For two thousand years, people have tried to understand Jesus. We, too, are entering that long search. Setting aside later doctrines about him, we attempt to travel back into his world to hear his message as his own people heard it.
Our first task is simple yet rarely attempted: What was the “good news” Jesus preached?
Most Christians are surprised to discover how unclear this is in popular teaching. Many ideas have been announced under the name “Christian gospel,” but most do not match what Jesus himself proclaimed.
The gospels summarise his message in one sentence:
“Repent, for the Kingdom of God has drawn near.”
This essay attempts to understand that sentence in its original context.
1. Hearing the Message in Its Own World
Like any communication, Jesus’ message had a context:
- Who? Jesus
- To whom? His own people
- Where? First-century Israel
- Why? To announce a reality they had not yet perceived
- How? Walking through villages, speaking directly to people
The land he walked through was filled with political tension, fear, poverty, and suffering. Rome controlled their lives, their land, and even their religious practices. Spies moved among the crowds. Heavy taxes crushed the poor. Disease and mental anguish were widespread. Social inequality left many like Lazarus surviving on crumbs.
Into this troubled world Jesus spoke of a “kingdom.” To understand what his listeners heard, we must first understand what they believed about the world.
2. The Worldview of Jesus’ Time
A few key ideas shaped their understanding:
(1) “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven”
These phrases were synonymous. Matthew preferred “Kingdom of Heaven,” but it did not mean “heaven.” It meant God’s rule becoming effective on earth.
(2) Who ruled the world?
Most people believed:
- Heaven was ruled by God; therefore heaven was good.
- Earth was ruled by Satan; therefore earth was full of suffering.
Texts like Luke 4:5–6 and John 12:31 reflect this worldview. Whether Satan literally existed is not our concern; the important point is: people believed he ruled the world.
If God is good, they reasoned, he cannot be the ruler of this cruel and chaotic world.
(3) The awaited solution
If Satan ruled the world, then suffering would end only when:
- God removed Satan, and
- God appointed a new ruler—the Mashiah, the Anointed One.
This new king would bring justice, peace, and joy. People cried “Hosanna!” longing for this deliverance.
Two ideas about the Messiah circulated:
- He might descend from heaven with angels.
- Or he might be born as a child and grow up among them.
The second view was stronger. This is why people scrutinized every promising leader—John the Baptist included—as a possible Messiah.
3. The Pharisees and John the Baptist: Two Diagnoses
Both the Pharisees and John believed the Kingdom was near, but they diagnosed the problem differently.
The Pharisaic Diagnosis
- The kingdom is delayed because Israel is not observing God’s laws properly.
- The solution is stricter ritual observance, especially Sabbath rules.
- At the judgment, Abraham’s children who keep these laws will be on the right side.
John the Baptist’s Diagnosis
John overturned this idea:
- Ancestry does not guarantee safety.
- Rituals have limited value.
- What matters is moral transformation: mercy, generosity, compassion.
To symbolize this turning, he called people to baptism. Many believed him. Even Jesus came to be baptized by him—showing that Jesus initially accepted John’s diagnosis.
But something happened after the baptism.
4. Jesus’ Breakthrough: A New Diagnosis
After his baptism, Jesus went into solitude. There he confronted the belief that Satan ruled the world. In the temptation narrative, Satan claims authority over the earth, demanding worship.
Jesus rejects this claim outright.
This becomes the foundation of Jesus’ gospel.
5. Jesus’ Good News: God Already Reigns
Jesus returned from the desert with a radically different message:
- God is the true ruler of the world—not Satan.
- God never appointed Satan; humans enthroned him by choosing his ways.
- Therefore, we do not need to wait for God to remove Satan.
- We must remove him by withdrawing our allegiance.
- When we reject Satan and return to God, we enter God’s kingdom.
This was shocking. It reversed centuries of expectation.
The shift from waiting to acting
Up to John, the message had been:
- God will act in the future.
- God will decide the moment.
- God will decide who is in or out.
This created anxiety: “Will I be saved on that day?”
Jesus replaced this uncertainty with responsibility:
- God’s reign is already present.
- Humans hold the authority to bring the world under God’s rule.
- We gave Satan dominion; we must take it back.
- The kingdom is not something God will impose—it is something we choose.
To people living in helplessness, Jesus said:
“The kingdom is among you.” (Luke 17:20–21)
Not future. Not distant. Not imposed by force. Already here, ready to be entered.
6. Why Jesus’ View Was So Different
Jesus declared:
- “The least in the kingdom is greater than John.”
- Why? Because John was still waiting, while Jesus’ followers had already entered.
- “All the prophets prophesied until John.”
Up to John the message was predictive. Jesus stopped predicting and started announcing a present reality.
The parable of the prodigal son reveals this vision clearly:
- God’s love is constant and unconditional.
- The father does not change; the son must return.
- The problem is not God’s reluctance; it is human estrangement.
- The elder son represents those who cling to superiority and judgment rather than recognizing the Father’s love.
7. Comparing the Three Approaches
| Group | Diagnosis of the Problem | Proposed Solution | Nature of the Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharisees | God delays the kingdom because rituals are not kept | Stricter law-keeping | Future, external, based on merit |
| John the Baptist | God is coming soon to judge | Moral change; baptism | Future, external, based on repentance |
| Jesus | Humans enthroned Satan by abandoning God | Return to God; live under His rule now | Present, internal, accessible today |
Jesus’ view is not a refinement—it is a reversal.
8. After Jesus: A Shift of Focus
After Jesus’ time, the central question quickly became:
- Was Jesus the Messiah or not?
Those who said yes became Christians. Those who said no remained Jews.
But in that debate, Jesus’ actual message was largely forgotten.
This essay seeks to recover that message—to see how Jesus diagnosed the human problem and how his diagnosis offered a path of transformation unlike anything taught before him.
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