Did Jesus want to overthrow Herod and become King of the Jews?
Did Jesus want to overthrow Herod and become King of the Jews? Did Jesus Threaten to Destroy the Temple? Jesus was crucified, according to the gospels, because he wanted to overthrow Herod Antipas and become the King of the Jews (i.e., as a revolutionary or putschist). Christians deny this and consider Jesus to be an absolutely “innocent lamb.”
“Jesus committed no sin” 1 Peter 2:22 “In Him there is no sin” First John 3:5. “He (Jesus) did no harm” Luke 23:41
Who is right? Let's turn to the FACTS: Quotes from the four gospels:
- “They crucified Him. And His guilt was written: King of the Jews " Matthew 15.25
- “And there was an inscription over Him written in Greek, Roman and Hebrew words: This is the King of the Jews” Luke 23.38
- “Pilate also wrote the inscription and placed it on the cross. It was written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. This inscription was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Roman. The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write: King of the Jews, but what He said: I am the King of the Jews.” John 19:19
- “And the inscription of his guilt was: King of the Jews” Mark 15.26
- The elders of the people, the chief priests and the scribes began to accuse Him (Jesus), saying: We have found that He corrupts our people and forbids giving taxes to Caesar, calling Himself King . Luke 23.2
- Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole regiment around Him and, having undressed Him, put a purple robe on Him; and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and gave Him a reed in His right hand; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews! and they spat on Him and, taking a reed, beat Him on the head. Mf. 27, 26 – 30
- The Jews said about Jesus: “Whoever makes himself a king is an opponent of Caesar.” John 19.12
- Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king . 1 Peter 2:17
1. Already at birth, the wise men declared Jesus “King of the Jews”: “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews ?” for we saw His star in the east and came to worship Him" Matthew 2.2 2. "The people wanted to come and take him (Jesus) and make him King " John 6.15 3. At the entrance to Jerusalem: "Many people came to the feast, hearing that Jesus goes to Jerusalem, they took palm branches, came out to meet Him and exclaimed: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” John 12.13 4. Jesus said: “Fear not, daughter of Zion (Judea)! Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a colt." John 12.15 5. At the same time, the Pharisees warned him, tried to stop the rebellion, the uprising, but Jesus refused to do this: "Many disciples began to loudly praise Jesus with joy, saying: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of Lord! And some Pharisees from among the people said to Him: Teacher! rebuke your disciples. But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if they remain silent, the stones will cry out.” Luke. 19.39
This same information is confirmed in Toledot Yeshua, chapter 4: “I (Yeshua) have been anointed by God to reign over Zion.”
Then Jesus told the apostles: “Sell your clothes and buy swords” Luke 22.36-38 Thus, Jesus organized an armed gang, an illegal armed group (Wikipedia):
Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation Organization of an illegal armed group or participation in it (from 8 to 15 years)
And during the arrest, “Apostle” Peter offered armed resistance and inflicted bodily harm on the legitimate representatives of the authorities: “Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus." John 10/18
After the execution of Jesus, the apostles continued to have extremist, separatist intentions: The apostles asked Jesus: will you, Lord, restore the kingdom to Israel at this time? (i.e., are we now going to carry out a coup d’état?) Jesus said to them: “ It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has ordained in His authority.” Acts 1.7
The further fate of the “apostles” of Jesus is indicative - they did not repent and continued to engage in extremist activities. 11 “apostles” were executed for this, Paul (Wikipedia) also joined later, and John the Theologian (Wikipedia) was convicted and exiled to the island of Patmos.
The Apostle Andrew “not far from Nicaea in Bithynia, he overthrew the vile statue of Artemis, and placed there a life-giving image of the saving Cross” Life of the Apostle Andrew
Apostle Andrew “destroyer of the temples of the gods, trying to draw the people into an insane sect, which the rulers of the empire decided to exterminate”
The Apostle Andrew “called the ancient gods pagan idols, unclean demons, hostile to man, who teach people to anger God and turn Him away from themselves”
The Apostle Andrew “sowed confusion and discord in the Achaean cities; people, seduced by his speeches, left the temples and angered the gods.”
The first Christians were condemned for extremism not only by the Jews, but also by all ancient historians and philosophers:
“Tacitus (50-120), Suetonius (70-122), Pliny the Younger (61-113), Lucian (120-180), Celsus (2nd century) unanimously wrote about Christianity as “a harmful, disastrous superstition, a criminal sect ... harmful and criminal fanatics and irreconcilable enemies of the social order" (pp. 24,31,35,36). Source: Bobrinsky. A. A. (Wikipedia) Testimonies of non-Christian writers of the first and second centuries about our Lord Jesus Christ and Christians. Wedge. 2002
READ ALSO:
20 charges against Jesus and the apostles.
Did Jesus want to become King of the Jews? Overthrow Herod and seize power?
Rulers of Judea during the earthly life of Jesus Christ
The trial of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took place on Friday, the 13th of Nisan (according to the Jewish calendar) in Jerusalem during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. It started at night and ended early in the morning. In world history, full of innumerable criminal proceedings and trials, this trial is unique: the God incarnate, Jesus Christ, was condemned to execution.
Strictly speaking, there was not one court, but three: the Sanhedrin, Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate. This can be explained by the historical circumstances that developed in Judea at the beginning of the 1st century. In 63 BC. the Jewish people lost their independence for the last time in their long biblical history and this time was given over by God for their sins into the hands of the Romans; they annexed Palestine to their eastern province of Syria.
Edomite Herod (descendant of Esau, brother of the patriarch Jacob) in 37 BC. received from the Roman Senate royal power over Judea, neighboring Idumea. This last king of the Jews, cruel and treacherous, was the first in a line of those in authority who sought the death of Jesus Christ. Having learned from the wise men that the King of the Jews had been born, Herod did not stop before the terrible crime - the murder of fourteen thousand infants under the age of two in Bethlehem and its borders. Herod's death was brutal. Both contemporaries and descendants saw this as a manifestation of the wrath of God:
“Soon after the massacre of the infants came the death of Herod himself. Only five days before his death he made a frantic suicide attempt and ordered the execution of his eldest son Antipater. His deathbed was surrounded by extraordinary horrors; he died of a disgusting disease, which rarely occurs and occurs only in people who have disgraced themselves with bloodthirstiness and cruelty. On the bed of his unbearable illness, in that magnificent and luxurious palace that he built for himself in the shade of the palm trees of Jericho, swollen from illness and burned with thirst, covered with ulcers on his body and internally scorched by a slow fire, surrounded by seditious sons and predatory slaves, hating everyone and hated by everyone, thirsting for death as deliverance from his torment, and at the same time not satisfied with blood drinking, terrible for everyone around him and even more terrible for himself in his criminal conscience, devoured alive by grave decay, sharpened by worms, as if apparently struck by the finger of Divine wrath, after a seventy-year life of villainy and debauchery, the pitiful old man whom people called great lay in a wild frenzy, awaiting his last hour.”
After the death of Herod, the kingdom was fragmented and power passed to his three sons: Archelaus, Herod Antipas and Philip. The latter ruled the northeastern part of Palestine. Herod the Younger inherited Perea and Galilee, where Jesus Christ lived for about 30 years, that is, before the beginning of His gospel. Archelaus, along with Idumea and Samaria, also received Judea, in the main city of which, Jerusalem, the only event in history took place that became central to the salvific redemption of mankind.
But Archelaus is not listed among the historical figures responsible for the condemnation of Jesus Christ. Due to the oppression of his subjects in 6 A.D. he was deprived of power, and the areas he ruled were transferred to the Roman procurator (in the Slavic text of the Gospel he is called in Greek “hegemon” from the verb igemai - “I command”; in the Synodal Bible - “ruler”), subordinate to the proconsul of the Roman province Syria. The power of the procurator was incomplete: he controlled the army, collected taxes and could impose a death sentence on behalf of the emperor for some crimes. The procurator was located in the city of Caesarea Maritima (lat. seaside).
This city (it must be distinguished from Caesarea Philippi, located in the north of Palestine, at the source of the Jordan) was built by Herod the Elder on the site of an ancient Phoenician harbor and named by him in honor of Augustus (Caesarea - royal). Caesarea is often mentioned in New Testament times. Here the holy Apostle Peter baptized the pious centurion Cornelius (see: Acts 10: 1-48), and the holy Apostle Paul spent two years awaiting the judgment of Caesar (see: Acts 23: 1-26, 32). From here he was taken in chains to Rome. Here was also the house of the evangelist Philip, one of the seven deacons of the primal Church (see: Acts 21: 8-9). It was in Caesarea Maritima in 66 A.D. There was a clash between the Hellenes and the Jews over the land on which the synagogue was located. The resulting unrest, like a fire that broke out, quickly turned into a fire. The outbreak of war in four years devastated Palestine and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, in which people committed the gravest crime: they tried and executed the incarnate God. “This is how the Jews paid for their dishonor and for the iniquities committed against the Anointed of God,” wrote the first church historian Eusebius Pamphilus. In Caesarea, during archaeological excavations of an ancient theater in 1961, a stone was found with the inscription of the name of Pilate. On religious Jewish holidays, the procurator came from Caesarea to Jerusalem to prevent popular unrest that often occurred there.
At first, rulers changed frequently. Thus, after the removal of the tetrarch Archelaus (6 AD) until the death of Emperor Octavian (Augustus) (14 AD), there were three procurators (Coponius, M. Ambivius, Annius Rufus).
Augustus' successor, Emperor Tiberius, did not remove governors unless absolutely necessary. He had a unique administrative and ethical doctrine. “In the very nature of every official,” he said, “lies the desire for covetousness. If positions are provided to officials for a short time and not for a specific, but for a short time, then these officials will make every effort to rob wealthy people. If they are appointed for a longer period, then, having before them the possibility of unhindered robbery, soon, due to their enrichment, they will tire of this and leave their subordinates alone for a long time.” Therefore, during the twenty-two years of Tiberius' reign there were only two governors. Pontius Pilate (26–36 AD) was the fifth procurator. Judea and Samaria were subject to him. Involved by the spiritually blind leaders of the Jewish people in the fight against the Preacher they hated, it was he, as a Roman judge, who uttered the last word, which determined the Prisoner’s painful death. However, even with the most careful and detailed analysis, it is impossible to understand what happened from a legal point of view, limited to the events of that night and that morning. Therefore, the study must begin with theological assessments and spiritual and moral observations of the events we are studying.
From the book of Archimandrite Job (Gumerov)
"The Trial of Jesus Christ"
CHRIST IS THE KING
My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be handed over to the Jews, but now My kingdom is not from here...
Jesus Christ (Savior)
Apostle John the Theologian
My kingdom is not of this world...
Then Pilate again entered the praetorium, and called Jesus, and said to Him: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him: Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests handed You over to me, what did You do? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be handed over to the Jews, but now My kingdom is not from here. Pilate said to Him: So are You a King? Jesus answered: You say that I am a King. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice. Pilate said to Him: What is truth? (John 18:33-38)
Apostle Luke
Are you the King of the Jews?
And the whole multitude of them rose up, and took Him to Pilate, and began to accuse Him, saying: We have found that He corrupts our people and forbids giving tribute to Caesar, calling Himself Christ the King. Pilate asked Him: Are you the King of the Jews? He answered him, “You speak” (Luke 23:1-3).
Apostle Mark
"King of the Jews"
It was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His guilt was: “King of the Jews.” They crucified two thieves with Him, one on His right and the other on His left. And the word of Scripture came true: “and he is numbered among the evildoers.” Those passing by cursed Him, nodding their heads and saying: Eh! destroying the temple, and building in three days! save yourself and come down from the cross. Likewise, the high priests and the scribes, mocking, said to each other: He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Let Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe. And those crucified with Him reviled Him (Mark 15:25-32).
Blessed Diadochos of Photikie
King of Heaven
The good-victorious King of heaven, who came to earth to save people, conquered all sinful things like a certain barbarian, and after the victory had mercy on His property.
When the destructive demons with their leader the devil did not allow people to remain in their rank, but, indulging in all untruth and predation, not knowing satiety in mocking people, brought them to the last degree of suffering, then, then precisely, the King of all, the Father’s Word, hated the arbitrariness of some and taking pity on the misfortunes of others, taking on human nature, he entered into the struggle. And some victorious monuments had already been erected, others were being erected, and others were hoped to be erected. And the barbaric horde of demons with their leader began to mourn their misfortunes, and human nature entered into freedom.
Saint Athanasius the Great
Christ is the eternal Lord and King
Christ by nature is the eternal Lord and King; not when He is sent, He is especially made Lord, and not at this time He begins to be Lord and King, but what He always is, He is then created in the flesh and, having thus delivered everyone, becomes Lord of the living and the dead.
Saint Theophan the Recluse
The Kingdom of Heaven is where Christ is the King
Here is the apostolic commandment for this: “Seek the things on high, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God: be wise on things above, not on earth” (Col. 3:1,2). Others are busy acquiring food, clothing, housing, favorable relations with others, contentment, honor, power. Leave all this, says the apostle. Seek what is there where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Ask: what should be done? I will answer you: acquire what the Lord commanded when speaking about the blessings, and you will find what you are looking for. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” He says, “for of them is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The Kingdom of Heaven is where Christ the King is. It became that the poor in spirit already possess that highest thing, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Start with this: seek your spirit - and move on, looking for weeping and tears of contrition, meekness and truth, mercy and peace, purity of heart and all-round patience. For to all these virtues belongs the Kingdom, they are all confidantes of Christ, and to all who are adorned with them, they pave the way to where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Look for them, acquiring one virtue after another. This work of searching for you will be like how someone prepares to appear before the king and puts on one garment after another, inspecting and cleaning each one until he is completely dressed and prepared as he should. Your clothes, sisters, have no other meaning. From head to toe, everything is covered with your own special clothing, and each clothing indicates its own virtues in the rank of monastics. Be zealous in your heart to be what your clothes show, and you will be where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
King Jesus
N.T. Wright
What the Apostle Paul Really Said. Chapter 3
“Christ” is not a name, it is a naming. It becomes a proper name (that is, it names a person as such) only in the early church, and even then largely because pagan converts did not remember what it meant in the Jewish tradition. Likewise, in the first century it did not indicate the Divine nature. This shade of meaning also appeared a little later. Paul fully acknowledges the deity of Jesus, but the word “Christ” in his usage means something different. “Christ” for Paul means “Messiah,” that is, “anointed one.” If you don’t pay attention to this (as the authors of many not only popular but also very serious works too often do), is it any wonder that a good half of Paul’s texts will forever remain “impenetrably dark places” for us?
The term “anointed” could also refer to other people, such as a priest. But in the minds of the Jews of the 1st century, it was associated primarily with the future king. Both a century before and a century after the birth of Christ, the Jewish world was flooded with various messianic and pseudo-messianic movements. To understand the meaning of Paul's words, you need to feel this “air”. Paul saw Jesus as a true king. Yes, a very strange king. Yes, who changed all ideas about royal dignity. Nevertheless, it was the King, which was confirmed by the resurrection. In order not to forget about this, it is good to at least sometimes translate Iesous Christos not as “Jesus Christ” and not even as “Jesus the Messiah,” but as “King Jesus.”
Thus, Paul's "gospel" was the "gospel of Christ": not so much a word prompted by the King, but a message about the King himself, in whom God revealed himself. In his sermon, Paul continually points his listeners to “Jesus Christ crucified” (see, for example, Gal 3:1). The meaning of the Good News seemed to him to be that through the cross of King Jesus, the one true God finally defeated evil. Let the prisoners rejoice: the jailer really imprisoned himself. If Babylon has fallen, let Zion rejoice. At the very heart of Paul’s “Good News” is the idea that King Jesus destroyed the very root of evil with his death.
The thesis according to which Paul considers Jesus to be the King, the Messiah and, in fact, preaches about this, is perceived very ambiguously by current students of the New Testament, and further, in order to somehow justify myself, I would like to show how it “works” in practice.
So, let's return to the third and fourth verses of the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, in which Paul briefly and succinctly talks about himself and the purposes of his letter.
Many scholars who refuse to acknowledge that Paul sees Jesus as a King tend to skip past the beginning: they are impatient to get to what they consider the real introduction to the letter, that is, to verses 16-17, in which Paul talks about the righteousness of God. Thus, they omit verses 3-4 as an etiquette formula, which Paul, in their opinion, resorts to only to flatter his readers, although such a manner of thinking and expressing himself is unusual for him. However, it would be absurd to assume that Paul, who constantly uses “welcome clichés” to introduce the reader to the content of the text, would introduce such an ornate formula in such an important place of such a responsible letter, if he did not thereby want to not only declare his convictions , but also hint at what will be discussed next. To prove this would require a detailed exegesis of the entire Epistle to the Romans, but here I will limit myself to trying to show why we can rightly consider the “theology of the King” to be the core of all Pauline thought.
In the formula that Paul himself calls “the gospel” there is a mention of David. From numerous Jewish sources, including the Qumran manuscripts, we know that in Jewish tradition the kingdom of the Messiah was directly associated with the Son of David. There are at least several biblical texts known on which such ideas could be based. The seventh chapter of the Second Book of Samuel is most often mentioned in this context. Through the mouth of the prophet Nathan, God promises David to “build him a house”: when David dies, God will raise up his seed, establish David’s descendant on the throne and, God further says, “I will be his Father, and he will be My son.” The promise is repeated in the appropriate place in 1 Chronicles and, of course, in the “royal” psalms, particularly 2 and 89/88. It is safe to say that most of the Jewish ideas about the coming Messiah were based on these fragments.
Consequently, when Paul says that he preaches what he promised “in the holy scriptures,” and the main character of his “Gospel” is a descendant of David, “revealed as the Son of God,” to deny that he relies precisely on these texts, indisputably messianic for the Jewish tradition, would mean to resemble Lord Nelson, who peered through the telescope with a blind eye. In other words, Paul's sermon is not simply a message about the possibility of salvation coming through a man named Jesus, also known (at least to Paul) as “the Christ.” Paul proclaims that all the messianic promises of salvation have been fulfilled in Jesus. He is the King not only of Israel, but of the entire universe. When Paul directly states in verse 5 that God has sent him to subject all nations to King Christ, he is undoubtedly referring to the messianic notions that are deeply ingrained in the minds of his hearers. Running throughout the text are persistent reminders that in Jesus the promises given to the “house of Abraham” were fulfilled, that Jesus, unlike Israel, always remained obedient and faithful to God, that He, the Messiah of Israel according to the flesh, now became the Lord of the whole universe, give us every right to assert: the third and fourth verses of the first chapter determine the central theme of the message as a whole. Thus, the entire book of Romans is “theology of the King.”
This, in my opinion, is the theology of Galatians. Take, for example, the lengthy argument that begins with the first verses of the third chapter and ends with the eleventh verse of the fourth. It all means that the promises given to Abraham were fulfilled in the Messiah, that is, “in Christ.” In many Jewish texts, the fulfillment of the promises given to Abraham was naturally associated with the coming of the “Messiah from the house of David.” Is there any indication in the passage we are considering, other than the frequent use of the word “Christ,” that Paul also had a similar line of thought?
Undoubtedly. The central image of the whole discussion is that of the “seed,” the true seed of Abraham, in whom all the promises were fulfilled. As some researchers believe, it directly correlates with the messianic promises going back to the above-mentioned prophecies, in which the Messiah is called the “seed of David.” Moreover, in the key phrase of his construction, Paul refers his readers to another equally famous messianic prophecy contained in Gen. 49:10.
This promise, which was often quoted and scrupulously studied by the Jews during the Second Temple period, is rather difficult to translate, but it can be said that at that time it was understood something like this: “The scepter will not depart from Judah until the one to whom it rightfully belongs comes.” . In other words, the house of Judah will rule until the promises of the Messiah are fulfilled. Both the key phrase “until he comes,” and the motive of expectation, after which the promise will be fulfilled, we find all this in Gal. 3:19: the law was given “because of the transgression, until the time of the coming of the seed to whom the promises relate.” In this way, both the “theology of the King” and the corresponding exegesis are introduced into the discussion of Abraham. And finally, we see: the closer to the end of the fragment, the more often the word “Christ” appears in it. Thus, in my opinion, Paul leads to the idea of “the formation of the people of the Messiah”; Christians for him are “baptized into Christ,” “put on Christ,” “Christ’s.” One would have to be Lord Nelson not to see the messianic implications here.
The third chapter of Galatians flows smoothly into the fourth, in which Paul openly speaks of Jesus as the Messiah. He is the Lord and Master of all things, the Son of God (this is a royal title, let us at least remember Ps 2 and 90/89), the one who will conquer the pagans and free the true people of Israel. By His coming and deeds He revealed the true God. Thus, the “gospel of God” was, indeed, “the good news of God concerning his Son.” For Paul, it was the story of the crucified and resurrected Jesus of Nazareth - King Jesus, the promised Messiah of Israel.
www.gazetaprotestant.ru
Opus Dei
Christ, Lord of the worldLet us think that Christ, that same dear Child whose Nativity we saw in Bethlehem, is the Lord of the world. All creatures, earthly and heavenly, were created by Him. He reconciled all things to the Father, restoring peace between heaven and earth through the Blood shed on the Cross [ Acts 1:11
].
Today He reigns, sitting at the right hand of the Father. To the embarrassed disciples who were contemplating the clouds after the Ascension of the Lord, two angels in white clothes say: Men of Galilee!
Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven [
See Proverbs 8:15
].
Kings reign by them [ Exodus 15, 18
], but with the only difference that the kings of the earth and all human power are transitory, but the kingdom of Christ
is forever and ever
[
Dan 3, 100
].
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures throughout generations and generations
[
John 18:36
].
The Kingdom of Christ is not an artistic image or a rhetorical device. Christ is alive - and even as a man, with the same body that He accepted in the Incarnation, He rose again after the Calvary sacrifice and, united with His human soul, was glorified in the Word. Christ, true God and true man, lives and reigns. He is the Lord of the world. Everything that exists lives by Him alone.
But why does He not appear now in glory? - Because His Kingdom, although in the world, is not of this world
[
John 18:37
].
Jesus said to Pilate: I am a king.
For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice [
Rom 14:17
].
Those who expected earthly, visible power from the Messiah were mistaken: the Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
[
Matthew 3:2 and 4:17
].
Truth and righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the Kingdom of Christ: a divine action that saves people, which will only end with the end of history, when the Lord, seated in the highest place in Paradise, will begin the Last Judgment of people.
Beginning His earthly preaching, Christ does not offer a political program, but says: repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
[
See Lk 10:9
].
He instructs His disciples to proclaim this good news [ See Mt 6:10
] and teaches prayer for the coming of the Kingdom [
See Mt 6:33
].
This is the Kingdom of God and His truth. This is a holy life - what should be sought first of all [ See Lk 10:42
], for this is all that is needed [
Matt 22:2-3
].
The salvation that our Lord Jesus Christ preaches is a call addressed to everyone: the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son. And he sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding feast
[
Lk 17:21
].
And the Lord reveals to us that the Kingdom of God is within you
[
See John 3:5
].
No one is excluded from salvation if he obeys Christ’s loving demands to be born again [ See Mark 10:15; Matthew 18:3; 5, 3
], to be like children and in simplicity of spirit [
Truly I say to you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23)
];
remove from the heart everything that removes from God [ See Matthew 7:21
].
Jesus wants actions, not just words [ The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away (Matt 11:12)
].
And only the one who fights will receive the eternal inheritance [ See Matthew 13:24
].
In this world we will not see the full greatness of the Kingdom of God, we will not hear the final decision about salvation or condemnation. Now the Kingdom is like a seed [ See Matthew 13:31-32
], a mustard seed that grows [
See Matthew 13:47-48
].
And in the end it will be like a net that is pulled out and stretched on the sand: from it they are chosen, to a different fate, those who did righteousness and those who committed lawlessness [ See Matthew 13:33
].
But while we live here in this world, the Kingdom is like leaven, which a woman took and put in three measures of flour until it was all leavened [ See Matthew 13:44-46
].
Anyone who understands what kind of Kingdom Christ offers us will also understand that it is worth sacrificing everything to achieve it. It is a pearl that a merchant buys after selling everything he has; it is a treasure found in a field [ See Matthew 21:43; 8, 12
].
It is difficult to conquer the Kingdom of Heaven - and no one can be sure that he will achieve it [ Luke 23, 42-43
].
Only the humble cry of a repentant sinner can open his gates. One of the thieves crucified with Jesus begs Him: Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom!
And Jesus said to him: Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise [
See Dan 2:33
].
