Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

THE MISSION OF JESUS §12.1
by headlining Jesus' preaching with just this term (1.14-15) Mark indicates his
own understanding that the heart of that gospel is precisely Jesus' preaching of
the kingdom of God. 5
Matthew and Luke do not follow Mark in thus introducing Jesus' preaching
as 'gospel'. But they both summarise Jesus' preaching subsequently in just
the same terms: Jesus 'went about all Galilee . . . proclaiming the gospel of the
kingdom' (Matt. 4.23; similarly 9.35); Jesus said to his disciples, 'I must preach
the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well' (Luke 4.43; also
8.1). 6 The Q tradition also recalls that Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the
very same message as Jesus: 'The kingdom of God has drawn near' (Matt. 10.7/
Luke 10.9).
These summary statements reflect the weight of the Jesus tradition itself.
The phrase 'kingdom of God' 7 occurs regularly in the Evangelists' recollection
of Jesus' words — thirteen times in Mark, another nine times in the material
shared by Matthew and Luke (q/Q), a further twenty-eight times in tradition distinctive
of Matthew, and a further twelve times in tradition attested only by
Luke. 8 It is hardly possible to explain such data other than on the assumption that
Jesus was remembered as speaking often on the subject. No doubt a number of
writes is his commentary on the term "gospel" which Paul leaves (for the most part) unexplained'.
5. In parallel tradition Mark has 'for the sake of the gospel' (10.29), whereas Luke has
'for the sake of the kingdom of God' (18.29; 'for the sake of my name' in Matt. 19.29); or
again, 'the gospel' (Mark 13.10) as compared with 'the gospel of the kingdom' (Matt. 24.14).
6. Luke does not use the noun (euangelion), evidently preferring the verb
(euangelizesthai, 4.18, 43; 7.22; 8.1; 9.6; 16.16; 20.1).
7. Matthew prefers 'the kingdom of heaven', though he does retain 'kingdom of God'in
four passages (12.28; 19.24; 21.31, 43), probably reflecting earlier tradition. Why Matthew left
some tradition unaltered is unclear. The usual explanation, that as a pious Jew he wished to
avoid undue use of the divine name, makes sense, though, if so, it did not stop him from speaking
of God frequently (though less frequently than Mark and Luke). At any rate the distinction
does not amount to much (note 19.23 [kingdom of heaven] and 24 [kingdom of God]), though it
is suggestive for the ambience of 'kingdom'. Cf. 1 Maccabees, which seems to have avoided
use of 'God' altogether.
8. Mark 1.15; 4.11, 26, 30; 9.1, 47; 10.14, 15, 23, 24, 25; 12.34; 14.25; q/Q 6.20; 7.28;
10.9; 11.2, 20; 12.31; 13.20, 29; 16.16; Matt. 5.10, 19 (twice), 20; 7.21; 8.12; 13.19, 24, 38,41,
43, 44, 45, 47, 52; 16.19; 18.3, 4, 23; 19.12; 20.1; 21.31, 43; 22.2; 23.13; 24.14; 25.1, 34; Luke
9.60,62; 10.11; 12.32; 13.28; 17.20,21; 18.29; 21.31; 22.16, 29, 30. It will be recalled (above,
§7.7) that one of the most striking differences between the Synoptics and John's Gospel is that
John has only five references to the kingdom of God (3.3, 5; 18.36 [thrice]), though 3.3 and 5
strongly echo Matt. 18.3. Twenty-two of Thomas's one-hundred fourteen sayings refer to 'the
kingdom (of God/heaven)'. See also P. Perkins, 'The Rejected Jesus and the Kingdom Sayings',
in C. W. Hedrick, ed., The Historical Jesus and the Rejected Gospels, Semeia 44 (1988)
79-94.
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