Matthew 4:12-27
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Jesus picks up right where John the Baptist stops (or is stopped by the executioner’s sword). John had been shouting, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand”. His message and delivery were so powerful that people came out in droves to be baptized as a sign of their repentance. After Jesus set-up his home base in Capernaum, he began his ministry with the fulfillment of John’s message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near”.
When Jesus came into the world, he breached the separation between heaven and earth. In Him, the Kingdom of God spills over into the world. This is a cataclysmic shift in the entire relationship between God and humanity, as well as a completely new way of being for all of us.
We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven right now, as well as in the life to come. Jesus didn’t come to tell us about some far-off place with streets of gold where we’ll sit on clouds forever after we die. In Jesus, we live in the presence of God right here and now.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Maybe our repentance today includes turning away from apathy and entitlement – recognizing the priceless gift of salvation, and the privilege of sharing the joy of life in the Kingdom of God with a world that’s hungry for that Good News.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: In You is life in all its abundance. Show us how to live like we believe that. AMEN