Blog#17, Jesus...and his "kingdom" Gospel

blog#17, Jesus... and his “kingdom” Gospel

Early in his ministry when Jesus first began preaching and teaching, gospel authors recorded in four verse locations the word “gospel,” describing his proclamations. The Greek manuscript copies used the same root word each time: yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-on (see Strong’s Greek Lexicon # 2098). In approximately another 104 New Testament verses, the same term was also rendered gospel/gospel’s. The English term “gospel” is sometimes rendered “good news,” or “glad tidings” in various translation versions.

Was the gospel that Jesus preached, the same message that Paul declared was the gospel in Galatians 1:7-9? Before a person attempts to answer that question too quickly, some verses should be examined and carefully considered. Let’s read some verses which mention Jesus preaching “the gospel of the kingdom.”

I’ll call this first evidence for my presentation, exhibit number one. We read in Mark 1:14-15: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying; The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Examine closely the twice mentioned term “gospel,” and understand that it’s called the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and that repentance and belief in the message was stressed.

Exhibit number two is a verse located in Matthew 4:23: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Notice, the earliest form of the Gospel of the Kingdom, was proclaimed by Jesus in Galilean SYNAGOGUES. Wow! An earliest gospel form; preached in synagogues-accompanied with mighty works.

My third exhibit is a verse located in Matthew 9:35: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” Once again; this early form of the gospel being preached by Jesus, was IN THE SYNAGOGUES.

A fourth exhibit to substantiate my assertion is found in Luke 9:2. Jesus sent the twelve to preach the KINGDOM of GOD, and to heal the sick. From Luke 1:1, up to Luke 9:2, there has been no mention of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, or any possible connection thereto. The disciples have no clue that Jesus must die for the sins of the people, yet they are sent to preach the “Kingdom of God,” and heal the sick. Then, in Luke 9:6, “they departed, and went throughout the towns, preaching the GOSPEL, and healing everywhere.”

Truthfully speaking, Luke 9:6 could be another evidence of my assertion; exhibit number five. Even the apostles, at first, preached an early gospel form, minus the elements of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. They, as yet, had no knowledge of Jesus’ coming death.

Only later, in Luke 18:32-34, when Jesus begins to open up a little and foretell to the twelve what is soon to happen to him; how he is to be delivered to the Gentiles, to be mocked, be spitefully entreated, and spitted on, put to death, and to rise again the third day, the disciples are dumfounded. They know nothing about a gospel of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as yet.

Matter of fact, Luke 18:34 writes: “and they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.”

These verses provide more than enough evidence to support my observations. In every case the word “gospel,” was used in a specific way related to the Kingdom of God, yet differing from the “gospel,” as defined and detailed in Paul’s letters (epistles).

Paul clearly outlines his “gospel” in 1Corinthians 15:1-8. It consisted of the elements of death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The “gospel” Paul preached, relates to the believer receiving, and standing by faith/belief, in that body of truth-the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

We are compelled to admit on the basis of scriptural evidence, and on the basis of knowledge of teachings acceptable in first century synagogues, that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, was the earliest form of the gospel. It stands to reason that if Jesus would have preached about his own death, burial, and resurrection, in his first synagogue meeting, there would have never been a second synagogue meeting with him preaching.

The “good news” was about the Kingdom of God. Personal promotion was not the Jewish way during worship, and the Kingdom of God was about God’s rule. Besides, serious bible students are aware of Jesus’ ministry time line, and various stages leading up to his prophecies of impending death. In those early days, his disciples could never begin to fathom the depths about his coming death or resurrection. He hardly talked about it, until the time began to draw near. They were still “hung up” on kingdom truths, even after the descent of the Holy Spirit. See Acts 1:6, when the disciples asked him when the kingdom would be restored again to Israel.

The nearness, or “at hand” phrases about the kingdom of God, seemed to be emphasized by miracles and healings, as well as parables with deeper meanings about God’s rule in human affairs.

The prophecy and writings of Isaiah 52:7-9, had said: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that sayeth unto Tzion, Thy God reigneth!” The same Greek Septuagint root words are used which we found in the Christian Greek manuscripts (Strong’s # 2098).

It was a gospel of joyful proclamation, of a time foreseen by Isaiah. Israel would be freed from Assyrian captivity. the Lord would return to Tzion, Jerusalem will be redeemed from waste places (ruin), and the Lord would comfort His people. All the earth would see the salvation of our God (yeshuat Elokenu). The nation would be restored after being humbled, and a final redemption would happen in God’s scheme.

Isaiah felt it in his prophecies when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, as stated in Isaiah 61:1-2. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives; and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;”

Jesus also, felt the same anointing and fulfillment, as he stated, after standing and reading from the scroll in Luke 4:16-19. He opened the scroll and read the same verses from Isaiah. His vision of the kingdom era brought the same joy, which that prophet had experienced. Freedom and liberation from captivity, preaching good news to the poor, healing and deliverance for those captive to sin and disease. Restoration of sight for the blind.

Jesus, in prophetic ecstasy, felt he was the catalyst for fulfillment of those words. His mighty works indicated the same. The evidence of visitation from God, to the people of Israel, in the time of Jesus, is quite certain, and is possibly verifiable beyond even those source documents of the Christian Bible (gospels).

Flavius Josephus wrote about Jesus in Antiquities XVIII, 63-64. But, since it has such favorable comments about Jesus, some scholars believed it was an interpolation or forgery woven into the text of Josephus. One scholar, an expert on Second Temple History, pointed to the end of the passage which reads; “and unto this day there are still people who are called Christians .”

The expert argued, “it is unlikely, that such a sentence would be a forgery, and it appears that these are the words of Josephus himself.” Later, another professor found a different version of Josephus, a tenth century Arabic Version. The reading is reported as follows:

‘At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. Accordingly they believed that he was the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.’

May we assume that the Arabic text, which contains no trace of a Christian view, actually relates what Josephus wrote about Jesus, rather than the supposed Greek interpolation?