Jeff Morris – Blog Questions – Scott Chapter 2

1. The Jewish people expected the establishment of the Kingdom of God to yield political dominance that would assure Israel’s recognition as “the greatest of all nations” (49). Some expected a cosmic change in the natural world that would eliminate disease (among other things) and bring heightened prosperity (50). Some looked forward to a social era of peace and justice, while others believed a spiritual realignment of those in God’s Kingdom was imminent (50). Most Jews believed that the Kingdom of God would usher in national deliverance that “would bring freedom from Rome” (50).

Jesus’ earthly ministry reflects some of these ideas. His life, death, and ministry are all demonstrations of his warfare against the forces of evil. There is no question that His ministry has brought about a spiritual paradigm shift. His miraculous deeds demonstrated a power over nature and the evils that have crept into creation. Fulfillment of all of these ancient Jewish ideals can be found in Christ and in Christ alone.

2. While the synoptic gospels suggest the idea of Messianic Secrecy, the meaning of such concealment by Christ is still a source of controversy and mystery. It has been suggested that Christ was trying to hide His identity as the Messiah or even deny it completely (56). Perhaps it was a matter of reverse psychology, or maybe Jesus was attempting to stall any public announcements for the sake of drama or in order to cultivate more time to teach his disciples (56). It has even been suggested that such calls for secrecy were mere fabrications so that the disciples could spread the message of Jesus as the Messiah, even though the masses knew that He never publicly made any such claim (56). The text ultimately asserts that Jesus wanted to conceal His Messiahship primarily so that He could clarify through His teachings (and subsequent death and resurrection) exactly what He meant by the term (56). In a time that was highly charged with so many preconceived ideas of who the Messiah would be and what he would accomplish, Jesus intended to take all the time He needed in order to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom of God to His disciples.

3. According to Dr. Scott, the baptism of Jesus was a commissioning of Christ’s earthly ministry, including His death. By identifying Himself with John the Baptist, Jesus affirmed John’s teachings of a coming Messiah, of a need for cleansing beyond “the structure of both the religious ceremonies and the ethnic boundaries of Israel,” and of the need for forgiveness by means of an internal relationship with God and repentant behavior (52).

4. The text states that the Kingdom of God arrived once and for all when Jesus came to earth. The synoptic gospels clearly emphasize this point several times, as do the words of Christ Himself.