In His earthly life, Jesus spoke frequently about the Kingdom of Heaven. A natural question is what is the Kingdom of Heaven? Thankfully, Jesus provided illustrations through parables that give us some ideas about what the Kingdom of Heaven is and how it differs from earthly kingdoms. In this series, we will discuss fourteen parables Jesus told where He specifically said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like.” These parables give us insight into the nature, principles, and scope of the Kingdom of Heaven. Before we dive into the parables, we need to talk about the concept of a kingdom and the environment in which Jesus lived.
The culture in which Jesus lived was ripe with Messianic expectation. The expectation was that Messiah would deliver the Jewish people from the oppression they experienced from the Roman military occupation. Jesus consistently rejected efforts to bring a physical, military conquest to fruition. He lived and died without commanding a single soldier or defeating any military adversary. Yet, the Bible presents Him as King. Jesus openly claimed to be the Messiah the Jewish people had hoped for and anticipated for so long (Mark 14:61,62; John 4:26; John 8:58).
Jesus came announcing a kingdom not from the earth, but from heaven. The people in Jesus’ day struggled with this concept. They were seeking a physical deliverance from the brutality of Roman occupation, but Jesus came to bring a deeper deliverance than anything a military conquest could ever provide. Jesus was executing a plan that had been established from the foundations of the world to deliver human beings from the power of sin and death (see Ephesians 1:3-5). God is Spirit and His kingdom is first a spiritual kingdom. Through spiritual power and God’s grace, this kingdom of heaven wields influence in the physical realm. By its very nature, the kingdom of heaven impacts our physical existence, often superseding physical laws and principles.
In our modern, American culture, the idea of a kingdom might be foreign to us. Unlike our representative republic, a kingdom has one absolute ruler who reigns for life. Because they reigned for life, sometimes kings and queens lived noticeably short lives.
The most notable monarch in recent times was Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. She was crowned queen of Great Britain at the age of 26 in 1952 and reigned until her death in 2022. During her reign, nineteen different presidents led America. From Harry Truman to Donald Trump, Queen Elisabeth II led her country through peace and wartime, through prosperity and challenging times.
While Elisabeth II reigned as queen in Great Britain, the government was run by a prime minister and parliament. The power of the monarchy in modern Great Britain has been greatly reduced in modern times.
In ancient Persia, King Ahasuerus (translated as Xerxes) ruled while the Israelites were in exile there. Anyone who entered the court of the king without being summoned could be killed. This included queen Esther. She risked her life to go before the king to intercede for the Jews (see Esther 4:10-16). When the king issued an edict, it became an irrevocable law and could not be changed, even by the king himself (see Esther 8:8).
The monarchs of Jesus’ time wielded much more authority than those of modern Great Britain. The word of Tiberius Ceasar in Rome was law. Tiberius was Ceasar from CE 14-37 during much of the life and ministry of Jesus. Emperor worship began in Rome around 27 BCE. Jews were exempt from adherence to the emperor cult. Anyone who would not worship the emperor could be put to death on the spot. This was the strength of the king’s command. The word of the monarch was final and frequently executed with fierce loyalty by their servants.
Every kingdom has a monarch. In the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus is the King. He was born from the lineage of king David according to God’s promise to David. In 2 Samuel 7:16 (CSB), Nathan the prophet gave David God’s promise when he said, “Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.” Modern biblical scholars believe that the genealogy in Luke 3 is that of Mary, the mother of Jesus. If that is the case, then Mary was from the line of Nathan, the son of David (see Luke 3:23,31; 2 Samuel 5:14). Joseph, who married Mary and was Jesus’ earthly and legal father, was from the lineage of David’s son Solomon (see Matthew 1:6-16).
During his trial before Pilate in John 18:33-38 Pilate questioned Jesus. Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king. In verst 36, Jesus’ reply was that His kingdom is not of this world (CSB). Further, Jesus said that if His kingdom were of this world, then His followers would fight.
In the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested, Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Not only did Jesus rebuke Peter for the use of physical force, but He healed the servant’s ear. Establishing His physical reign on earth was simply not in Jesus’ agenda at this time (see John 18:10-11; Luke 22:49-51).
Pilate’s first official concern would have been to squelch any military rebellion in the region. When he realized Jesus and his followers presented no such threat, he was willing to let Jesus go free. Pilate had an obligation to protect the interests of Rome, and he found no threat in Jesus. Yet, to placate the Jews, Pilate had Jesus crucified. Above His head was a sign written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” John 19:19-20 CSB.
The second thing every kingdom has is a realm. Every nation has limitations of their control and influence. During Jesus’ time, the Roman Empire spread east from Italy to the Atlantic Ocean and as far north as Britain. Much of modern Europe was under their control. The Empire included the regions east and south of the Black Sea. They controlled modern Türkiye, Syria, Iraq, and the nations on the west side of the Mediterranean Sea. They also controlled all North Africa, including Egypt all the way to the west coast of the continent. They controlled all the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
In Luke 17:20b-21 Jesus says, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Some versions read, “among you” rather than “within you.” The Greek word used here in entos, which means “within.” The root word from which entos comes refers to position, or resting place. So, the Kingdom of Heaven is one that is with the individual and its influence is through individual people.
These verses tell us that the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven cannot be identified on a geographical map. It has no physical boundaries. The realm of the Kingdom of Heaven is a spiritual one and the King is present where His people are present. Jesus said that He will always be with us, Matthew 28:20. Where the King is, the kingdom reigns.
The kingdom of heaven has a king who is Jesus the Messiah. The presence of His kingdom is wherever those who have the kingdom within them are.
In the coming weeks, we will look at the fourteen parables Jesus spoke regarding the Kingdom of kingdom. The parables will be broken into six sections.
- The Kingdom of Heaven co-exists with other kingdoms in the world.
- Parable of the weeds sown among wheat – Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
- The Kingdom of Heaven starts small but expands and permeates the world.
- Parable of the Mustard Seed – Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19.
- Parable of the Leaven – Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21.
- Parable of the Growing Seed – Mark 4:26-29.
- The Kingdom of Heaven is priceless in value.
- Parable of the Hidden Treasure – Matthew 13:44
- Parable of the Peart – Matthew 13:45-46.
- The Kingdom of Heaven extends a universal invitation.
- Parable of the Net – Matthew 13:47-48.
- Parable of the Landowner – Matthew 20:1-16.
- Parable of the Wedding Feast – Matthew 22:1-14.
- The Kingdom of Heaven requires accountability.
- Parable of the Ten Virgins – Matthew 25:1-13.
- Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25:14-30.
- Parable of the Wicked Servant – Matthew 18:21-35.
- The Kingdom of Heaven brings a final judgement.
- Parable of the Weeds Sown Among Seeds – Matthew 13:30
- Parable of the Net – Matthew 13:49-50.
- Parable of the Wedding Banquet – Matthew 22:11-13.
We will begin our journey through these parables in the next post.
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