Posted by j on January 16, 2004 at 11:19:58:
In Reply to: Re: more thoughts posted by PS on January 12, 2004 at 12:11:12:
BILL: what is the nature of the kingdom? what are it's marks? what does it mean to be a resident there?
STEVE: If it exists today, what will we show of its substance that will convince anyone they want to live in it? <...snipped...> Best to go back to the One who taught of the kingdom and proclaimed its coming, to see what HIS "marks" were (to use your word). The kingdom would at the very least have to be in full harmony with those exalted ideals. Jesus is my Messiah. The Christian church has been found wanting.
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I was re-reading through Mark and bumped into an interesting thought.
Mk 4:9-13 (Right after the parable of the sower and the seeds)
Jesus concluded the parable with, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Verse 10-13:
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that
'Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they shoud turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.'"
And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?"
Jesus then goes on to explain the parable.
If you compare Mark's account with Matthew's in 13:10-17:
And the disciples came and siad to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"
He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak unto them in parables because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaish is fulfilled, which says:
'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyese they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'
"But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
...then Jesus explained the parable.
Another related verse is Mark 1:15. After returning from the wilderness and defeating Satan, Jesus went to Galilee preaching His message, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Wow.
j