As an aside, this column makes generalizations about "Biblical scholars," such as "According to biblical experts, the kingdom of heaven refers to God working effectively in our everyday lives."  Biblical scholars are a contentious lot who offer a variety of arguments about the meaning of Matthew's "kingdom of the heavens."

There is a consensus (though disputed, of course) that Jesus was apocalyptic, a worldview anticipating cosmic events that can't fairly be reduced to a proclamation that "God works effectively in our everyday lives." Didn't the Jews believe this much before Jesus appeared?

<<"The late Raymond Brown always insisted that the itinerant preacher we follow never intended to found a church as we know it.">>

Almost certainly the case. As Matthew also has Jesus say, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”