Immediately after his Sermon on the Mount Jesus enacts his kingdom in supernatural and miraculous ways. His kingdom is not just one of talk, it is also one of power. He goes first to outsiders - purity, racial, gender and social outsiders. This is a prophetic act. All those who receive from him do so, not purely because they are marginalised. Importantly the choose to come under his authority, and they act in faith. To do these two things is at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus.

Jesus' command to seek first his Kingdom and righteousness is well known. But what does this really mean when things in life are not going as we might have planned? When our futures are uncertain, or our health is at risk, or our relationships are strained, trusting first in God's kingdom can feel counter-intuitive. It takes faith to choose to believe and act on Jesus' promises when our human instincts are driving us to take back control. But the more able, the more we see that Jesus knows what he is doing. He is faithful and good. He does look after his children in extraordinary ways. 

The Sermon on the Mount forms part of Jesus' manifesto for his kingdom. In it he shows what people who follow him are supposed to look like. It is a manifesto in tension. Jesus is and does everything he speaks about. We do not. However in his power we are able to live radically different lives. They are lives which necessarily challenge the political, social and religious norms not just of Jesus' day, but particularly today. At this time in history we must return to and be empowered to live out the racial ethics of Jesus.

How are we, as followers of Jesus, supposed to live fully human and fully supernatural lives? The episode of Jesus' baptism reveals three fundamentals that underpinned his ministry and enabled him to fulfil the mission God had given him: he received the unconditional love from his Father; he showed humble obedience to God; and he was filled with the power of the Spirit. It is these fundamentals which all of us, as work-in-progress disciples, need to grow in in order to be and do all that God intends us to.