Lesson 4: The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the student can;

Doctrine: Illustrate the concept of the Kingdom of God

Morals: Translate the challenges of the kingdom of God into moral actions
Worship: Make a prayer reflection on “Your Kingdom Come”

WHAT KINGDOM DO I BELONG

There was once a King of Prussia whose name was Frederick William.On a fine morning
in June he went out alone to walk in the green woods. He was tired of the noise of the city, and
he was glad to get away from it.So, as he walked among the trees, he often stopped to listen to
the singing birds, or to look at the wild flowers that grew on every side. Now and then he
stooped to pluck a violet, or a primrose, or a yellow but-ter-cup. Soon his hands were full of
pretty blossoms.

After a while he came to a little meadow in the midst of the wood. Some children were
playing there. They were running here and there, and gathering the cow-slips that were blooming
among the grass.It made the king glad to see the happy children, and hear their merry voices. He
stood still for some time, and watched them as they played.

Then he called them around him, and all sat down to-geth-er in the pleasant shade. The
children did not know who the strange gentleman was; but they liked his kind face and gentle
manners."Now, my little folks," said the king, "I want to ask you some ques-tions, and the child
who gives the best answer shall have a prize."Then he held up an orange so that all the children
could see."You know that we all live in the king-dom of Prussia," he said; "but tell me, to what
king-dom does this orange belong?"The children were puz-zled. They looked at one another, and
sat very still for a little while. Then a brave, bright boy spoke up and said,--"It belongs to the
veg-e-ta-ble kingdom, sir.""Why so, my lad?" asked the king."It is the fruit of a plant, and all
plants belong to that kingdom," said the boy.The king was pleased. "You are quite right," he
said; "and you shall have the orange for your prize."He tossed it gayly to the boy. "Catch it if you
can!" he said.

Then he took a yellow gold piece from his pocket, and held it up so that it glit-tered in the
sunlight."Now to what kingdom does this belong?" he asked.Another bright boy answered quick-
ly, "To the min-er-al kingdom, sir! All metals belong to that kingdom.""That is a good answer,"
said the king. "The gold piece is your prize."
 The children were de-light-ed. With eager faces they waited to hear what the stranger
would say next."I will ask you only one more question," said the king, "and it is an easy one."
Then he stood up, and said, "Tell me, my little folks, to what kingdom do I belong?"The bright
boys were puz-zled now. Some thought of saying, "To the kingdom of Prussia." Some wanted to
say, "To the animal kingdom." But they were a little afraid, and all kept still.At last a tiny blue-
eyed child looked up into the king's smiling face, and said in her simple way,--"I think to the
kingdom of heaven."King Frederick William stooped down and lifted the little maiden in his
arms. Tears were in his eyes as he kissed her, and said, "So be it, my child! So be it."

Yes, we all belong the kingdom of heaven. Let us all get acquainted with this kingdom to
where belong.

REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOOD NEWS

Christ began his public ministry with the proclamation: “The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God has is at hand; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15). The kingdom
of God is associated and made present in and through Jesus Christ.The kingdom of God is the
will of the Father, announced by the Son and fulfilled in the Holy Spirit. This “Blessed …
kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” will last “forever and ever.”

The Core of Jesus’ Teaching

Jesus taught persistently about “the kingdom of God”.This concept was at the very core
of his teaching and life as accounted by the following passages;

(Mk 1:14).
St. Mark announces to us the beginning of the public life of our Lord in these words:
“And after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God and saying: ‘The time is completed, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent, and believe in the gospel’”

(Mt 4:17).
St. Matthew says somewhat more briefly: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to
say: ‘Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’

(Mt 4:23),
St. Matthew sums up the whole of our Lord’s teaching in the words: “preaching the
gospel of the kingdom” and

(Lk 4:43).
St. Luke, describes this as the object of his mission: “To other cities also I must preach
the kingdom of God: for I am sent for this purpose”
 The good news of the kingdom of God was the starting point and the center of our Jesus’
entire public life. He was sent to announce this kingdom, to persuade men by means of his
miracles to believe in his gospel, and to unite all the faithful in this new kingdom.The Gospels
use the terms “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” to refer to this kingdom.

A Main Concept in the Old Testament

For the Jewish people including Christ, the concept of the Kingdom is not new. the
concept was a central, constant part of God’s revelation to Israel from the beginning.Although
the specific term “kingdom of God” is rare in the Old Testament, but the thought which underlies
it, can be found everywhere in the Old Testament writings specially in the book of Psalms with
the thought that “Yahweh, our God, is eternal king and Lord for ever and ever.”

The Old Testament repeatedly emphasized that it was to be regarded and expected as a
divine, everlasting, universal, and spiritual kingdom.

 Divine in that it would be established by & ruled by God.

 Everlasting because both God’s reign and this kingdom itself would have no end.
 Universal because although it starts with the chosen people of Israel, it must extend to
include all the nations of the earth.
 Spiritual in that it is more than an earthly kingdom: it is in essence a heavenly kingdom
even though it is begun on earth.

However, ancient Israel distorted the idea of the Kingdom. As they desired earthly things
they abandoned the spiritual nature of the coming of kingdom. The Israelites had lost the special
significance of the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God. Some of this distorted concept can be
found in Mt 18:1; 20:20 and Jn 6:15.

By the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had come to expect a Messiah who would usher
in an earthly kingdom, rule over all people through the kingdom of Israel, and require all people
to first become Israelites in all things and take upon themselves the whole burden of the Jewish
law.And of course, in the observance of this law they emphasized more and more following the
letter of the law and the external, ceremonial directions of the time.

This kind of distortion is specifically the reason why Jesus spent so much time teaching
about the true nature of the kingdom of God.

Christ’s teaching about the Kingdom of God

Our Lord addressed his teachings on the kingdom of God to these Israelites, to those with
false earthly ideas of the kingdom. He preached and announced the following true meaning of
the kingdom;
Jesus came before his people as the Messiah predicted by the prophets. He preached and
announced the kingdom as it was known by the true meaning of the prophets.
1. This kingdom is the realization of God’s sovereignty over man. For this purpose, the
fulfillment of the will of God is above all things necessary:

“Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but
he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21).

2. This kingdom isn’t simply God’s reign over individual people. It was to be established
in a true and real kingdom, a gathering together of a religious community which would
have as its head the only begotten Son of God, and which shall be governed according to
the constitution which he has given and in accordance with his laws. This is the kingdom
of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.The seed & initial gathering of this kingdom
is the Church, founded by Christ to preach the gospel of Christ and bring Christ’s own
means of salvation to the world through the sacraments.

3. This kingdom of God is a true and actual kingdom of heaven—its foundation is in

heaven, from which its King and Founder has descended from the bosom of the Father,
and it will have its final consummation again in heaven where Jesus Christ will reign for
ever with the saints in glory.

4. Finally, this triumphant final time of the kingdom will be preceded by the preparatory
stage of the time of conflict in the kingdom of God on earth. This community of the
new covenant is founded on earth for man, will embrace all nations, and will last to the
end of time. The time of conflict shall be followed by the eternal enjoyment of the
reward in the kingdom of glory.

The Teaching of Parables(Matthew 13)

Jesus uses parables to illustrate his teaching about the kingdom of God. In many parables
we find an introduction such as, “the kingdom of heaven is like…”, or similar words. But even
where there is no such introduction, the parables all still have at least some reference to the
kingdom of God.
In these parables we can see three principal points of view:

1. The development of the kingdom, its nature, and its working;

2. The members of the kingdom of heaven and their obligations;
3. Christ the Head of the kingdom of God and his position among the members.

Jesus addresses these lessons first of all to his disciples, but also (at least partly) to the
Jewish people as a whole to teach them the true character of the kingdom of the Messiah.
The Kingdom of God and Salvation
Admittedly, the term “kingdom of God” is somewhat complex: it spans the Old and New
Testaments, and it refers to several things at once. But at its core, the kingdom is fundamentally
about salvation.

KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH

Redemptoris Missio, #15

In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God’s plan of
salvation in all its fullness.

CCC 567
The Kingdom of heaven was inaugurated on earth by Christ. “This kingdom shone out
before men in the word, in the works, and in the presence of Christ” (Lumen Gentium 5).
The Church is the seed and beginning of this kingdom. Her keys are entrusted to Peter.

CCC 551
From the beginning of his public life Jesus chose certain men, twelve in number, to be
with him and to participate in his mission.280 He gives the Twelve a share in his authority
and 'sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal." They remain associated for
ever with Christ's kingdom, for through them he directs the Church:

Pope Benedict XVI (Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. 1)

The three historic and harmonizing interpretations of the kingdom of God:

The Christological Dimension

The Kingdom is not a thing, it is not a geographical dominion like worldly
kingdoms. It is a person; it is he. On this interpretation, the term ‘Kingdom of
God’ is itself a veiled Christology. By the way in which he speaks of the
Kingdom of God, Jesus leads men to realize the overwhelming fact that in him
God himself is present among them, that he is God’s presence.

The Idealistic / Mystical Dimension

The Kingdom of God resides in the heart of man. Church Father, Origen, wrote,
“those who pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God pray without any doubt
for the Kingdom of God that they contain in themselves, and they pray that this
kingdom might bear fruit and attain its fullness.”

The Ecclesiastical Dimension

The kingdom of God is in the here and now, present in and through the Church.
Yet it is a mixed reality that will only be perfectly realized at the end of history.
This current “mixed” state can be seen as the Church on earth which now grows
in the field of the world with both weeds and wheat until the harvest when Christ
says he will “tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to
be burned. But gather the wheat into my barn” (Matt 13:30). 
 LET US LEARN MORE

Activity A: Parables of the Kingdom

Direction: Choose one parable to read, then answer the following questions below.

• Matthew 13:24–30 (Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat)

• Matthew 13:44 (Parable of the Buried Treasure)
• Matthew 13:45–46 (Parable of the Pearl of Great Price)
• Mark 4:26–29 (Parable of the Seed Growing by Itself)
• Luke 13:18–19 (Parable of the Mustard Seed)
• Luke 14:15–24 (Parable of the Great Feast)

1. What analogy does Jesus make in the parable? In other words, what things is he comparing?

2. What is surprising or unexpected in this parable?

3. What is Jesus trying to communicate about the Kingdom of God through this parable?

4. What could your action response of the parable?

Activity B: Prayer reflection
Direction: Make a prayer reflection on “Your Kingdom Come”

References:
Perna, T. (2014). Quick Lessons from the Catechism: The Kingdom of God. TOM PERNA.
https://tomperna.org/2014/07/26/quick-lessons-from-the-catechism-the-kingdom-of-god/

Fradd, M. (2019). What is the Kingdom of God? Catholic Answers.

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/what-is-the-kingdom-of-god

BeginningCatholic.com. (2016). The Kingdom of God -- Taking The Center Of Christ's

Teaching Into The Heart Of Your Faith. http://www.beginningcatholic.com/kingdom-of-
god