A Kingdom at Hand – Matthew 4

Having accomplished God’s will in preparing vast numbers of people for the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist would now retreat into the background.  He had known all along that this would happen, and had warned his followers about it, but he did not foresee the virtual “cross” he would bear, leading to him to be put to death in King Herod’s prison.  Nor did John realize that Jesus’ Messianic kingdom would not be installed immediately, as so many prophecies had seemed to indicate.   Instead, the Messiah first had His own, literal cross to bear, at Calvary, once and for all atoning for the sins of believers everywhere. But thanks to John’s ministry, the people were made ready to hear the good news of the kingdom from Jesus Himself.

¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 4:12-17 (NKJV)

With the captivity of John, Jesus moved from Nazareth down to the the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, to begin in earnest the preaching of the coming kingdom of heaven. This would be the one written about by the Old Testament prophets, the one that will ultimately replace all of the earthly governments preceding it. 

As written in the book of Daniel, many centuries before the birth of Christ:

⁴⁴ And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.  Daniel 2:44 (NKJV)

Jesus brought the good news of the arrival of God’s divine kingdom.  He instructed people to repent, turn away from their sins, and return to Him, because Jesus’ kingdom was “at hand” and He would gladly receive them into it, if they were made ready.  God Himself was now in their midst, in the flesh, going about healing people and freeing them from spiritual bondage to attest to His credentials as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

After His crucifixion, Jesus was raised from the dead by the Father on the third day. He then spent forty days equipping and teaching His apostles and closest disciples, about 120 people in all. After Jesus had instructed His followers to pray and wait in Jerusalem for the Comforter to come, they witnessed Him ascend into heaven. Ten days later, the Holy Spirit dramatically descended upon them, as witnessed and experienced by a large group of Jewish worshipers gathered there to celebrate the feast of Pentecost.  When the apostle Peter spoke to the astonished crowd about the Messiah, thousands became believers in Jesus, and were then baptized by the apostles.  This was the beginning of Jesus’ Church, the first fruits of a harvest that will continue to grow and spread throughout the entire earth until the time of His return. Jesus will fully install His global kingdom, at a time determined by the Father, when all nations and tongues have had the opportunity to hear the good news of the gospel.

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)

When Jesus told the crowds that His kingdom was “at hand”, He meant that it was close by, imminent, and right before them, as He was.  But He also implies that we, its citizens, also have a role to play in receiving it.  Unlike the human kingdoms of history, its citizenship is not imposed automatically upon anyone by natural birth.  It is at our hand, but we must choose it, desire it, and reach for it. Eternal citizenship in the kingdom of Christ is a prize of infinite value, but it is up to us whether or not we will choose it, ignore it, or reject it.  From the moment that Jesus first began to preach the good news until now, it has been a kingdom at hand. And I pray that, by faith in Jesus, you will reach for it.

Reflection

Have you chosen to be a citizen in God’s eternal kingdom?

Father God, we know that we could never be good enough on our own to gain citizenship in Your eternal kingdom.  It is only by faith in the loving sacrifice of our eternal King, Jesus Christ, on the cross and His resurrection from the dead that we are made righteous in Your sight, and worthy to be in Your holy presence forever.  We thank You and praise You for this great gift of mercy and grace.  Help us to walk ever closer to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have a blessed and beautiful day in the Lord today.