Focus Bible Verse Luke 18: 15-17
Jesus emphasized that in his person and life he was ushering in a new Kingdom. In the passage we are examining this morning, we will look at one of the many passages in Luke, thirty-two, when he discusses the kingdom. We can study this concept in each of the gospels, but since it occurs so frequently, 30 times in Luke alone, let us look at a selection from the occurrences in Luke.
Here we have two passages, one which emphasizes the manner in which the kingdom is to be received and the other which emphasizes the difficulty in receiving it.
- Luke 8: 1 “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom”
- Luke 8:10 “He said, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables …”
- Luke 9:62 “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”
- Luke 10:8-9 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you”
- Luke 12:31 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
- Luke 13:20 “Again he asked, What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
- Luke 18:17 “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
- Luke 18:24 “Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”
Question to Discuss
- What is the kingdom of God
- What does it mean to receive it?
- What does it mean to seek it?
- How can we both receive the kingdom and seek the kingdom?
For Further Study
- Read F. F. Bruce’s The Kingdom of God: A Biblical Survey.
- Use a concordance to examine all the uses of “kingdom,” in Luke and the other gospels.
- Stretch goal, borrow my copy of George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, and read his exhaustive treatment of the concept in the Bible.