Disciples Global Network

The present sovereignty of Jesus is based on his past Death and Resurrection, and His disciples participate in his reign on the Earth. Like him, their position is paradoxical. It is characterized by self-sacrificial service rather than the suppression of unredeemed humanity. The shedding of his blood is what consecrated them as “ priests ,” and priestly service for others IS how they rule with him.

Faithful disciples will receive great rewards, but those who harm their weaker brethren risk condemnation to Gehenna . John complained because someone who was not from among their inner circle was casting out demons in Christ’s name. However, if this outsider was doing so, then it was God who was acting through him. John’s complaint was rich in irony since just a few verses earlier the disciples found themselves unable to exorcise demons because of their unbelief.

“ I never knew you! Depart from me! ” These are the most frightening words anyone could hear on the lips of Jesus, yet they are central to the conclusion of his ‘ Sermon on the Mount .’ His Discourse was never a program for reforming or governing civil society, but instructions for his disciples on how they must live as faithful citizens and representatives of his Kingdom and message. There is no bypassing the Cross.

When Jesus dispatched his disciples to announce the “ Good News ” to the “ lost sheep of Israel ,” he warned that they would find themselves as “ sheep among wolves .” Hostile men would haul them before “ councils and whip them in their synagogues .” His followers would be hated “ by all men for my sake .” That was the harsh reality they discovered, one faced later by many in the early Church. The very men who should have welcomed Israel’s Messiah instead fought what he represented tooth and nail.

The Gospel of Matthew calls Jesus the “ Son of David .” In his life and death, he demonstrated what it meant to be the King of Israel and the “ Son of God .” Traditionally, this last designation was linked to the House of David; but in Matthew’s account, the old understanding of the Messiah is altered radically. The Greater “ Son of David ” is far more than the Ruler of Israel or the Nations. He is a King and Messiah of a very different kind.

The introduction to  Matthew  declares that Jesus is the “ Son of Abraham .” He is the heir of the covenant promises to the Patriarch, and his identification as the son of Abraham stresses fulfillment in him. Through Jesus, the promises have become reality.