" From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, 'Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ' " : Matthew 4:12
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The words in our text are usually associated with the ministry of John the Baptist, the fore-runner of Christ... certainly, not many sermons are preached on the first words Christ spoke in His public ministry.... most focusing on the miracle at Cana. Cana was indeed miraculous, and it did start his public ministry, but the gospels themselves tell us it was so that His disciples would start to believe in Him.
However, the first words of "Message" are given to us in the book of Matthew.
In the "from that time"... given to us in Matthews Gospel, the time being referred to is after Christ's Baptism by John, His victory over temptation in the wilderness, and lastly, after the news that John the Baptist had been incarcerated.
And the "Kingdom of heaven" phrase (most found in Matthew) is not an accident.
In the Sermon on the mount, it occurs verbatim 6 times, and the economy and rules of heaven are the chief topics of His Message, collected for us by Matthew in Chapters 5-7.
Mat_5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the -kingdom of heaven.
Mat_5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the - kingdom of heaven.
Mat_5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat_5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat_7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat_8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
In addition to this, there are the "Kingdom" parables, which begin with the phrase "The Kingdom of Heaven is like.... " (unique to the Gospel of Matthew)... and we have done detailed studies on each one in our series on the Parables of Christ (check the pinned post on this Page for the link to that series), and we definitely commend them to your attention.
They are ...The Parable of the Sower, The Parable of the Mustard Seed, The Parable of Leaven, The Parable of the Hidden Treasure/Pearl of Great Price, and the Parable of the Net, The Parable of the Unforgiving servant/Debtors, the Parable of the laborers in the Vineyard, the Parable of the Son's Marriage Feast, The Parable of the 10 Virgins, and the Parable of the Faithful steward.
The other Gospels do not use the term "Kingdom of Heaven", but rather, the "Kingdom of God" meaning the same thing... and we find further pointers....
The Parable of the seed growing secretly (Mark 4:26, also repeats the parable of the mustard seed)., the difficulty of getting into heaven for rich people likened to the difficulty of a camel passing through the eye of a needle (repeated in other gospels as well).
In addition, we are given distinct utterances in seperate areas...
"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. " - Mat 18:1-6
"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:62
"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." - Luke 18:29-30
Last but not least, we are told..
Joh_3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh_3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
And even after He was resurrected, we have seen what He said to the disciples... ... "To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:" (Acts 1:3)
Clearly, ushering in the kingdom of Heaven, was Christ's consuming passion and ministry, throughout His life, and even after His death --- as the King, we would expect no less! We are blessed to be able to get the details from the ONE who should know the best!
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. " - John 3:11-15
This coming week, Orthodox churches around the World will celebrate Ascension Day, as Passover observances conclude this week ( if you are wondering why the dates are different from last year, it is because of differences in the Hebrew, and Christian calendars).
Let us likewise be Heavenly-minded, over this week, as you reflect on Christ's priorities, and the urgency of His commandment to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is already come in our hearts.
" Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. " - Matthew 13:11
Hallelujah!