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CHAPTER 5
Jesus Teaches about the Kingdom
of the Son of man
Why the Son of Man came
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. What do you
yourselves think? Suppose a man gets a hundred sheep and one of them strays
away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and look for the one
that is straying? And if he succeeds in finding it, in solemn truth I tell you
that he rejoices over it more than he does over the ninety-nine that have not
gone astray.
It is not those in good health who require a physician, but the sick. I have
not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners. I tell you in solemn
truth that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will
certainly not enter it. For every one who uplifts himself will be humbled, but
he who humbles himself will be uplifted.
Mk 10:42-45 You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great
men exercise authority over them. Not so shall it be among you, but whoever
desires to be great among you shall be your minister, and whoever desires to be
first among you shall be servant of all. Just as the Son of man came not to be
served but to serve, and to give his life as the redemption-price for many.
Jn 3:3, etc In most solemn truth I tell you, that unless a man is born anew he cannot see
the kingdom of God. And just as Moses lifted high the serpent in the desert, so
must the Son of man be lifted up, in order that every one who trusts in him may
have everlasting life.
The authority of the Son of Man
The Son of man has authority on earth to pardon sins. The Father has
conferred on him authority to act as judge, because he is the Son of man. All
things have been handed over to me by my Father.
The kingdom of the heavens may be compared to a man who has sown good seed in
his field, but during the night his enemy comes and sows darnel among the wheat,
and goes away. But when the blade shoots up and the grain is formed, then
appears the darnel also.
So the farmer's men come and ask him, "Sir, was it not good seed that you
sowed on your land? Where then does the darnel come from?"
"Some enemy has done this," he said. "Shall we go, and collect it?" the men
inquire. "No," he replied, "for fear that while collecting the darnel you
should at the same time root up the wheat with it. Leave both to grow together
until the harvest, and at harvest-time I will direct the reapers, Collect the
darnel first, and make it up into bundles to burn it, but bring all the wheat
into my barn."
The sower of the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the
good seed--these are the sons of the kingdom; the darnel, the sons of the evil
one. The enemy who sows the darnel is the devil; the harvest is the close of
the age; the reapers are the angels.
As the darnel is collected together and burnt up with fire, so will it be at
the close of the age. The Son of man will commission his angels, and they will
gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all who disobey him, and these
they will throw into the fiery furnace. There will be the weeping aloud and the
gnashing of teeth. Then will the righteous shine out like the sun in their
Father's kingdom. Listen, every one who has ears!
You must confess Him before men
I tell you that every one who shall have acknowledged me before men, the Son
of man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But he who disowns me
before men will be disowned before the angels of God. What does it benefit a
man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what could a man give to
buy back his life? Every one, however, who has been ashamed of me and of my
teachings in this faithless and sinful age, of him the Son of man also will be
ashamed when he comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels.
Blessed are you when men shall hate you and exclude you from their society
and insult you, and spurn your very names as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
Be glad at such a time, and dance for joy; for your reward is great in heaven.
For that is just the way their forefathers behaved to the prophets!
Who will share in His kingdom?
Listen to another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard,
made a fence round it, dug a wine-tank in it, and built a strong lodge; then let
the place out to vine-dressers, and went abroad.
When vintage-time approached, he sent his servants to the vine-dressers to
receive his share of the grapes; but the vine-dressers seized the servants, and
one they cruelly beat, one they killed, one they pelted with stones. Again he
sent another party of servants more numerous than the first; and these they
treated in the same manner. Later still he sent to them his son, saying, "They
will respect my son.” But the vine-dressers, when they saw the son, said to one
another, "Here is the heir: come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So
they seized him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
When then the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those
vine-dressers? He will put them to a wretched death and will entrust the
vineyard to other vine-dressers who will render the produce to him at the
vintage season.
Have you never read in the Scriptures, said Jesus, "The Stone which the
builders rejected has been made the cornerstone. This cornerstone came from the
Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes?" That, I tell you, is the reason why the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that will
exhibit the power of it.
The humiliation and future reign of the Son of man
We are going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of man will be betrayed to the
High Priests and the Scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will hand him
over to the Gentiles. They will insult him in cruel sport, spit on him, scourge
him, and put him to death. But on the third day he will rise to life again.
The Son of man will be seated at the right hand of God's omnipotence.
A man of noble family travelled to a distant country to obtain the rank of
king, and to return. And he called ten of his servants and gave each of them a
pound, instructing them to trade with the money during his absence.
Now his countrymen hated him, and sent a deputation after him to say, "We are
not willing that he should become our king.” Upon his return, after he had
obtained the sovereignty, he ordered those servants to whom he had given the
money to be summoned before him, that he might learn their success in trading.
So the first came and said, "Sir, your pound has produced ten pounds more.”
"Well done, good servant," he replied, "because you have been faithful in a very
small matter, be in authority over ten towns."
The second came, and said, "Your pound, Sir, has produced five pounds.” So
he said to this one also, "And you, be the governor of five towns."
The next came. "Sir," he said, "here is your pound, which I have kept
wrapped up in a cloth. For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man.
You take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow."
"By your own words," he replied, "I will judge you, you bad servant. You
knew me to be a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what
I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money into a bank, that when I came
I might have received it back with interest?
And he said to those who stood by, "Take the pound from him and give it to
him who has the ten pounds. I tell you that to every one who has anything, more
shall be given; and from him who has not anything, even what he has shall be
taken away. But as for those enemies of mine who were unwilling that I should
become their king, bring them here, and cut them to pieces in my presence."
When and how will He come back?
There will come a time when you will wish you could see a single one of the
days of the Son of man, but will not see one. And they will say to you, "See
there!" "See here!" Do not start off and go in pursuit. For just as the
lightning, when it flashes, shines from one part of the horizon to the opposite
part, so will the Son of man be on His day.
There will be signs in sun, moon, and stars; and on earth anguish among the
nations in their bewilderment at the roaring of the sea and its billows, while
men's hearts are fainting for fear, and for anxious expectation of what is
coming on the world. For the forces which control the heavens will be
disordered and disturbed. And then will they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with great power and glory. Then He will send the angels and gather
together His chosen people from north, south, east and west, from the remotest
parts of the earth and the sky.
Take heed to yourselves, lest your souls be weighed down with self-indulgence
and drunkenness or the anxieties of this life, and that day come upon you
suddenly, like a falling trap; for it will come on all dwellers on the face of
the whole earth. But beware of slumbering, and every moment pray that you may
be counted worthy to escape from all these coming evils, and to take your stand
in the presence of the Son of Man."
The identity of the Son of man
Who do people say that the Son of Man is? You, who do you say that I am?
"You," replied Simon Peter, "are the Christ, the Son of the ever-living God."
Verses used to construct this history:
Chapter 5: Lk.19:10; Mt..18:12,13; Lk.5:31,32; Lk.18:17,14; Mt.20:25-28;
Jn.3:3,13-15; Mt. 9:6; Jn. 5:26,27. Mt. 11:27. Mt. 13:24-30, 37-43;
Lc.12:8,9; Mk.8:36,38; Lk. 6:22,23; Mt.21:33-43; Mk.10:33,34; Lk.22:69;
Lk.19:12-24,26,27; Lk.17:22-24; 21:25-27; Mk. 13:27; Lk. 21:34-36. Mt.
16:13,15,16.
> Click on Next to move on to Chapter 6 or Back to go to
Chapter 4.
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