Mark 1:14-15, 4:26-34 Kingdom of God in Mark
Kingdom of God:
Kingdom:
The word (basileia comes from basileus = a sovereign, king, monarch) denotes sovereignty, royal power, kingship, royal rule, and dominion. Involved in the term is the sovereign authority of a ruler, the activity of ruling, and the realm of the rule including its benefits. Basileia thus can refer to the territory or people over whom a king rules. (Austin Precept). The "kingdom of heaven" is used by Matthew instead of the "kingdom of God." It is clear that the two are synonymous. (Henry Morris).
The kingdom announced here by Jesus would naturally be understood by His hearers as denoting the eagerly expected messianic kingdom (Hiebert in Austin Precept). This concept was familiar to the Jews. In the light of Old Testament prophecy (2 Samuel 7:8-17, 11:1-9; Isaiah 24:23; Jeremiah 23:4-6; Micah 4:6-7; Zechariah 9:9-10, 14:9) they were expecting a future messianic (Davidic) kingdom to be established on earth (Matthew 20:21, Mark 10:37, 11:10,12:35-37, 15:43). So, Jesus' hearers naturally understood His reference to the kingdom of God to be the long-awaited messianic kingdom (Bible Knowledge Commentary in Austin Precept).
Mark conceives of God’s kingdom as God’s active reign rather than as some kind of literal kingdom with boundaries of time and space. God’s active reigning cannot be consigned to heaven, to the future, to the church, to any political system, to the human heart, or to any other narrowly defined sphere (H. Snyder). The word Gospel means the proclamation of salvation available in Christ. It is also the proclamation and inauguration of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15).
‘The Kingdom of God can be a somewhat complex subject but suffice it to say that it has a PRESENT REALITY that awaits a FUTURE REVELATION. The PRESENT REALITY is that the King is reigning in the hearts of those who have repented and believed in Him. The FUTURE REVELATION is the return of the King of kings to defeat His enemies and establish His Messianic rule on Earth’ (Austin Precept).
KOG established:
Thy Kingdom come (Mark 6:10). According to Mark, God’s reign is established as Jesus does the works of God, calls disciples, works in them and through them, and leads them in the way of the cross. It involves living by God’s values rather than human values. Mark 4:11 explains that God’s kingdom comes secretly. It is being established and discerned only by those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
The Kingdom of God is established through the Nazareth Manifesto of Luke 4:18-19. But for Mark it is the continuous work of Jesus where people are healed of diseases, demons are cast out, and miracles happen all the time. we can see this at the end of the Gospel (Mark 16). “Jesus had begun to do the mighty works of God among the people of Israel and the nations. He thus gave clear evidence that the kingdom of God was at hand by exercising his authority over sickness and death, demonic oppression, and even over nature.” (WordPress).
Kingdom Of God Truths through Parables: In Mark’s Gospel, there are six parables that relate to the kingdom of God: Seed Growing secretly (Mark 4:26-29), the Sower (Mark 4:1-9, 13-20), the Lamp (Mark 4:21-25), the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-34), Connection between Jesus and the Children (Mark 10:13-19), the Rich Man (Mark 10:17-27) and the Greatest Commandment (12:28-34).
“Secrets of the kingdom” were truths not previously revealed. These secrets did not abrogate earlier prophecies about the kingdom nor change its nature (Mark 4:10-11). The hearers would have understood that the kingdom is not the seed but the tree. Old Testament prophecies had prepared them to think of the kingdom as a tree (Ezekiel 17:5-6).
Citizens of the Kingdom of God:
In Mark 8:38; 9:1,47 the kingdom had just been seen as the future. The Kingdom of God or reign and rule of God was to be received and accepted like that of a child (Mark 10:13-16). God’s reign is an equivalent expression of God’s kingdom. Mark speaks of a Kingdom, which is a “society created by a group of people who intentionally lives as disciples”. The Kingdom of God is all about its King. It’s the King’s obedience, victory over sin and temptation, and message of repentance and faith. Those that rejected Jesus’ message of the Kingdom, Jesus would reject them before his Heavenly Father when He would come back to establish his physical eternal kingdom on the earth (Mark 8:33-38). Believers are members of the Kingdom of God and are subject to the King, Jesus Christ.
(For further studies in Mark, kindly refer to this series)
