The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! – Mk 1:15

What’s the news about the kingdom?

At that time, the Israelites understood themselves to be the kingdom of God, because of passages like these:

• David: “He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel” – 1 Chr 28:5
• Isaiah: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom… from that time on and forever. – Is 9:6-7
• God, through Nathan, to David: “ When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom…. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.” – 1 Chr 17:11,14

God warned of a shift to come. He would remove the unfaithful shepherds and personally shepherd His flock. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy.

• This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. – Ezek 34:10-11
• Jesus: I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. – John 10:14-16
• Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering. – Lk 11:52

The religious leaders rejected the kingdom, and Jesus rebuked them directly through the parable of the tenants (Mt 21 & Lk 20). The vineyard landowner sent his servants, and finally his son, to collect his fruit. When the tenants beat the servants and killed the son, the landowner rented the vineyard to others:

• “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit….” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. – Mt 21:43,45
• “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!” Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. – Lk 20:15-19

This theme of transfer is echoed in the story about the Roman Centurion and the parable of the wedding banquet.

• When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Mt 8:10-13
• The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. – Mt 22:7-10

Peter emphasizes this transfer:

• To the Israelites in the Old Testament: “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. – Ex 19:5-6
• To God’s chosen people in the New Testament: But you are a chosen people, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Pe 2:9 (NIV: “royal priesthood”, which I think blurs the connection. The Greek is an adjective basileios, which comes from the noun basileia, which means kingdom.)

All this was predicted:

• I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ – Hos 2:23
• But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever – Dan 7:18
• But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” – Ro 10:16-21

Jesus took the kingdom from them and gave it to us.

• Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. – Lk 12:32
• I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. – Lk 22:29-30
• To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – Rev 1:5-6