Post by Mark on Nov 5, 2008 4:43:46 GMT -8
The phrase "kingdom of God" is found 69 times in the New Testament. Forty-six of those were spoken by Messiah Yeshua. The term "kingdom of heaven" is used 32 times and is only found in the book of Matthew. Most folks roll their eyes and think, "What’s the difference?" Is there a difference? Quite possibly, there may be.
There are instances where we find the phrases used interchangeably. For example, Messiah is recorded in Matthew 19:14 as saying, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Luke records this same instance in Luke 18:16, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of God." Yet, in Matthew 19:23-24, Messiah uses both terms in the same context which suggests that there is some difference between the two:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 19:23-24)
In our language, such subtle differences are used to add flavor to the text. Repeating the same phrase twice is considered redundant, so we use synonyms. In Hebrew and Greek, this is not the case. In both languages, to repeat a phrase is to add weight and significance to the statement, synonyms in the same context draw distinction and are used for comparison, comsidering their differences. In the original languages, a redundancy is simply omitted. This is why, in many translations, you’ll find some words italicized, noting that they are not actually in the original text. In most cases, this could not be considered adding to the text; but allowing the text to flow naturally where there is an assumed redundancy.
The fact that the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is only found in the book of Matthew is a clue to the distinction. The book of Matthew was written to an exclusively Jewish audience. The "kingdom of God", when used without a definitive context, would be assumed by a Jewish audience to be the physical geographic land of Israel.
This understanding has the potential to completely change the emphasis of some of the statements made by our Messiah in the New Testament. It creates a clearer understanding of what He spoke in Luke 6:20:
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Citizenship, in those days, was purchased or otherwise acquired by influence. You had to be somebody in order to get to be somebody. Messiah’s statement seemed altogether paradoxical. The poor were those who had no chance of gaining political citizenship. Most were considered Jews because they traced their family heritage to the sons of Israel; but in a land that was overrun by Roman tyranny, what good was that?
There is a sense in His statement that Adonai our God is withholding something of value from us for our good. Had we the power to become Roman citizens, we undoubtedly would. Had we the influence to rub shoulders with the wealthy and prestigious, we would certainly be there. How possibly we could miss the true blessings and goodness of Adonai we might lose because of the distractions of our prosperity in this kingdom of man.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
(James 1:13-17)
It’s our tendency to look at things in this life and think, just maybe, it would be nice if only we had just a little more. It’s just possible that Adonai withholds "good things" from us just so He can bless us with His kingdom. It’s just possible that the very thing we long for could possibly destroy us, if He allowed us to get just what we wanted.
A wonderful thing about being poor is that you just can’t go out and get anything you want just because you want it. You have to wait for blessings to come from Him. And because of their intrinsically miraculous nature, you recognize them for what they are: gifts from the Father.
I have to admit that there are days that I struggle with my financial status and the limitations to my ability to bless my family from my means. Then, out of the blue, Adonai gives my children the desire of their hearts, not from my hand; but from His… and I begin to understand.
Blessed are you who are poor, because you understand where true blessings come from. And those of us who struggle to comfort ourselves from our own accomplishments and prestige, well, we have our reward. How much nicer it is to be poor.
There are instances where we find the phrases used interchangeably. For example, Messiah is recorded in Matthew 19:14 as saying, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Luke records this same instance in Luke 18:16, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of God." Yet, in Matthew 19:23-24, Messiah uses both terms in the same context which suggests that there is some difference between the two:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 19:23-24)
In our language, such subtle differences are used to add flavor to the text. Repeating the same phrase twice is considered redundant, so we use synonyms. In Hebrew and Greek, this is not the case. In both languages, to repeat a phrase is to add weight and significance to the statement, synonyms in the same context draw distinction and are used for comparison, comsidering their differences. In the original languages, a redundancy is simply omitted. This is why, in many translations, you’ll find some words italicized, noting that they are not actually in the original text. In most cases, this could not be considered adding to the text; but allowing the text to flow naturally where there is an assumed redundancy.
The fact that the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is only found in the book of Matthew is a clue to the distinction. The book of Matthew was written to an exclusively Jewish audience. The "kingdom of God", when used without a definitive context, would be assumed by a Jewish audience to be the physical geographic land of Israel.
This understanding has the potential to completely change the emphasis of some of the statements made by our Messiah in the New Testament. It creates a clearer understanding of what He spoke in Luke 6:20:
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Citizenship, in those days, was purchased or otherwise acquired by influence. You had to be somebody in order to get to be somebody. Messiah’s statement seemed altogether paradoxical. The poor were those who had no chance of gaining political citizenship. Most were considered Jews because they traced their family heritage to the sons of Israel; but in a land that was overrun by Roman tyranny, what good was that?
There is a sense in His statement that Adonai our God is withholding something of value from us for our good. Had we the power to become Roman citizens, we undoubtedly would. Had we the influence to rub shoulders with the wealthy and prestigious, we would certainly be there. How possibly we could miss the true blessings and goodness of Adonai we might lose because of the distractions of our prosperity in this kingdom of man.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
(James 1:13-17)
It’s our tendency to look at things in this life and think, just maybe, it would be nice if only we had just a little more. It’s just possible that Adonai withholds "good things" from us just so He can bless us with His kingdom. It’s just possible that the very thing we long for could possibly destroy us, if He allowed us to get just what we wanted.
A wonderful thing about being poor is that you just can’t go out and get anything you want just because you want it. You have to wait for blessings to come from Him. And because of their intrinsically miraculous nature, you recognize them for what they are: gifts from the Father.
I have to admit that there are days that I struggle with my financial status and the limitations to my ability to bless my family from my means. Then, out of the blue, Adonai gives my children the desire of their hearts, not from my hand; but from His… and I begin to understand.
Blessed are you who are poor, because you understand where true blessings come from. And those of us who struggle to comfort ourselves from our own accomplishments and prestige, well, we have our reward. How much nicer it is to be poor.
