Proclaiming the Kingdom of God (Telling the Story of God I)
Brandon Cook
But you will receive power, and you will be my witnesses…[1]
-Jesus of Nazareth
In a calendar inscription from the ancient Greek city of Priene, in the year 9 BC, we read: “Augustus was the beginning of the good news for the world that came because of him.”[2] Augustus was a Roman Emperor, and the inscription declares him a savior. The inscription goes on to decree the counting of years based on the date of Augustus’ birth. The message is clear: with his reign and kingdom begins a new era, good news for the world.
The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that when a new Roman Emperor was proclaimed, feasts were often held and sacrifices offered to the gods to celebrate the “good news.”[3]
And after significant Roman victories, the legions sent runners back to the Roman towns behind them to spread the “good news” that Rome was victorious.
In Greek, each of these “good tidings” was signified by the word evangelion. In English, we use the word “gospel.”
How provocative then, is Jesus’ message—and all of the New Testament. When the angel proclaims Jesus’ birth, he says, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news (evangelion).”[4] Jesus, in his own words, proclaimed “the good news (evangelion) of the kingdom of God;” the apostles, too, boldly proclaimed this kingdom, made manifest in Jesus.[5] The message of the New Testament is clear: a new King has come, truly “the King of kings and Lord of lords.”[6] Your hope is not in Caesar, not in the wealth or power of Empire; your hope is in a Kingdom “not of this world.”[7] This is the true good news. Clearly, Jesus and the New Testament writers were subverting Empire, challenging and undermining its values and writing over its core assumptions.[8] The New Testament, then, is a call to revolution.
But subverting Empire is not for the weak of heart. In the first century, you could be killed for it. Rome was about power; if you didn’t kowtow to the Imperial narrative, that power would see you killed. Indeed, Paul, Peter, and many early other Christians were killed for this very reason. In his letters, Paul sometimes speaks in coded language to veil just how provocatively he is subverting Empire.[9] As the Church grew and became a threat to societal order, Christians who refused to worship Caesar were martyred.
The true Gospel, then, is both a radical subversion and an invitation into a new way of living, based on a different set of values. It is a life built on trust in God, not in Caesar, a life of humility, gentleness, and generosity, not to mention faith, hope, and love. Jesus trained his disciples to announce this revolution. To proclaim the hope born in it.[10] Jesus’ disciples are Jesus’ witnesses.
But what is this Gospel, this good news? And how do we proclaim it? In the next posts, we’ll dig deeper into the nature of God’s Kingdom.
[1] Acts 1:18.
[2] The Priene Calendar Inscription (different from the Priene Inscription) is now in the Berlin Museum.
[3] See The Jewish Wars by Flavius Josephus, 4.618.
[4] Luke 2:10.
[5] E.g., Luke 4:43, Acts 28:31.
[6] Revelation 19:16.
[7] John 18:36.
[8] For a specific book study on this notion of “subversion,” see Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire by Brian J. Walsh and Sylvia C. Keesmaat. IVP Academic, Downers Grove, IL. 2004.
[9] See, for example, Paul’s careful (and probably coded) wording about slavery in Philemon, an institution which he cannot attack head on, but which he clearly seeks to subvert.
[10] See ‘Chapter 2: Ambassadorship and The People Jesus Gives Us to Love.’ In Luke 10, we read that Jesus sent out disciples to “proclaim the Kingdom.” In Luke 10:9, Jesus tells these disciples to heal the sick and proclaim, “the kingdom of God is near you now.”