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Jesus’ Public Ministry: Building the Kingdom of God
“I Have a Dream” Speechby Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Delivered on August 28, 1963 Delivered from the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C. Delivered during the March on Washington for
Jobs and Freedom
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
Justice No segregation No discrimination No poverty
Equality of all people Respect and dignity for all people who are made in the
image of God (from the Genesis Creation Stories) People judged “by the content of their character”
Unity and Brotherhood and Solidarity
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
Opportunity Employment, education, facilities
Freedom Rights
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Peace, Tranquility, and Harmony Non-violent civil disobedience
Joy and Hope
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
Love Forgiveness
Conversion and Repentance
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
“The Table of Brotherhood” A place for all people to gather and to eat
For Christians the Table is the Altar A place of sacrifice
An offering of self (time, talents, and treasure) to God
A place to share a meal All are welcome, especially the poor and marginalized
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
“The Table of Brotherhood” A place for all people to gather and to eat
The Last Supper The Eucharist
Both a Holy Sacrifice and a Shared, Sacred Meal Blessing and Thanksgiving Nourishment and New Life
The Washing of the Feet Servant Leadership
A Challenge to Christians Welcome all people, hospitality, service
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
Not a specific geographical territory Not a national, political, or military kingdom It can occur on Earth It occurs in the Hearts and Minds of people
When the people overcome their biases and prejudices
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Description of Major Characteristics
The dream is a reality; it is a possibility that has been fulfilled and achieved and has already successfully occurred in the world
At the same time it has not been fulfilled in its entirety; it is not yet complete
The Great Commandment and The Golden RuleThe Gospel According to Mark, 12: 28-34
The Gospel According to Luke, 10: 25-28
The Gospel According to Matthew, 22: 34-40
The Great Commandment “You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
A direct quote from the Book of Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 which contains the Shema prayer that Jewish people are required to recite twice (at dawn and at nightfall) every day
Right relationship with God Love of God
The Golden Rule “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” A direct quote from the Book of Leviticus 19:
18 Right relationship with other people Love of other people
The Parable of the Great JudgmentThe Gospel According to Matthew, 25: 31-46
The Parable of the Great Judgment Right relationship with God through right
relationship with other people Love of God expressed in deeds of service to
help other people in need “Whatever you did for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did for me.” “What you did not do for one of these least
ones, you did not do for me.”
The Parable of the Great Judgment I was hungry and you gave me food I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink I was a stranger and you welcomed me I was naked and you gave me clothing I was sick and you took care of me I was in prison and you visited me
The Parable of the Good SamaritanThe Gospel According to Luke, 10: 25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan “You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
“And who is my neighbor?” All people, regardless of religious belief, economic
or social class, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation
The Parable of the Good Samaritan The Priest and the Levite
Display pride and presumption; they sin from their strength, not from their weakness
They fail to welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and care for the sick
The Samaritan Man Displays unconditional love, mercy, and compassion for a
stranger; he displays love expressed through deeds of service to another person; he serves from his weakness
He welcomes the stranger, gives clothes to the naked, and cares for the sick
The Parable of the Good SamaritanThe Two Problems with Unconditionally Loving
All People Nationalism
Strong allegiance to a specific nation or an excessive sense of separation from all other cultures
Legalism An overemphasis on rules and regulations or an
excessive focus on the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law
The Proclamation of Isaiah in the Nazareth SynagogueThe Gospel According to Luke, 4: 14-30
The Proclamation of Isaiah18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
The Proclamation of Isaiah Bring glad tidings to the poor
Good news; the joy of the Gospel; happiness Proclaim liberty to captives
Freedom Recovery of sight to the blind
Healing, comfort Let the oppressed go free
Freedom
The Proclamation of Isaiah 21“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in
your hearing.” 22And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
The Proclamation of Isaiah28When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were filled with fury. 29They rose up, drove him out of town, and led him to the brow of the hill . . . To hurl him down headlong.”
Why is Jesus rejected by the people of Nazareth? Why were they so angry at Jesus?
Why did the people of Nazareth disapprove of his message? What were they afraid of? Why did they want to kill Jesus?
The Proclamation of Isaiah Why is Jesus rejected by the people of
Nazareth? Why were they so angry at Jesus? Jesus compares himself to the great prophets Elijah
and Elisha Jesus compares the Jewish people to their close-
minded Israelite ancestors who rejected the great prophets
The Proclamation of Isaiah Why did the people of Nazareth disapprove of
his message? What were they afraid of? Why did they want to kill Jesus? His message of joy, happiness, freedom, healing,
comfort might disrupt every day life The Jewish community leaders were afraid because
of the threat that Jesus posed to their power, wealth, security, and comfort
Jesus might gain the support of the young members of the community and lead a revolt
The BeatitudesThe Gospel According to Matthew, 5: 1-12
The Beatitudes “Blessed are . . .” A challenge for disciples
Called to a life of loving service, humble sacrifice, and certain persecution
Only reward is the future hope in and promise of a heavenly reward
The Sermon on the MountThe Gospel According to Matthew, 5-7
The Sermon on the Mount Proverbs
Short Sayings that are “words to the wise” offered without any story leading up to them
Allow the stark and challenging words of Jesus to stand alone without any distraction
The Sermon on the Mount The Beatitudes, Matthew 5: 1-12 On Being Salt and Light for the World, Matthew 5:
13-16 Loving Your Enemies, Matthew 5: 43-48 On Giving Alms, Matthew 6: 1-4 On How to Pray, Matthew 6: 5-8
The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6: 9-15 On How to Fast, Matthew 6: 16-18 On Not Judging Others, Matthew 7: 1-5 The Golden Rule, Matthew 7: 12 The Two Foundations, Matthew 7: 24-27
The Lord’s Prayer or The Our FatherThe Gospel According to Luke, 11: 2-4
The Gospel According to Matthew, 6: 9-13
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about
God (relationship with God) The Kingdom of God Discipleship (relationship with other people) Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God “Our Father”
Head of the family, leader, role model, mentor, teacher Desires an intimate relationship with each person Unconditional love, affectionate, caring friend Protects, nurtures, provides shelter and safety Respect, honor Creator Immanent, active in the world For all people All people are part of one family
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God What about “Our Mother” ???
A natural complement to “Our Father” Provide a fuller, more complete understanding of God
Not just loving, but also forgiving Not just nurtures, but also nourishes and provides for our
basic needs Not just a creator, but also the source of life Not just active in the world, but always present and full of
energy Encourages, understands, helps
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God What about “Our Mother” ???
For some people, the term “Father” is linked to negative past experiences and hurtful memories Possibly even the extremes of abuse (physical,
emotional) or abandonment Result -- A negative image of God
Addressing God as “Our Mother” enables people to reclaim a positive image of God
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God “who art in heaven”
Transcendent Omnipresent (all-present) Omnipotent (all-powerful) Omniscient (all-knowing)
“hallowed be thy name” Holy, sacred, revered
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom of God “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done”
The Kingdom is God’s greatest dream and desire for the world and its people
A place of love, peace, justice, equality No sin, no pain, no suffering
“on earth as it is in heaven” The Kingdom is already a reality on earth, but not
yet fully established (human sinfulness) The Kingdom is perfectly established in heaven
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God “Give us this day our daily bread”
God gives us each day as a blessing/gift/grace God fulfills each person’s personal and communal
needs God provides people with physical and spiritual
nourishment Bread is the basic food eaten at all meals
Symbol of friendship, family, and community Main source of sustenance and life
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God “And forgive us our trespasses”
God displays his generous love for us through the forgiveness of our sins
God is merciful, compassionate
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about Discipleship “as we forgive those who trespass against us”
Called to imitate the example of God by displaying generous love for others through the forgiveness of their sins
Called to be merciful, compassionate Reveal God’s holiness through their behavior Express love for God through deeds and actions
toward other people
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about God & the Kingdom “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil” Temptation, sin, pain, suffering, evil, and death are
realities on earth Only God can help people resist the temptations
they struggle with on a daily basis Only God can help people conquer the forces of
evil that exist in the world
The Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us about Prayer
What is Prayer? Any form (both verbal and non-verbal) of
communication with God
Types of Prayer Adoration, Praise Petition Contrition, Forgiveness Thanksgiving, Blessing
Sin and Suffering
Sin and Suffering What is sin?
Any thought or action that prevents the love of God from entering into the world and reigning over the hearts of people; a failure to love
A breaking of the relationships with self, God, and others The Presence of Sin in the World
Original Sin Personal/Individual Sin
freely chosen acts that hurt ourselves or others
Communal/Social Sin Natural Evil
Sin and Suffering Natural Evil God does not intentionally cause
Natural events Physical sickness and disease
God did not come to take away suffering, but to help us to deal with it
The Parables of Jesus
The Parables of Jesus Short stories Metaphors (usually similes) that compare the
Kingdom of God to common, everyday things Surprise twist or ending to the parable
Keep listeners alert or catch them off-guard Tease the mind of listeners and force them to
stop, think, and reflect on the lessons Jesus was trying to teach
The Parables of Jesus Jesus teaches us about
God (relationship with God) The Kingdom of God Discipleship
Appropriate response to God’s offer of the Kingdom Relationship with other people
