Matthew 4:12-17 (ESV)
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
And so it begins: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
We don’t experience the full impact of that statement sitting here in the 21st Century in America, but a first-century reader would feel its weight.
At that time, Rome was the dominant world power, and it had conquered Israel. Rome was the last in a long line of nations that had conquered the people of God, going all the way back to the Assyrians who destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel.
Rome had set up a puppet king over the people of God with Herod the Great and then allowed his sons to rule after him, and the Jewish people resented Rome and its puppet kings. They longed for the time when God would come and restore the nation-state of Israel and set things right.
And now here it is: Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and He calls the people to repent.
Repent is an interesting word. It means to stop what you are doing and go in the opposite direction; literally, to turn around 180 degrees and go the exact opposite way.
It’s interesting that “repent” is coupled with this announcement that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Kingdoms were established through violence and force. That’s how it was always done; even in many parts of the world today, violence and force are used to overthrow old governments and establish new rule.
But that’s not how God’s kingdom is going to come into the world. Look back at the prophecy concerning Jesus in verse 16: a great light has dawned; Jesus is bringing light into a world filled with darkness.
God’s kingdom isn’t going to be established through force and violence; it’s coming with peace and healing, with forgiveness and grace (we’ll see that as we read on in Matthew).
And so Jesus calls the people to repent, to stop going in the wrong direction, to do a 180 and move toward the kingdom of heaven. It’s a call to let go of the old ways of living and doing and embrace this new kingdom of heaven, of which Jesus is the tip of the spear.
My friend and pastor, Henry Greene, likened it to a wall separating the kingdoms of darkness and light. He spoke about accepting Christ as a journey of repentance: as we enter the kingdom of light, we continually move farther and farther away from that wall as we continue to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ.
There are two things that I’m left thinking about this morning as I consider this passage.
First, on a personal level, as we look at our own lives, where are we called to repent? Where do we need to stop and do a 180 as we continue to pursue our own relationship with Christ? Is it an attitude, a behavior, or a way of thinking or understanding the world and the people around us?
Second, as citizens of heaven, as sons and daughters of the King of the kingdom, how are we representing and extending the light of Christ, the kingdom of God, into the world?
God bless you, and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott