Matthew 4 12-25 Epiphany 3 C 2008
Epiphany 3, January 27, 2008
“The Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand”
We continue with the season of revealing the Christ. With each Sunday, we see more of God’s design to save humankind through the Messiah. The Old Testament Reading, quoted in the Gospel from Matthew and familiar also from its use at Christmas, points specifically, to the coming Messiah. Jesus, the Messiah, comes as a humble servant, yet he is nothing less than King, as the Introit reminds: “Kingship belongs to the Lord.” Wherever Jesus is found—even Galilee—there “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17).
Introduction: You’ve heard this saying: British historian Lord Acton has given us this phrase, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Time and again in human history this has proved to be true, which, of course, is why modern civilizations fear absolute monarchy. An absolute king can seldom be trusted—except in one case, that of God.
What is a kingdom in comparison to a dictatorship or a democracy? The Bible uses the word kingdom often. It speaks of the kingdom of Israel. It refers to the heavenly realm also as a kingdom. The kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, is the heart of Jesus’ preaching and teaching. In our text this morning, Matthew writes that Jesus “went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (v 23). He proclaimed the Gospel, the Good News, of His kingdom.
Understanding and combining the two thought, that of Good News, and that of Kingdoms, is hard for us to do in this world. Which of us, living in a democracy, would really want to live in a kingdom? When I think of a kingdom it brings images up of Saudi Arabia. Arabia, ruled by the Saudi family, king, ----and his princes made up of members of His family. The country is oil rich. But the wealth stays with the ruling elite with some trickle down effect. This country is governed by the religion of the king, Islam. Islamic law is plenty strict, though not strict enough for the Wahabi people. As we consider the kingdoms of this world most of us would consider a move there as a step back into the Dark Ages, when subjects had no freedom or voice in their government, when they lived at the whim of their rulers? For most of us we would consider this bad news.
We also know, that if a country is ruled by a good king, a king that cares for his people and provides for their every need, this indeed would be good news. This is exactly the kind of kingdom that Jesus proclaims in His preaching. This is the kind of Kingdom that Jesus brings into reality through His suffering and death on the cross and His glorious resurrection. It’s Good News That the Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand.
It’s good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand because, unlike many kingdoms, the kingdom of heaven is good. Not every kingdom is by any means good news. The Jews were living under a very bad kingdom (v 12). King Herod had just put John the Baptist in prison and soon would have his head. This is all too typical of many kingdoms. Kings would often become corrupted with their absolute power. Kings would take advantage of their subjects for their own ease and pleasure, using and abusing them, even executing victims on a whim, as with John.
What’s more, we may consider it bad news to have to live in any kingdom at all. Even in the best of circumstances, having an absolute king restricts the freedom of the people. Even under God’s hand, Israel’s kings would levy taxes and conscript her sons and daughters (1 Sam 8:10–18). A king’s word is always final. His word is not second-guessed. There may be advisers, but the king’s word is the last word. Subjects are completely under control of the king. Without question, they must be willing to do anything the king asks. Absolute loyalty is required.
We rebel against that! We want to be our own kings. We don’t want even the best King—God himself—to rule over us. His royal Law describes life at its happiest, most harmonious, but we would rather go our sinful way, lusting after what looks attractive to us. We don’t want God to provide for us. That would be admitting we’re not rulers. We would rather be in control even of our eternal destinies. We’re accustomed to democracy politically, and we want no less voice in our spiritual lives.
But the kingdom of heaven is very, very good—and good for us. The kingdom of heaven is nothing like the bad kingdoms we think about. Jesus Christ comes as our king. Jesus didn’t reign for his pleasure or glory. He didn’t come to sit on a cushy throne in Rome or Jerusalem. He came to a place of ill fame, the backwaters of Galilee (vv 12–13). Jesus came to bring light to those in darkness, even the kingdom of darkness (vv 14–16).
In the Dark Ages, Europe lived under the feudal system, a pyramid society in which almost everyone was served to the benefit of a higher lord. At the top of the pyramid, served by everyone else, was the king. Unlike those kings, Jesus came that the lowest of people, like those of Galilee, might see God in his true light, as loving Father. Jesus does call us to service, but serving him is an honor that leads to eternal glory (vv 18–22). Behind the imperative “Follow me!” was Gospel, Good News, because Christ was saying, “I have chosen you to be with me, to be mine.” Jesus uses his almighty, kingly power not to subdue us, but to conquer our enemies—diseases, the power of the devil and death (vv 23–25).
The kingdom of heaven is even better than being our own kings. This is true though we don’t always think so. Most of us, if we are honest, would just as soon rule our own lives, to be kings of our own domain. How do we think? Well, most of us think we would be better off if government would get out of our lives, lower our taxes, let us do what is good for us without it’s restrictions, requirements and laws. Isn’t this right? But, as sinful human beings, we would take this one more step with our relationship with God. We think, how much better our lives would be if we could just do what we wanted. Why is it that God would be consider wrong the petty sins we are so inclined to. We get tired of His butting into our lives, that is until we want something from Him. Still we think we would be better off without His restrictions, requirements and yes even His laws.
We try to be our own kings. We’re failures at being our own kings. Our self-rule leads only to empty lives, broken relationships, emptiness and despair. Ultimately we end up in the darkest kingdom of all, the pit of hell, where even God reigns supreme. Controlling our own eternities is a dead end.
So, God, by His grace and mercy, calls us out of the kingdom of darkness into His kingdom of marvelous light, He does this through His Son Jesus. He does this as Jesus fulfilled the Law of God for us, and purchased real freedom for us by his death on the cross.
We may think that we are citizens of this United States. But in reality, our citizenship is in heaven.
The kingdom we now live in, then, is truly heaven! That’s good news! And there is more good news. The kingdom of heaven is still coming and emerging out of the darkness of sin, the devil and death. God is still calling, gathering and saving lost souls. This is good news and we are part of it. You are witnesses. The kingdom of heaven is at hand in the preaching of the Good News (v 17). The kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, comes in one word—the Word: John 1. “The Word [is] God. . . . The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:1, 14)—the Savior, Jesus. This Word is Jesus.
This Word, the Good News, came near to the people when Jesus was there and when he spoke. They saw and heard the Word—it astounded, puzzled, convicted, and enraged them. It convicted of sin. It gave comfort to the soul. The Word has done exactly the same for us. Most marvelously, as for some of them, as for some of us, we have heard the Word of the Lord and it has brought forth the gift of faith that believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is as Isaiah, the mouth of Gos proclaimed: “My word . . . shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose” (Is 55:11), whether to convict of sin or announce the perfect forgiveness.
The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It comes when the Good News of Jesus is proclaimed. It comes in Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Altar. For most of us, the Good News first came in the precious waters of Baptism. For other people the kingdom came as they heard the confession of a Christian’s faith, and then believed.
The Good News—and, with it, the kingdom of heaven—comes to each of us every Sunday in hymns, the liturgy, the Bible, the sermon, Absolution, and Communion; the Word comes to us in our ears and in our mouths. The kingdom is not only near, but it is also among us, around us, in us. That’s what it means that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
When the world began, after the fall into sin, when the kingdom of darkness entered into our world, a promise was made to establish an everlasting Kingdom ruled by the Son of king David. Two thousand years ago that promise was fulfilled. When Jesus came “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (Mt 4:23), it is indeed Good News. He ushered in a kingdom that is ruled by grace. It is a kingdom of gifts—God gives that which we don’t deserve. Jesus did this not by being concerned with for his own welfare, as is an earthly king, He came with God’s concern for us. He does exactly what is needed to restore us to himself. While an earthly king worries about keeping his crown, God’s crown will be given away to those who believe in Jesus to reign with him in eternity. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Thank God it is through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
After Rev. Gary A. Piepkorn