The Galilean Ministry of Jesus

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1. Explain how each story explains important features about the kingdom of God that Jesus was bringing to the Jewish people.

As Jesus toured the cities and villages of Galilee to announce the coming of The Kingdom of God, He was accompanied by His twelve disciples and many women, some of whom He had healed and who were very grateful.

Each story from the Galilean Ministry of Jesus depicted an important feature about the Kingdom of God that Jesus was bringing to the Jewish people. Some of these important features about the Kingdom of God are revealed in stories and through parables by Jesus to the Jewish people. Some of these elements of the Kingdom revealed in the Parables of Jesus are:

o Joy
o Immediacy
o Forgiveness
o The Danger of Preconceived Ideas about the Kingdom
o Mercy as the Human Response Expected by the Parables
o Confidence in God
o Time and the Kingdom
?X Kingdom as Present
?X Kingdom as Future
o The Meal in the Kingdom
?X The number of people at the "Messianic banquet." (see http://cat.xula.edu/mark/ogalilea.htm)

Let's look at three of four of these elements: (different authors identify different themes, so please check these with your course materials and adjust, if necessary):

(1) Joy

LK 15:8-9 "[Jesus said,] `Or suppose a woman who has ten silver coins loses one of them -- what does she do? She lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and looks carefully everywhere until she finds it. When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, and says to them, "I am so happy I found the coin I lost. Let us celebrate!"'"

This parable is not meant as a lesson in economics! The woman will probably spend more than the coin is worth in throwing a "celebration." It is a parable about being so overjoyed and happy that one does what would ordinarily not be done. (excerpt from http://cat.xula.edu/mark/joy.htm)

(2) Forgiveness

There are many examples that illustrate forgivness, including the powerful of parables that illustrates the theme -the parable of the prodigal son.

LK 15:11-32 "Jesus went on to say, `There was once a man who had two ...