Scripture: Matthew 10:1-8
Journal: What does the kingdom of heaven mean to you? What image does it carry in your heart and
mind? How might Jesus want to expand
that image? What does it mean to you
that the kingdom of heaven is at hand?
Reflection:
“And as you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.’” Of all the instructions that Jesus gave his disciples as he sent them
out on their first missionary adventure, this was the only one about what to
say. One line. That’s it.
All the rest was about what he wanted them to do and how he wanted them
to do it. But their verbal message was
to be short and sweet: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” I wonder why?
And why the kingdom of heaven?
Matthew is actually the only one who uses this phrase. All of the other gospel writers use the
expression the kingdom of God. I
wonder if that’s mostly because Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, to
those very lost sheep of Israel that Jesus was specifically sending the
disciples to. And his Jewish audience
would have had preconceived notions—very particular and fairly distorted
ideas—about what the kingdom of heaven was supposed to look like. They were looking for a kingdom that would
come by military force, to wipe out their oppressors and establish them in the
places of power. But Jesus’ idea of the
kingdom of heaven was very different from that.
For Jesus, the kingdom of heaven
was not just something that would come about way out there in the future, but
something that was intended to shape our lives and our thinking in the here and
now. Because when the King entered the
kingdom, the kingdom had indeed arrived.
When the King entered his kingdom there was visible evidence of his
reign: renewal, restoration, redemption, deliverance, healing, cleansing,
release, freedom. Therefore, the
disciples not only had the privilege of proclaiming the reality of the kingdom
among us, but also got to be active participants in bringing that kingdom to
earth.
The same is true today. The kingdom of heaven is not only something
we wait for and long for and hope for, but is also a current reality. The King is still in his kingdom, as he lives
in each of us. His kingdom is still at
hand. It is a kingdom that we have the
ability to experience here and now. One
that we are invited each day to taste and enjoy and participate in as we love Jesus
and love and serve those in this broken and chaotic world.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us not just live for some
future time and state of being, but let us live fully in the here and now,
knowing that your kingdom is indeed at hand.
Amen.
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