Matthew 4:17 17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Jesus came into this desperate and darkened area of Galilee with the powerful message of light and life. He had the answer that these people needed. His message echoed that of John: Repent! People needed to turn away from the darkness because it would destroy their lives. He brought a message of hope. However, people had to make a choice about leaving their darkness. Repentance is the pre-requisite for participating in the new life Jesus offers. One cannot just coast along and hope that a little faith is enough. There must be a genuine refocus on one’s life.
Jesus brought a message about the kingdom of heaven. Matthew prefers to record this phrase from Jesus instead of the kingdom of God, as in more common in Mark and Luke, although there are four occurrences of this in his Gospel (12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43). Having a kingdom assumes a king and a group of people. Jesus is the king and the people are those who believe in him. The kingdom was the major topic of Jesus’ ministry. The verb has come near (ēngiken) is in the perfect tense, which indicates that the kingdom came with Jesus and continues for eternity. Jesus’ ministry marked the beginning of a new era. This kingdom was not political but spiritual yet would transform every aspect of human existence. Much of what Jesus taught was about how to enter this kingdom and how to live as a citizen of it. Heaven had come to earth in the person of Jesus, and those who want to go to heaven must enter through the way he teaches.
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