God According to Jesus

 In the time of Jesus, people believed strongly in God, but their understanding of God had taken a particular shape through long religious tradition. God was seen as holy, powerful, and completely above the world. He was believed to live in heaven, far removed from ordinary human life. Because of this distance, many people related to God more through fear and obedience than through trust and closeness.

God was known mainly through the Law of Moses and its many rules. Obeying commandments, observing purity laws, and following religious traditions were considered the primary ways to please God. Faith was largely measured by outward obedience rather than by an inner relationship with God. For many, God was encountered through religious systems—through the Temple, priests, sacrifices, and approved rituals. Access to God was limited and often controlled by religious authorities.

God was also commonly understood as a strict judge. He rewarded the righteous and punished sinners. Although God’s mercy was acknowledged, judgment dominated people’s thinking. As a result, sinners, the poor, and those considered impure often felt far from God. Many believed that God especially favored the religiously faithful and morally upright, while others stood outside His concern.

Another important feature of this popular understanding was the expectation that God would act mainly in the future. Justice, restoration, and God’s final victory over evil were expected at the end of time. Life in the present world, with all its suffering and injustice, had to be endured patiently. Faith meant waiting for God’s future intervention rather than expecting His transforming work in everyday life.

Into this religious world, Jesus came with a deeply different way of speaking about God. Jesus did not deny God’s holiness or authority, but he reshaped how people understood God’s heart. Most strikingly, Jesus spoke of God as “Father.” This was not merely a title, but a new way of relating to God. God was no longer distant and unapproachable; He was near, caring, and personally involved in human life. Jesus even used the intimate word “Abba,” expressing trust and closeness.

Jesus also shifted the focus from rule-keeping to relationship. While he respected the Law, he taught that God desires mercy more than sacrifice and love more than ritual correctness. Obedience, according to Jesus, flows from trust and love, not fear. True faith is not measured by strict legal observance, but by a heart that seeks God and reflects His compassion.

In Jesus’ teaching, mercy came before judgment. Jesus showed that God actively seeks sinners rather than avoiding them. Through parables like the lost sheep and the prodigal son, Jesus revealed God as one who forgives freely and rejoices when the lost are restored. Judgment still belonged to God, but it was not the first word—grace was.

Jesus also taught that God is active in the present, not only in the future. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God had come near. Through healing the sick, forgiving sins, and welcoming the outcast, Jesus demonstrated that God’s rule was already breaking into human life. God was not waiting for the end of history to act; He was at work here and now.

Finally, Jesus made God accessible to all. God was no longer tied only to the Temple or religious institutions. The poor, the sinner, the outsider, and the marginalized were invited into God’s presence. Jesus revealed a God whose power is shown not through domination, but through love, service, and self-giving compassion.

In summary, while people in Jesus’ time often understood God as distant, law-centered, and future-oriented, Jesus revealed God as a near and loving Father, active in the present, rich in mercy, and open to all. Jesus did not introduce a new God, but he revealed the true heart of God in a way that challenged and transformed existing religious assumptions.