Discussion Questions

Leo describes the kingdom as conceived “before the creation in the Godhead community,” then moving through Genesis 3:15, Sinai, incarnation, cross, resurrection, church age, and new creation—what does that storyline suggest about God’s intentionality and patience, and where does it challenge common “Plan B” assumptions about redemption? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Leo traces God’s kingdom plan from before creation through the Bible story. What does that show about God’s purpose and patience, and how does it challenge the idea that redemption was a “Plan B”?

Leo says John the Baptist and Jesus announced the kingdom as “at hand,” even though “there was a kingdom here,” and he illustrates it with 211° vs 212° and “a little bit more”—what, specifically, was the “little bit more” Jesus brought that created a paradigm shift, and how would first-century Jews have felt the difference? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the kingdom was already “here,” what was the “little bit more” Jesus brought that changed everything? How do you think people in Jesus’ day would have noticed and felt that change?

Leo insists that new birth is required not only to enter but even to *see* the kingdom, and he compares it to Elisha’s servant needing opened eyes—what are some ways people can be highly religious (like Nicodemus) yet still functionally blind to the kingdom Jesus preached? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can someone be very religious, like Nicodemus, but still not “see” the kingdom Jesus talked about? What are some signs of that kind of blindness today?

In the Gus-the-crow story, the crow is destroyed because he doesn’t perceive the changed “sawmill paradigm,” and Leo warns the same can happen with the kingdom—what “unchanged routines” or inherited assumptions in your Christianity could be the equivalent of Gus landing on a moving saw? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What old habits or assumptions in your Christian life might not fit the way Jesus’ kingdom really works? Where might you be doing something the same way even though everything has changed?

Leo lists the essentials of a kingdom (king, subjects, domain, laws) and then stresses Jesus’ kingship in humiliation before Pilate—how does “Behold your king” in a beaten, tormented Christ redefine power, and what does it reveal about God’s chosen way of ruling? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does seeing Jesus as a beaten, suffering king change our idea of what real power looks like? What does it teach about how God chooses to rule?

Leo calls Jesus’ discipleship demands “unique citizenship,” citing Luke 14:26 and Matthew 16:24, then later says disciples should be “best prepared people in the world” to lose family, possessions, health, and even life—what would early Christians have assumed about normal discipleship that modern evangelical culture often treats as “radical” or optional? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What did early Christians likely think was normal discipleship that many evangelicals today call “radical” or treat as optional? How should that reshape what we expect when we follow Jesus?

Leo claims the Sermon on the Mount and “If it hath been said, but I say unto you” creates “new accountability like never before,” adding, “Jesus has robbed humanity of their lack of knowledge”—how does that confront modern ideas of “invincible ignorance,” minimal obligation, or “God won’t judge what you didn’t know”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Jesus gives clearer truth and “more accountability,” how does that challenge the idea that “God won’t judge you for what you didn’t know”? What does it say about settling for the bare minimum?

Leo uses the sun/moon analogy from Genesis 1 and 2 Corinthians 3 to argue the Old Covenant’s light is reflected and must be eclipsed by Christ’s glory—where do Christians today (in preaching, ethics, or identity markers like the Sabbath/Lord’s Day) subtly try to make Moses “the sun” and Jesus “the moon”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do Christians today act like Moses is the main light and Jesus is the lesser one? Where might that show up in preaching, morality, or things like Sabbath vs. Lord’s Day?

Leo reads John 11 (the leaders fearing Rome will take “our place and our nation”) and calls Jesus’ kingdom a threat to national identity—what does that expose about how easily “place and nation” can compete with Christ’s reign, and where might that confrontation land in your context? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In John 11, the leaders feared losing their “place and nation” because of Jesus. How can loyalty to country, culture, or social standing compete with Jesus’ rule in your setting?

Leo ends with the warning from Matthew 21 about the stone that either breaks you or crushes you, and he summarizes: “We must die by the kingdom and law of Moses and live by the kingdom and law of Jesus Christ”—what would it practically look like to “die by Moses” without becoming lawless, and what would it look like to “live by Jesus” without using grace as a cover for self-protection? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like to “die to Moses” without throwing out God’s standards and becoming lawless? And what would it look like to “live by Jesus” without using grace as an excuse to protect yourself and avoid costly obedience?