By Danny Mann
If you’re looking for a concise theme to Matthew’s Gospel, it would have to be “The Gospel of the Kingdom.”
Matthew’s message is quite clear – the Good News message of the Kingdom has stepped out of the shadows and now is in plain view.
But it wasn’t the kingdom the Jews were looking for.
They were looking for an earthly king. This is why the Jews flocked to Jesus on Palm Sunday. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is immersed in imagery of the Messianic king.
The Jews wanted freedom from the Romans.
They wanted a King on a throne in Jerusalem.
They wanted their own kingdom.
Which is why this message of the Kingdom of Heaven is so important.
Before Israel ever had a king, they were meant to view God as their king.
They were meant to follow – His rule and pledge their allegiance to Him and to His purposes.
Israel rejected God when they demanded to have a king like their surrounding nations (1 Samuel 8). Though they had moments of faithfulness and glimmers of hope, Israel never fully embraced what it meant to be God’s kingdom.
When you jump forward to the New Testament, Israel was still stuck in the rut of an earthly kingdom. However, God had greater plans.
God’s plans were immanent and eternal. These plans were physical, but ultimately supernatural.
God’s plans were geographic, but eventually global. God’s plans were greater than anything a first century Jew could have thought of.
God’s plans were for the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven is a unique phrase used only by Matthew. The phrase is used 32 times in this Gospel. Many of these occurrences come straight from the mouth of Jesus, but the first time this phrase was used was by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2).
To be clear, John the Baptist was not a Baptist; he was a baptizer.
He was the one God sent ahead of Jesus to herald Jesus’ arrival. As Isaiah prophesied, John was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’ ”
John’s message was simple, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
It was a simple sermon. This is one of the shortest sermons ever preached, but there was depth and wisdom in those nine words.
First, John called Israel to repent. Repent means to turn from our wicked ways and turn towards God’s ways. It’s the recognition that we were wrong.
Israel had messed up, and John was calling them to turn and get back on track.
The reason for the sudden reversal of action was because in that moment, the Kingdom of Heaven was so close it could be touched. The King had come and so had His Kingdom.
As the Gospel unfolded, the Jews largely rejected the King and His kingdom, but its important to remember that the Kingdom of Heaven, has a global focus.
As the disciples soon discovered in Acts, the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven was a message for the world. We rejoice today because the King and His Kingdom are at Hand!
Danny Mann is associate pastor of Hebron Baptist Church in Denham Springs, Louisiana. His column originally was published in the April 6 edition of the church’s newsletter carried in the Baptist Message as a special insert for the congregation’s subscribers.
