Matthew 28:18-20
A tendency exists to interpret Jesus’ life in terms of his birth, death, and resurrection. However, the gospels dedicate considerably more time to Jesus’ ministry than his birth and death. In fact, two of the four gospels do not even record Jesus’ birth. While volume alone does not determine significance, it does contribute to how we assess importance. Given the weight the gospels give to the long middle section of Jesus’ ministry, we began a short series last week exploring the message of the kingdom driving Jesus’ ministry. This lesson continues that series by noting that Jesus’ ministry announced his identity as the ruler of God’s kingdom in the world. Jesus’ identification as God’s anointed king raises a question for us, “What does Jesus rule over God’s kingdom mean for me?”