Episode 4: God’s Kingdom

Daily Reading:

Day 1: Mark 1-4

Day 2: Mark 12-14

Day 3: Matthew 4-7

Day 4: Matthew 11-13

Day 5: Matthew 18-22

Day 6: Mark 10:13-16

Day 7: Group Meeting Experience on: Matthew 9:18-33

We’re finally here. To the covenant that we’re included in—Jesus and the New Covenant. Once again, God is ordering the world through the means of covenant. This covenant includes God partnering with humanity through the incarnation—God with us. But the New Covenant includes more than God’s work through Jesus’ action on the cross. No, the New Covenant includes the totality of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. This week, we are focusing on Jesus’ life as a covenantal model for who we are and how we are supposed to live.

Jesus, as the fulfillment of God’s promises to the people, reveals how the Kingdom of God operates. His teachings, actions, and the way He relates to others are a blueprint for how we, as recipients of the New Covenant, are called to live. Through His parables, Jesus paints a picture of what life in God’s Kingdom looks like. He flips the expectations of the world upside down, teaching us that greatness is found in serving, that the first will be last, and that the Kingdom of God is open to the humble, the meek, and the brokenhearted.

In the Gospels, we see Jesus constantly inviting people into this new way of living, a life defined by grace, mercy, and justice. He heals the sick, comforts the afflicted, and challenges the self-righteous. His life becomes the ultimate demonstration of how a covenant relationship with God should shape every aspect of our lives. As we walk through the Scriptures this week, we’ll encounter the teachings and miracles of Jesus that illustrate what it means to live in a covenant with God that transforms us and our communities.

This week, we will not only study the words and actions of Jesus but reflect on how His life embodies the fulfillment of God’s covenant. His life is the ultimate act of love and faithfulness, and it is through Him that we experience restoration and reconciliation. Jesus is not just the one who brings us into covenant with God; He is the model for what it looks like to live in faithful, covenantal relationship with God.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does Jesus’ life, as depicted in the Gospels, serve as a model for how we are supposed to live in covenant with God?
2. In what ways do the parables of Jesus challenge our understanding of the Kingdom of God? How can we apply these lessons in our own lives?
3. How does Jesus’ teaching on greatness (e.g., serving others) flip the world’s idea of success and power? What does this mean for us as followers of Christ?
4. Reflecting on Jesus’ interactions with the marginalized, what does it mean to live out God’s covenant in a way that reaches out to those on the edges of society?
5. How does Jesus’ death and resurrection fit into the New Covenant, and how does this shape our understanding of God’s faithfulness and our role in the Kingdom of God today?