Matthew 4:12-17
“From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” vs. 17
According to Matthew, following John’s arrest, Jesus left the region of the Jordan and returned to his home territory, eventually making his home in Capernaum, at the north end of the sea of Galilee. His message initially was exactly the same as John’s, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Something momentous was about to happen, it was right around the corner; barriers were being broken down, but changes were going to have to be made. Those who made the changes, those who repented, would catch a glimpse of God’s glory, and their lives would never be the same. Jesus was right. The kingdom of heaven did come in the course of his life and ministry, and it continues to come near to us today. It comes to us in the here and now…we don’t have to wait until we die…each day, eyes of faith will catch sight of the divine, not in the spectacular, but in the ordinary. God is here–not in some far off inaccessible corner of the galaxy–and breaks into our lives when we least expect it. If we’ve been longing for those heavenly encounters it’s important to remember that there’s a connection with repentance. It is’s as the Spirit changes us, in small ways and in large, that our eyes are opened and we begin to catch the divine glimpses our hearts desire.
Thought for the Day: What changes have I been putting off?
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