Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 35:1 (Mar 1992)
Article: The Kingdom Of God In The Teaching Of Jesus
Author: George R. Beasley-Murray

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JETS 35:1 (March 1992) p. 19

The Kingdom Of God In The Teaching Of Jesus

G. R. Beasley-Murray*

It is a curious fact that the expression “kingdom of God” does not occur in the OT. The reality, however, is affirmed in various ways throughout its length, above all in its assertions of the sovereignty of God. A typical example is in Psalm 99:

The LORD is king;
let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth quake!…
Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the LORD our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!

It is precisely in the exercise of the royal power of God, notably in his acts of judgment and salvation, that the kingdom of God is seen.

The fundamental meaning of the terms for “kingdom” in Hebrew (malkût), Aramaic (malkû) and Greek (basileia) is the same—namely, kingship or sovereignty. Curiously enough, the same is true of the English word “kingdom.” Its primary meaning is the authority and power of a king, not the country ruled or the people ruled by a king. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes a statement of Hobbes in the seventeenth century, in which he defined monarchy as a form of government “which, if he limit it by law, is called Kingdom; if by his own will, Tyranny.” Kingdom thus is viewed as the lawful exercise of royal power, as over against tyranny, the unjust use of such authority. That is in accord with its meaning in the Bible.

In the teaching of Jesus, however, as in the NT as a whole, the kingdom of God has specific reference to the fulfillment of the promises of God in the OT of the time when God puts forth his royal power to end injustice and oppression by this world’s evil powers and to establish his rule of righteousness, peace and joy for humanity—in a word, to fulfill his purpose in creating the world. The gospels were written to show how the accomplishment of that task was and is the intention of the mission of Jesus from the Father.

* G. R. Beasley-Murray is professor of New Testament at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2825 Lexington Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40280.

JETS 35:1 (March 1992) p. 20

I. Sayings Of Jesus Concerning
The Coming Of The Kingdom Of God In His Ministry

It is usual, and right, to commence a study of our Lord’s teaching on the kingdom of God with a consideration of Mark 1:14–15: “Jesus ...

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