The Final Phases of Jesus Public Ministry
Running head: THE FINAL PHASES OF JESUS PUBLIC MINISTRY
The Final Phases of Jesus Public Ministry
Christine Webb-Brennan
Grand Canyon University
BIB123-(OL208)
September 18, 2009
The Final Phases of Jesus Ministry Jesus, the Messiah had just been baptized by John the Baptist. Then the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended from Heaven, and God the Father’s voice beamed from Heaven telling the crowd that this was His Son; God was overjoyed with Jesus because of His obedience to the Father (NIV, 1973).This public recognition of the Father in Heaven for His Beloved Son Jesus- demonstrated that Jesus was and is confirmed, as the Holy Messiah. John also spoke of the kingdom and told the people that they must repent in order to be received into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus went on to perform miracles, while John continued to spread the Word of God through his baptism ministry. There are many illustrations Jesus used, during His Ministry here on earth, to convey the meaning of the Kingdom of God. Metaphors are something that discovers a similarity between two subjects that are entirely different. For instance, the challenge will be to find similarities within kingdom living by comparing it to an apple. Also, the butterfly will be used to discover similarities that relate this insect to the kingdom of God. When we think of an apple, we automatically get this picture in our mind of something kind of peachy red, or yellowish green that is edible. Right away my stomach grumbles, thinking of how this mouth watering fruit will taste. Will it be sweet and dripping with good flavor, or will it be bitter and unflattering to the taste buds? The crowds that followed Jesus during His three year Ministry asked Jesus questions like: Where is this Kingdom, and who is the greatest in the Kingdom, and what do we do in order to get there? Once we understand some of these basic principles, then we can stretch our thoughts to encompass two metaphors that will
The Final Phases of Jesus Public Ministry
Christine Webb-Brennan
Grand Canyon University
BIB123-(OL208)
September 18, 2009
The Final Phases of Jesus Ministry Jesus, the Messiah had just been baptized by John the Baptist. Then the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended from Heaven, and God the Father’s voice beamed from Heaven telling the crowd that this was His Son; God was overjoyed with Jesus because of His obedience to the Father (NIV, 1973).This public recognition of the Father in Heaven for His Beloved Son Jesus- demonstrated that Jesus was and is confirmed, as the Holy Messiah. John also spoke of the kingdom and told the people that they must repent in order to be received into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus went on to perform miracles, while John continued to spread the Word of God through his baptism ministry. There are many illustrations Jesus used, during His Ministry here on earth, to convey the meaning of the Kingdom of God. Metaphors are something that discovers a similarity between two subjects that are entirely different. For instance, the challenge will be to find similarities within kingdom living by comparing it to an apple. Also, the butterfly will be used to discover similarities that relate this insect to the kingdom of God. When we think of an apple, we automatically get this picture in our mind of something kind of peachy red, or yellowish green that is edible. Right away my stomach grumbles, thinking of how this mouth watering fruit will taste. Will it be sweet and dripping with good flavor, or will it be bitter and unflattering to the taste buds? The crowds that followed Jesus during His three year Ministry asked Jesus questions like: Where is this Kingdom, and who is the greatest in the Kingdom, and what do we do in order to get there? Once we understand some of these basic principles, then we can stretch our thoughts to encompass two metaphors that will
References: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. and Zondervan. Life Application Study Bible. (1973) (New International Version edition) Carol Stream, Illinois The Kingdom of God in the Teaching of Jesus.. (1982). GCU Christian Studies. Pro-Quest Religion. Publication Word and World, NO 2, Spring, p.117-126: Duling, Dennis C. Recker, Robert. (1979).The Redemption Focus of the Kingdom. Calvin Theological Journal, 14 No 2 N 1979, p.154-186. http://www.the butterflysite.com/life-cycle.shtml. (2009).Butterfly Life Cycle. http://www.dictionary.reference.com