Luke: The Kingdom of God

Introduction

What does it take to build a great Kingdom?

If you ask google: vision and leadership, resources/infrastructure, governance/administration, Military strength, culture/identity, innovation/adaptability, diplomacy/trade.

In other words, there are a lot of factors for this to become a reality.

Map of Rome

The Rise of Rome

Early Beginnings

Rome began as a small settlement on the banks of the Tiber River around 753 BCE. Over time, it grew into a powerful city-state, known for its military strength and strategic location.

Expansion and Conquest

The Roman Republic, established in 509 BCE, saw Rome expand its territory through a series of wars and conquests. Key victories included the defeat of the Etruscans, the Samnites, and the Carthaginians. Rome's military strategy, discipline, and engineering prowess allowed it to conquer and integrate diverse regions.

The Punic Wars

One of the most significant periods in Roman history was the Punic Wars against Carthage (264-146 BCE). These wars showcased Rome's naval capabilities and strategic brilliance, ultimately leading to the destruction of Carthage and the expansion of Roman influence in the Mediterranean.

Transition to Empire

The Republic faced internal strife and power struggles, leading to the rise of influential leaders like Julius Caesar. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE, his adopted heir Octavian (later Augustus) emerged victorious in a series of civil wars. In 27 BCE, Augustus became the first Roman Emperor, marking the transition from Republic to Empire.

Building the Empire

Under Augustus and his successors, Rome continued to expand its borders, incorporating vast territories in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The empire built an extensive network of roads, aqueducts, and cities, facilitating trade, communication, and military movement.

Cultural and Administrative Achievements

The Roman Empire was known for its cultural achievements, including literature, art, architecture, and law. The codification of Roman law and the construction of monumental structures like the Colosseum and the Pantheon are enduring legacies.

Decline and Fall

Despite its grandeur, the Roman Empire faced numerous challenges, including economic troubles, military overreach, and internal corruption. The empire eventually split into the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, with the Western Empire falling in 476 CE and the Eastern Empire (Byzantine Empire) enduring until 1453 CE.

And so as they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

In contrast, Jesus made a proclamation of the fulfillment of the words of Isa 61 in and through him

setting people free...

“But isn’t this the son of Joseph?”

Human, insignificant, Nazarite...

But what about Rome?

We have been brought in to the turmoil in many Jews of that day.

And a human look at the circumstances envision Jesus being defeated and removed from Jerusalem and history

So how will he then fulfill this prophecy?

vs 31, 32 introduces us to the how

his teaching and words “possessed authority”

Luke gives us 3 examples of who/what he had a authority over.

I. Powerful Forces

A. Forces of Demonic Spirits

We were previously introduced to the spiritual being called the devil or slanderer

We see here, as else where, that the devil is not alone in his mission

These are spiritual beings who have rebelled against God their creator - Gen 3 first example

demons seem to be lesser spiritual beings in scripture

This might bother us in our culture

But this spiritual realm and beings are not a Judeo/Christian construct

Most of history people have had stories and beliefs about the spiritual

Rome itself not only had a long list of “gods” ie. Jupiter(Zeus), Venus(aphrodite) etc

They also believed that these gods and spirits, “operating in pure function and act, such as human activities like opening doors or giving birth to children, and in nonhuman phenomena such as the movements of the sun and seasons of the soil.” Britannica

They also believed that spirits protected their families, homes, trees and rivers.

B. Force of Illness

While illnesses are a physical reality, they are also a consequence of the death God promised would come if Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree....

Sickness, pain, death

There are also times when Scripture puts these two forces together - ie. Job

Matt 17 - boy who is identified as Epileptic(falling into fire and water) in the end Jesus casts out demon

And I believe we see both and so we see Jesus rebuke and heal from illness

C. Forces in our lives

All this to say, we live in a broken, fallen world @ all levels

And it affects us at every level

Peter says

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

This brokenness reaches not only pervasively wide but deep

They wage war against our body, minds and soul

And so we are all captives in some form and fashion

poor, captive, blind, oppressed

Who can help us?

Romans 7:21–24 ESV

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

II. Jesus’ Authority

Again, the astonishment of people around him, was because Jesus’ word possessed authority

And Luke gives us 3 examples

Man in Synagogue with demonic spirit (vs 34-35)

vs 34 - You are “the Holy One of God!”

Luke 1:35 ESV

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

James 2:18–20 ESV

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

This being is then silenced and cast out

Luke Explanation of the Text

The ancient magical papyri assume that knowledge is power, and names were used as incantations because it was believed that knowing the name of the power or enemy gave one the upper hand in defeating them. The demons do not ask a sincere question but are taking evasive action, “We know what you are up to. You have come to try to destroy us.” The Greco-Roman audience may assume that they have gained a tactical advantage by pronouncing his name, and it would mean, “We’ve got your number.”

Jesus had none of it

2. Mother-in-law of Peter (vs 38, 39)

a. Ill - sunecho - confine, secure, oppress - NIV “suffering” - it held her down

Even a cold of flu if severe enough can hold us down, confined etc.

Spiritual being?

b. Jesus rebukes the fever

language of authority - “it left her”

So was Luke indicating this illness was connected to a spiritual being?

None of the other gospel accounts include the rebuke.

I think either way, Luke wants to continue to make the point of the authority of Jesus

And Jesus completely overcomes this force as she gets up immediately and begins to serve them

Complete restoration

3. All those who were sick, demons came out of many (vs 40-41)

Jesus here lays hands on those who are sick and they are healed

And demons were coming out of many

It’s the extensive reach of Jesus’ ministry and message

The demons however are shouting as they are exposed and cast out

They are shouting out Jesus’ identity or part of

This is interesting in contrast to his already spreading fame

So why does Jesus shut them down.

It says because they knew he was the messiah

This had the potential to create a political uprising rather then what Jesus was truly there to do.

Again potential undermining Jesus true mission

Which is....

III. God’s Kingdom

But first let’s talk about the point of the titles these demons keep shouting out

They point to who Jesus is

Holy one of God, Son of God, The Christ(messiah)

Again he is not only human - No Holy Spirit mention

The demons recognize this before the humans

Lets go back to chapter 1 again for a minute

Luke 1:30–33 ESV

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

What did you think your children would become?

Jesus was to be King from the line of David

So what about the Kingdom?

God’s kingdom - simply is the rule and reign of God

This was not just a localized phenomenon but a message and reality that was to spread

It was for all people

This was a display of a spiritual battle that affected the physical

We need to realize that these go hand in hand

The kingdom was being built by setting people free, not just from physical imprisonment but spiritual as well.

So that they could follow Jesus

This Luke will give us a bigger picture throughout his account

William Barclay in tying Jesus’ pronouncement of the kingdom with the Lord’s prayer says...

The second explains the first; therefore, the kingdom of God is a society upon earth where God’s will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven.

William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 65.

We are this society!

It is God on Earth to reconnect heaven and earth and to invite others to be united with Him in bringing this to reality in the here and now.

Communion - Kingdom that is different. Not bought through the bloodshed of war but through the shed blood of Jesus. His and his sacrifice alone could and did win the battle.