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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 3, A Different Kind of Kingdom  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
The chapter says Jesus commissioned the disciples to preach, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” and even told the would-be follower, “you go and preach the Kingdom of God” instead of burying his father; what does this suggest about the urgency and cost Jesus attached to Kingdom proclamation, and what kinds of “reasonable delays” would Jesus confront in your life?
Another way to ask: Jesus told his disciples to preach, “The Kingdom is near,” and even said preaching was more urgent than burying a father. What does that say about how serious and costly Jesus thought this message was, and what “good reasons to wait” would he challenge in your life?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript, Jesus treated Kingdom proclamation as urgent and weighty enough to outrank even culturally reasonable obligations. The cost is real: following him may mean refusing delays that seem responsible or normal when they keep you from obeying the King’s call.

Support from Transcript:

  • In commissioning, Jesus’ instruction was explicit: “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’”
  • He “sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick,” tying the message to action.
  • Jesus emphasized the same point repeatedly: “In nearly every passage where Jesus gave preaching instructions… he told them to preach about the Kingdom.”
  • The would-be follower’s delay sounded legitimate, yet Jesus answered: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God.”
  • Bercot frames Kingdom preaching as central to Jesus’ mission, not optional or secondary.
Discussion Follow-ups What do you label as “I’ll do it after…” (family expectations, career steps, financial security, comfort)? How might Jesus’ words expose which delays are actually refusals to obey?

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