Jesus' Vision of the Kingdom of God

Eldoret, Kenya

Richard Bauckham's Jesus: A Very Short Introduction, is a very cool little book, scholarly, readable, and inspirational. I can actually see myself re-reading it, on occasion. Here is a beautiful quote expressing Jesus' vision of the kingdom of God (with "kingdom" meaning "rule, or reign, of God).

"Jesus’ vision of God’s rule was not of a Jewish state liberated from Roman rule, but of a society formed by the experience of God’s healing and grace, sustained by God’s fatherly provision, inclusive of all those who tend to be left out of or pushed to the margins of society, characterized not by domination but by mutual service, and in which all status and privilege are replaced by brotherly, sisterly, and motherly relationships of loving mutuality." (p. 80)

So God, let this great, beuatiful kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven.