond to evil by loving your enemies and forgiving them and seeking peace. This is an upside down Kingdom.
Now Jesus also said that this Kingdom was arriving with Him. Yeah, so for example, there's this really interesting story that there's a high ranking Roman officer and He comes to Jesus begging Him to heal his servant. And He even calls Jesus his Lord, acknowledging that Jesus is his authority! Jesus praises this man for recognizing what no one else has, that not only was Jesus announcing God's Kingdom, He was the King.
And so the word gets out that this Jewish man from Galilee is talking and acting like He's the King of Israel. He's appointing twelve disciples which are an image of Israel's twelve tribes. He's healing people and forgiving their sins. And this all so threatened Israel's leaders, they finally decided to have Him killed.
So how is God going to bring His reign over such a world? Jesus believed that it was through an act of sacrificial love for His enemies. This is why in the Gospels Jesus' crucifixion is depicted as His enthronement as the King of the Jews.
He receives a crown. He also receives a robe. He's exalted up, not onto a throne, but onto the cross. How beautiful the feet that bring Good News.
And the Good News now is that Jesus has defeated death and that He reigns as King. That He's dealt with our sin and corruption Himself and that He's conquered it with His life and with His love.
And then Jesus sends His followers to go out and keep announcing this Good News of the upside down Kingdom and to invite everyone to give their allegiance to Him, the King who defeated death with His love.
Recent posts on overviews of the Story of God found in the Bible:
The Story of God, the World, and You | Our World Belongs to God | Creation, Crisis, Covenant, Christ, Church, (New) Creation | Jesus as the "True and Better" One | The Messiah | The Covenants | Heaven and Earth | God's Holiness | God's Multi-Ethnic Family | Hell | Sacrifice and Atonement | The Law | The Gospel According to Mark | What the Son of God Said About the Word of God
Another Story of God post: The Story of God | The Justice Calling of God for His People
Another Story of God post: The Story of God | The Justice Calling of God for His People
Christ is all,
Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan
Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan
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