Summary
From that time Jesus began to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (V.17)
As Jesus goes out to establish His kingdom, He does not assemble a collection of the best and the brightest. He moves to the middle of nowhere, recruits a few fishermen, and tells people they need to change. What Jesus is doing is making it clear that the Kingdom that He has come to set up is not a Kingdom that seeks to impress and overwhelm, but one that aims to bring people into God’s rhythm for His creation. His rhythm is more concerned with heart change (repentance) than it is with outward appearance. It is more interested in people (fishers of men) than it is in
possessions. It is focused toward service and compassion (miracles/healing) than it is with power. In all of this, the Kingdom that Jesus is introducing to us looks nothing like any institution we have ever seen before. He is introducing us to the kind of Kingdom that exists in the presence of the King: on earth as it is in heaven.
Bible References
- Matthew 4:12 - 25
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