Jesus’ Great Offer of the Kingdom to All People*
A new kind of life is available in God’s kingdom now
*Reposted for new subscribers.
You hear a lot about Jesus and his kingdom. What is his kingdom? And where would we look if we wanted to seek it?
Remember the Christmas story, how, as the angel announces the birth of Jesus he says, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10? Israel was expecting a coming king who would rescue them from their oppressors, but God had an even bigger plan than that. He wasn’t sending an earthly king just to rescue Israel politically. He was sending a heavenly King to rescue all peoples from the oppression of all the consequences of all the unloving acts we all do toward each other and ultimately toward God. The Bible lingo for this is that Jesus came to rescue us from sin and death.
About 30 years after the angel’s announcement, Jesus began to teach everyone about the heavenly kingdom who would listen. He explained how we, who may only be able to see the physical landscape, can understand his kingdom; and how we can step into his kingdom and walk with him. Eventually, we will see how this world is a perfectly safe place to be when we are walking with Jesus in his kingdom. (If your mind is blown at that last sentence, please hang in there with me and I believe it will make sense to you eventually).
Matthew records the message Jesus taught and the first words we hear Jesus proclaim in public is: Matthew 4:17 (HCSB): “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Jesus was saying his kingdom is right here. It is available. Accessible.
These may be strange words to our ears and most likely need some explanation for us to really grasp how wonderful Jesus’ message was for all people. Really, what was it that Jesus was calling us to do?
Repent - Change the Way You’re Thinking
Sometimes words used in common English Bible translations take on meanings in the cultural “soup” that we live in, both religious and secular, that were not necessarily intended in the original language as written. Repent is one of those words. In our everyday conversations repent typically means “to feel regret or contrition.” Sometimes we conflate the term with penance, which is works we do to pay for our sins, which is definitely NOT the meaning here. It is very important that we do not read those definitions back into what Jesus is saying or we will COMPLETELY miss the great news he has for us.
The word in the original language means change your mind or think differently or reconsider. There are three words in the New Testament that are translated into the English word “repent” and they are all related. One has to do with changing directions, like “turn around and go the other way.” This is something that someone does after they have realized they were thinking wrongly. So repenting in the Bible includes changing your thinking - changing your view of reality and what really matters, as well as, the change in direction your new understanding leads you into.
So Jesus was urging us to stop thinking the wrong things and consider that he was offering us the opportunity of a lifetime! To find something better - much better, in his kingdom.
The Kingdom of Heaven Has Come Near
What is the kingdom of heaven and why would I care?
When I want to gain a little more clarity on a word or a verse in the Bible, I grab my copy of Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)** and check it out. Those of you who speak two languages understand it is sometimes hard to do a word-for-word translation from, for example, Spanish to English. That is why there are variations in translations of any important document. Words have shades of meaning and it may take more than one word in the receiving language to fully make the meaning of the original clear. When I check out my Young’s, I can hone my understanding of what the original language conveys.
Matthew 4:17 (YLT): began Jesus to proclaim and to say, ‘Reform ye, for come nigh hath the reign of the heavens.’
See the word reign there? The kingdom of the heavens or the kingdom of God, which are interchangeable phrases, simply means the area where God is reigning. It is where God’s will is being done. God’s kingdom overlaps the visible and the invisible landscapes. We see this when Jesus prays “let your kingdom come, let your will be done on earth (visible landscape) as it is in heaven (invisible landscape). Matt. 6:10. God’s kingdom comes in your life when you are surrendered to following his instructions.
Some people only think Jesus came to make it possible for their sins to be forgiven so they can go to heaven when they die. They think of heaven as some place far, far away and a long time in the future. If you look closely at everything Jesus says, it is obvious he is offering us eternal life starting right now! Yes, our sins are forgiven if we are trusting him, but we don’t have to wait until we die to step into his kingdom, enjoying his watchcare over us as we live with him every day. And then when our bodies wear out, others think we are dead, but we have stepped out of this body into his presence ready for our next assignment in his kingdom work! What an amazing life Jesus is offering us!! We just need to change the way we have been thinking, lay down our kingdom, move in the new direction that is consistent with our new way of thinking, and move in with him.
Now, back to what I said earlier. How can I say that this world is a perfectly safe place to be if you are in his kingdom? Was Jesus nuts to say we shouldn’t worry? (Mt. 6:25-34). Did he not see the wars and the famine and the other forms of evil in this world? He sees them and still reassures us.
We will tackle that topic next weekend.
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**Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible (link) The Literal Translation is unusual in that, as the name implies, it is a very literal translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. For example, Young used the present tense in many places in which other translations use the past tense, particularly in narratives. Young's translation is closer to the Hebrew than the better-known versions of the passage in English. Young strives for strictness in translating words and tenses.