The Jews at the time of Jesus had a totally different mindset than Jesus and were shocked by some of
the things that Jesus had talked about. One of the many things that differed between the Jews
and Jesus was the idea of the kingdom of God. When Jews heard that the kingdom of God was
at hand, they would automatically think that the preacher was talking about a nation-state. They
would also assume that it would be ruled by a military messiah and that this kingdom would be free
from pagan influence. When Jesus preached the "kingdom of God," he said it was not a place with
political borders, but was a new way of relating to God and neighbor, which was "love without
limits," and that the messiah is a purely spiritual figure. The Jewish idea of God is a fearsome, all-
holy, and faithful being. However, Jesus preaches God is a passionate, loving parent who loves
everyone boundlessly, and called him our "abba, " or father. The Jewish "love of neighbor" is also
very different. The Jewish idea for love of neighbor is being concerned for one another, especially the
poor, and care only for fellow Jews. Jesus preached that you should love everyone and imitate God's
love and even love your enemies.
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