Remember all that talk in Matthew about the kingdom of heaven? Well, Jesus is referring to immortality—life after death. Jesus loves to wax poetic about this glorious place. In fact, many of his parables even begin with the words "The kingdom of heaven is like." But here's the thing: not everyone gets invited to the party. Instead, it's promised to a couple different groups in the Beatitudes (lucky!), and Jesus even makes a point to emphasize just how hard it is to enter. No one ever said this follower thing would be easy.
Questions About Immortality
- Why does Jesus so often use parables when he's talking about the kingdom of heaven? Why not just describe it outright?
- How central is the promise of immortality to Jesus's message? Does he seems to emphasize it more or less than other aspects?
- Write a modern-day parable about the kingdom of heaven. How might it go?