Page 400 - Bible History

Unit Seven
HOW CHRIST TAUGHT, WORKED MIRA­ CLES, AND FOUNDED THE CHURCH
I. CHRIST, THE GREAT TEACHER
1. THE KINGDOM OF HEA N Is ANNOUNCED
Our divine Savior spoke constantly of the Kingdom Ch st of Heaven. He began His public preaching by repeat- : or ing the message of John the Baptist, ''Do penance, : _ for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'' Many of the n people thought that He intended to lead a great revolt against the Romans, drive them out, and to win back
for Himself the throne of David, His ancestor. But Jesus was not thinking of an earthly kingdom. He
was thinking of the time when all men would know
that they belonged to God and that they were put here
upon earth to do His holy will. God did not create man
for this world, yet Jesus saw how many people were living as though money, or pleasure, or earthly power
were the only thing that mattered.
Jesus was a wonderful teacher and knew how to pre­
sent His doctrine in such a clear manner that His listeners would have no di culty in understanding it. Frequently He spoke to them in parables; that is to say, He compared the things of God to things of their everyday life. If He saw a farmer sowing seed in his 373