Kingdom Disciples

As they approached Jerusalem, Jesus questioned his disciples:  “ Who do men say that I am? ”  The Gospel of Mark declares that he was “ ON THE WAY ” and does so at least nine times. His unrelenting march to Jerusalem echoed the words of Isaiah the Prophet: “ Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way .” He was on the road to Calvary and death on the Cross.

The Gospel of Mark opens with a declaration based on passages in the Hebrew Bible, providing the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist. It sets the stage for the Messianic mission of Jesus and his proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Thus, Mark’s account begins on a note of fulfillment. The Man from Nazareth is the Messiah and Savior promised by the God of Israel in the Scriptures.

When an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “ conceived of the Holy Spirit ,” it indicated that something more than just a miraculous birth was about to unfold. From the beginning, the activity of the Spirit dominated the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He was “ Jesus, the one called Christ ,” that is, the “ Anointed One ,” the long-awaited Messiah of Israel.

The theme of fulfillment is prominent in Matthew’s gospel. In Jesus, the promises of God find their intended fulfillment. He is the Son of God sent to redeem Israel and rule the nations. Peter, for example, confirmed that he was the “ Messiah .” Nevertheless, he failed to understand that he would undertake that role as the suffering “ Servant of Yahweh ” who came to “ bear the sins of many .” His true identity was revealed in his self-sacrificial act.

The  Gospel of Matthew  presents Jesus as the “ Son of David .” In his life and death, he demonstrated what it meant to be the King of Israel. This last designation was linked traditionally to the House of David; but in Matthew, that understanding of the Messiah is altered in unexpected ways. The Greater “ Son of David ” is more than the Ruler of Israel or King over the Nations, for he is the Messiah of a radically different kind, the “ Servant of Yahweh .”

The introduction to  Matthew  states that Jesus is the “ Son of Abraham .” He is nothing less than the heir of the covenant promises made by the God of Israel to the Patriarch, the  “ Seed of Abraham . ”  His identification as the descendant of the Patriarch points to the theme of fulfillment that dominates the  Gospel of Matthew . In this man from Nazareth, all the ancient promises of God find their “ Yea, and Amen ”!

The promises of God find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. “ IN HIM ,” they find their “ yea ” and “ amen .” The things that were once “ hidden ” are revealed in the life, words, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son of God, the one in whom all the shadows and types prefigured in the Hebrew Bible are actualized. All God’s “ mysteries ” are laid bare for all men to see in the Nazarene, especially in his death and resurrection.

The New Testament links the enthronement of Jesus to his death and resurrection by applying key messianic texts in the Hebrew Bible to him. He qualified to rule over all things because of his faithful “ obedience unto death ,” and this fact God confirmed and vindicated by raising him from the dead. Not only did his Father resurrect him, but He also seated him “ at His right hand ” where he now reigns supreme over the entire Creation.

The conspiracy by the Earth’s kings to unseat God’s Son is applied by the New Testament to the plot to kill Jesus . The  Second Psalm  is a key messianic passage applied to Jesus several times in the New Testament. But precisely when were its predictions fulfilled, and is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne? Or is the world still waiting for his accession to God’s Throne at a future date? What about the “ revolt ” of nations and kings against Yahweh’s “anointed one”? Is this a prediction of a future conflict between Jesus and the government of the Earth - (Psalm 2:1-6)?

The Gospel of Matthew begins by declaring that Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” This is more than a genealogical notation. It sets the stage for the theme of fulfillment in this gospel account. The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. In him, all the covenant promises find their fulfillment. He is the true Seed of Abraham, the heir of the covenant promises, and the receipt of the inheritance is based on faith in Him.

The Son of Man is revealed and comprehended in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies .  This theme is found several times in the  Gospel of Mark , namely, the inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until  AFTER  his crucifixion and resurrection, and most paradoxically, the first man to identify him as the “ Son of God ” was the Roman centurion on duty at his execution. His self-identification as the suffering “ Son of Man ” made him unrecognizable and distasteful to unregenerate men. He was the kind of Messiah no one expected or wanted.

According to the Psalmist, the anointed “ Son ” would reign “ on Mount Zion… my holy mount .” As attested by the New Testament, that king is Jesus of Nazareth. His reign over the Earth began following his Resurrection and Ascension. Ever since he has been extending his sovereignty by sending his envoys to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth ” to announce his Gospel to the nations.

In the three synoptic gospels, the term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” According to Jesus, “ All the tribes of the Earth ” will mourn when “ they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

At the end of his journey, his destination was the Temple in the center of the city.  The next several stories prepare the reader for his final days, A full third of Mark’s gospel account concerns the events of that week that culminate in his death and resurrection. All that preceded his arrival in the city was moving inexorably forward to his arrest, trial, and execution in the city of David and the prophets.

The Transfiguration confirms his status as the Messiah and the necessity for Jesus to suffer before receiving glory - Mark 9:2-13.  In Mark , the Transfiguration begins with the clause “ after six days ,” a link to the preceding story where Peter acknowledges Jesus is the Messiah. In response, Christ explains the true meaning of discipleship. To follow him, a man must “ deny himself and take up his cross ” just as the “ Son of Man ” did.

All four gospel accounts apply the passage in  Isaiah  to John the Baptist, the messenger who called men to repent “ for the remission of sins ” in preparation for the Messiah. The passage identifies John as the forerunner who was expected before the “ Day of Yahweh ” to summon the nation - “ The voice of one crying, in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD ” - (Isaiah 40:3-5).