ARCHIVE: The Kingdom: An Exegetical Study (Basileia)

9781458921079

Plot

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV RECTIFICATIONS OF MISCONCEPTIONS Rectifications of Misconceptions. ? We pass then to consider some rectifications of these misconceptions concerning the Kingdom. As the chief of these misapprehensions consists in supposing that God's Kingdom is a matter of ecclesiastical organization and government and rank, let us confine ourselves to our King's own rectification of this particular misconception. The Passover-supper Strife. ? Recall then the wretched strife of his twelve in the guest-chamber on the occasion of his last passover supper: ? There arose a contention among them, which of them was thought to be greatest. And he said to them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and they who have authority over them are called Benefactors. But ye are not so: but let the greater one among you become as the younger and the leader as he that serves. For which is greater, he that reclines at table, or he that serves ? is not he that reclines at table? But I am in the midst of you as he that serves.? Luke 22: 24-27. But how could these grown-up apostles who had been with the King for years engage in a dispute so puerile ? Recall then the current expectations of the Jews as to the nature of the Kingdom which the promised King was to set up. It was believed that this Kingdom would be a political kingdom as well as a religious kingdom, having need of viceroys and premiers as well as of high-priests and presbyters. And the twelve, as we know too well, shared in these current expectations of their countrymen. Moreover, the King had just spoken to them of eatingRECTIFICATIONS OF MISCONCEPTIONS 19 the passover and drinking of the fruit of the vine with them in the coming Kingdom of God. And this set their Jewish, human hearts on fire: Which of us shall be...