Disciples of the Kingdom

In the gospel of Mark , men and women are unable to recognize who Jesus is, at least, not until after his crucifixion. Paradoxically, even then, he is declared the “ Son of God ” by the unlikeliest of persons – The Roman centurion who was in charge of the execution squad. Thus, the identity of the Messiah of Israel cannot be understood apart from his unjust death on a Roman cross - [ Photo by Wim van 't Einde on Unsplash ].

After his resurrection, Jesus declared to his disciples, “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; therefore, go and make disciples of all nations .” During his ministry, they were not to preach to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, though he did so on several occasions in anticipation of the opening of the gospel to the “ nations .” But initially, they were to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom only to the “ lost sheep of Israel ” - [ Photo by Will van Wingerden on Unsplash ].

OVERVIEW – In the New Testament, the conspiracy of the kings of the earth to destroy the Son are applied to the plot to slay Jesus – Psalm 2:1-6 .  The second Psalm is a key messianic prophecy that is applied consistently to Jesus by the New Testament. But according to it, precisely when were its predictions fulfilled? Has the Messiah been installed on the Throne of David, or is this event still waiting for a future fulfillment? What about the “ rage ” of the nations against Yahweh’s “ anointed one ”? Does it refer to another assault against Jesus in the future? - [ Photo by Barth Bailey on Unsplash ].

The New Testament applies Psalm 110:1 to the present reign of Jesus. Already he possesses all authority – Matthew 28:18 . According to the New Testament, Jesus has reigned sovereign over the Cosmos ever since his Death and Resurrection. Already he reigns on the throne of David. He himself declared this to his disciples after his resurrection. As a result of his obedience unto death, God raised him from the dead and installed him on the messianic throne to reign over all the earth - [ Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash ].

The priesthood of Jesus is superior because it rests on his endless resurrection life, the priest after the order of Melchizedek   – ( Psalm 110:4 ).  The  epistle to the Hebrews  employs a series of comparisons t0 demonstrate the superiority of the “ word ” of God “ spoken ”  in His Son , which is superior to all the past “ words ” that were “ spoken to the fathers in the prophets .” That includes the revelations given through  angels  and  Moses . The purpose is not to denigrate Moses, angels, or the  Torah , but instead, to stress the fullness of the “ word ” that Yahweh “ spoke ” in His Son. His past revelations were valid but partial, temporary, and promissory - [ Photo by  David Maginley  on Unsplash ].