Overview of the concept of the ‘Kingdom of God’
Discuss about the Theology and Religious Studies.
“How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?”
The above quoted lines from “The Gospel of Mark” give an overview of the opinion that the majority of the people hold about the concept of the “Kingdom of God”. The “Kingdom of God” has been a topic of much discussion since the ancient times and it is a reflection of this particular fact that the topic has received much critical attention in the recent times. Thus, many theologians are of the opinion that the world can be seen as a continuation of the “Kingdom of Heaven” from which the first humans, Adam and Eve were outcast. Many experts, on the other hand, are of the viewpoint that the actual “Kingdom of God” is the Heaven where the human beings are likely to go and meet their Creator after their normal span at the Earth gets over. The first reference to this particular concept appears in the section 1:15 in the “Gospel of Mark”. In addition to this, a close reading of the gospels reveals various sections where reference to the “Kingdom of God” has been made. This essay will discuss about the concept of the “Kingdom of God” through the specific lens of the “Gospel of Mark”.
The Gospel of Mark gives a pertinent overview of the concept of the “Kingdom of God”. There are many sections of the gospels which deal with the concept of the “Kingdom of God” like the parable of the seed, parable of the mustard seed, the exorcisms and healings performed by Jesus, the Son of God and others. The parable of the seed states that the kingdom of God can be viewed as the man who spreads seeds over the ground and latter on sees that the seeds have grown and sprouted. Thus, Mark in his famous gospel states that “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows–how, he himself does not know….crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come”. Furthermore, another parable of the gospel which is called by the name of parable of the mustard seed states that the kingdom of God can be viewed as the small mustard seeds which although looks very small in comparison to the other seeds which are spread on the ground yet when the plant grows up it becomes longer as well as larger than the other plants which have grown from comparatively larger seeds. In addition to these, the various exorcisms as well as the healings performed by Jesus in the gospel of Mark also points towards the Kingdom of God which awaits the human beings. Thus, it is generally seen that in the majority of the parables Jesus is seen to be performing the role of the God himself by not successfully healing the various suffering souls but at the same time exorcising the souls which have been corrupted with evil. Therefore, in the gospel Jesus is often seen to correcting the path of the wayward individuals as well as undertaking the process of healing which are normally considered to be the acts of Gods. Therefore, it would be apt to say that the Gospel of Mark contains ample references to the Kingdom of God and this particular concept finds ample representation in the various parables which forms an integral part of this particular gospel.
Interpretations of the ‘Kingdom of God’
The “Gospel of Mark” is one of the four canonical works which forms the gospels and is a part of the three gospels which forms the Synoptics. This particular gospel focuses on the character of the son of God, Jesus and tries to portray his life right from his baptism to his death. Many experts are of the viewpoint that the primary objective of this gospel is to show the human beings the kind of path they need to follow which is likely to help them to go to the “Kingdom of God” after their time span on Earth gets over. Thus, it is seen that the concept of doing virtuous actions and at the same time repenting for the sins which a particular individual has committed during the course of his or her is lacuna of this particular gospel and the character of Jesus has been portrayed with this inherent purpose only. The lines of the “Gospel of Mark” where Mark says that “’The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” is a reflection of this particular fact. The Gospel also focuses on the concept of paying for the sins which has been committed by the human beings and the concept of purity. Experts are of the viewpoint that these two concepts have been traditionally articulated by the various texts as the two prerequisite conditions for the process of entry in the “Kingdom of God”. Therefore, Mark says in the “Gospel of Mark” that “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. The main idea behind this particular line of the gospel is that God had to sacrifice His own Son for the greater good of the mankind and thereby furthermore emphasis the need of leading a virtuous life.
Faith is another important concept which the “Gospel of Mark” discusses about and states that is one of the essential entities which the human beings require in order to get entry in to the “Kingdom of God”. The faith in the existence of God and the various teachings of His is a perquisite of the religion of Christianity and therefore the gospel urges the people to have faith not only on the Almighty but also the things which He does. The gospels also say that the things which happen in the lives of the individuals are sent for a reason and it is God’s way of testing the faith of the individuals. Thus, the lines of the Gospel where Mark is found to be saying that “Everything is possible for one who believes” become important to note in this particular context.
Parables explaining the concept of the ‘Kingdom of God’
The “Kingdom of God” in the opinion of different people means different things and it is a reflection of this particular fact that various diverse interpretations of the same concept has emerged. For example, the most commonly held viewpoint is that the “Kingdom of God” represents the place or the kingdom where the individuals would be able to come meet their Creator. There are others, on the other hand, who are of the viewpoint that the “Kingdom of God” represents a place which would contain all the bounties as well as the other good things created by the Almighty. However, the most commonly held opinion is that the “Kingdom of God” represents the abode of the Almighty, that is, Heaven where the human beings after the span of their life on the Earth is over are likely provided that they had lead their lives as per the dictums given by the Almighty Himself and at the same time have an unshakable belief on Him.
To conclude, the concept of “Kingdom of God” has been a topic of much critical debate since the emergence of the religion of Christianity. Thus, in the absence of one concrete interpretation the term is being loosely used by the various individuals to mean different things. However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that the “Kingdom of God” refers to Heaven itself which harbors all the good things which were created by God Himself and which will be given to the human beings provided they have followed the dictums of God during the course of their lives and had lead a virtuous life. Moreover, unshakable belief in the Almighty is another prerequisite for the attainment of the “Kingdom of God”.
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