Seeing Jesus' Teachings in Context

Just what is this "total mission" of Jesus? If we remember the discussion of Jesus' life it will be clear that he did not come just to leave us a few pearls of ethical wisdom. He came to restore the broken relationship between God and man, to announce and to incarnate the fact that God loves sinful men and desires their fellowship, and that the Kingdom of God is now a present reality.

Just as the miracles are "signs" of the Kingdom of God, so are the teachings a description of what life in the Kingdom of God is like. They show how one is to live within the Kingdom. For this reason, the teachings cannot be separated from Jesus' total mission, and we mutilate his message when we attempt this separation.

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