Last week I mentioned something that is particularly relevant to our passage today which is the theme of the Kingdom of God. I want to simply repeat what I said them. The theme of the Kingdom of God is found in all of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). William Hendriksen says that in its broadest connotation, reference to the “Kingdom of God” indicates “God's kingship, rule or sovereignty, recognized in hearts and operative in the lives of his people, and effecting their complete salvation, their constitution as a church, and finally a redeemed universe.”
So, he says that it includes basically four elements: God's kingship, complete salvation for those that submit to God's kingship, the formation of the church as the people or community who are living under God's kingship, and the redemption of the universe as the final revelation of God's saving power.
As I said, I think that the theme of this passage is the kingship of Christ. In keeping with that theme, we will consider five things: the herald, the king, the coronation, the conquest, and the proclamation. |
