Jesus often used parables to convey his message, some of which are quite disturbing. Once such parable is found in Matthew 22: “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.”
Virtually all Biblical scholars, whether liberal or conservative, agree that the main theme of Jesus’ preaching was the kingdom of God. The gospel of Mark, for example, describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in this way: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15)
But Matthew repeatedly refers to “the kingdom of heaven.” It’s quite reasonable to wonder whether Matthew intended any difference in meaning compared to the other gospels which routinely refer to the kingdom of God? The short answer is no. Although Matthew employs a slightly different term, he’s referring to the exact same concept. Matthew is known as the most Jewish of the four gospels. Pious Jews, out of extreme reverence, refrained from directly using the name of God. They instead developed various indirect ways of speaking or writing about God. Even in the present time, Jews often refer to the Almighty as HaShem, a Hebrew term which literally means “the name,” thereby avoiding God’s personal name YHWH.
If we are to have any hope of comprehending Jesus’ message, we must have a clear understanding of God’s kingdom. Unfortunately, many people in evangelical churches (including pastors and teachers!) fail to grasp this vital concept. Generations of Christians have been taught that the goal of their faith is to ensure that, when they die, they will be given entrance into “heaven” where they will enjoy eternity in God’s presence. In this scheme, heaven is conceived of as an ethereal, celestial realm far removed from the corruption & sadness of the world which we presently inhabit.
Many evangelists encourage people to imagine themselves standing before Almighty God at the pearly gates, hoping that they’ll be granted admission. The key question then becomes: what will be the criterion of God’s judgment? How will He decide who is ushered into heavenly bliss and who is consigned to the flames of hell?
Sadly, this well-worn scenario is only tangentially related to the true meaning of God’s kingdom. When Jesus spoke of the kingdom, he had something much, much different in mind. The Jewish concept of the kingdom was rooted in the belief that the God of Israel created all things. Precisely as the one who spoke the universe into existence, God was sovereign over the entire cosmos.
The kingdom of God, then, isn’t about how we can escape to some otherworldly realm. Rather, it’s about God’s sovereign rule over his creation. When God’s authority is acknowledged & obeyed, the world functions & flourishes in the way that He intended. The creation can then thrive as place of joy, abundance, life and peace.
There is another vital aspect of God’s kingdom seldom noted in evangelical sermons. Right from the beginning, God delegated his authority over creation to human beings. This fundamental principle is clearly stated on the first page of the Bible: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:27-28)
Human beings were fashioned “in God’s image.” That is, we were meant to imitate the character of our Creator. God intended that we would project His goodness, wisdom & justice into the world around us. When humans properly reflect God’s image, we’re able to fulfill our key vocation of governing the world on His behalf.
Many Christians have a tough time wrapping their heads around this truth. But the story of the Bible simply cannot be understood without recognizing the fact that God has chosen human beings as his special representatives. He regarded us so highly that he entrusted us with the awesome responsibility of exercising dominion over his handiwork.
If you find this hard to believe, you’re not alone. In Psalm 8, King David reflects on the majesty of the God who called the stars & galaxies into being. The vast beauty of the universe caused David to ponder, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” It’s a very natural question. Who hasn’t looked up into the night sky and wondered how puny little humans fit into the grand scheme of things?
And yet David nonetheless affirms, “You have made [humans] a little lower than God and crowned them glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.” Some translations say, “a little lower than the angels.” The Hebrew word here is Elohim, which often refers to God himself but can also denote angelic beings who in Hebrew thought formed God’s royal council and assisted him in running the cosmos. Either way, the idea is the same: humans have been given an amazingly exalted position. In the hierarchy of the universe, we are but one small step below God himself. Divine authority has been granted to us, so that we might implement God’s wise & loving reign over creation.
The central role of humanity, then, is crucial for understanding God’s kingdom. By his sovereign choice, God elected to exercise dominion over the world through his image-bearing human creatures.
Of course, the scriptures also demonstrate how mankind tragically failed to fulfill their role. Instead of reflecting God’s image through proper worship & obedience, humans rebelled against God’s authority. We spurned the divine wisdom and sought to redefine right & wrong according to our own desires. (Genesis 3.) The result was nothing less than catastrophic. God intended his creation to be a place of delight. (The Hebrew word Eden means “delight.”) Human wickedness instead plunged the world into enmity, bloodshed, injustice, immorality and death.
All this brings us back to Jesus’ parable in Matthew 22. When Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven, he isn’t talking about how people can escape to heaven when they die. He is describing how the God who created all things is working to rescue & restore his creation. From the very beginning, corrupt human beings have been attempting to run the world according to our own designs. And we’ve certainly made a mess of things. Thankfully, God is in the business of cleaning up messes. He will never give up on his creation. God is absolutely determined to re-establish his just & righteous reign over the world.
Jesus’ parable compares the kingdom of heaven to “a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.” We’ve noted that God himself is the king. Who then is the son?
When modern day Christians think about Jesus as “the son of God,” they immediately fix their minds on Jesus’ deity. And, of course, orthodox Christians have always affirmed Jesus’ divine nature. He is the embodiment of the God of Israel. But Christians often overlook the key fact that the Old Testament uses “the son of God” as a title for the Messiah, the king of Israel.
The Old Testament scriptures foretold how the Messiah would be God’s agent in establishing his kingdom over all the earth. For example, Psalm 2 famously describes how the nations and the kings of the earth conspire & plot rebellion against God’s authority. (v1-3) But the purposes of the Almighty will prevail. His anointed one, the Messiah will surely take the throne: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” (v6) This great king of Israel will be known as the son of God: “You are my son; today I have become your father.” (v7) God will grant his Messiah dominion over all the things: “I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” (v8) The Messiah will destroy every dark & evil power which resists his righteous rule: “You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” (v9)
When Jesus tells a parable about a king celebrating a wedding banquet for his son, his imagery would have been quite comprehensible for 1st century Jews. Jesus was talking about the glorious moment when God would inaugurate his kingdom through the agency of his Messiah. Under the righteous rule of the Messiah, the world would flourish. It would be like an amazing party! Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
