THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND

(Day 2)

Jesus gave “the Sermon on the Mount” at the beginning of his ministry. He had just turned 30. At that age, he left his parent’s home and went to John the Baptist to be baptized.

 (Matthew 3:1-2)  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

(Matthew 3:13-17)  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Immersion in water is not a ritual that John started. It was a custom and tradition amongst the people of Israel. There were several reasons why one would be immersed, such as ritual purification before going into the Temple, as a part of a repentance process, as purification for women after their menstrual period, as a signal of a change in state (as in getting married), and in the beginning of the priestly ministry when the Levites turned 30 years old. The latter seems to be the reason for Jesus’ immersion even though he is not a Levite, since the Bible says that he is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:5-6,10; Heb 7:11-17). Jesus was going to begin his ministry.

John baptized him, and the Holy Spirit came upon him. But, instead of beginning his ministry right away, the Spirit took him to the wilderness to be tested. He was there for 40 days and 40 nights, fasting. It was there that he received direction from the Lord, and was tempted, but he overcame the test without sin. (Matthew 3 and 4).

Jesus began his ministry after he was baptized and after he fasted. From the beginning he preached on The Kingdom of Heaven:

(Matthew 4:17)  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? We may think of the clouds when we hear this, but Jesus taught us that we can also live the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. As a matter of fact, this is what the Lord desires. At the end of the Bible we see the City of God coming down to earth, instead of us going up to Heaven.

Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is not something far away, unreachable for us here on earth; better yet, it is close by… it is at hand.

In the Hebrew language there are some idiomatic expressions that relate certain parts of the body with positions and times:

·         When something is “on the face or the countenance”, is when it is in front or ahead. In time, it refers to the future.

·         “At the back” implies that it is behind or in the past.

·         “At hand” refers to something that is close by or in the present.  It is similar in English, if we say something is “at hand” it implies that it is available, within reach.

When Jesus said that “the Kingdom is at hand” he was referring to the time, but also to the access. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us that the way of life of the Kingdom is available for us to live in the present, here and now, on the earth. We do not have to wait until we die to go to Heaven to live the “perfect life”. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a dream that may someday come true, but a way of life that can be put into practice today, that we may begin to enjoy now. Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of God is near, closer than we imagine.

With his life, Jesus showed us that we can live the Kingdom of God on this earth. His life of holiness wans reflected on the spiritual power that flowed from him. That is why so many people followed him.

(Luke 6:17-20)  And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God... [The Sermon on the Mount]

We may think that Jesus made these signs and miracles because He is God. But Jesus said that we may do them too, if we believe…

(John 14:11-12)  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

(Mark 16:17-18)  And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Are these signs following us?

There is so much more that we may experience from the Kingdom of God here on earth…

PRAYER

Lord, in this time of repentance I want to repent. I have been conformed with just a little, when you have so much more. I want to live a life of power, not of compromise.

You said that “the Kingdom is at hand”. It is accessible, ready to be taken and lived. I want to do just that, but I don’t know how. Lord, teach me. Show me how to live in Your Kingdom. I want to see Your power manifested in my life.

Today I recognize that You are my King, and I am your servant. I will do whatever my Lord tells me to do. I will obey the laws of Your Kingdom. I want to be a worthy emissary from you, as your ambassador here on this world, so that when people see me, they may see you. I want to be a light to the world.

Our father in Heaven, Your Kingdom come. Your will be done in my life, as it is in Heaven.