The Kingdom is here!

Matthew 4:12-17

February 24, 2002

 

Try to imagine for a moment the beginning of Christ's ministry. John had opened the door to Palestine's thinking about the Messiah. After John baptized Jesus, the ministry of Christ began to slowly penetrate the land of Israel. Jesus' intention was not to create "messiah fever" so that the whole population would surge into a mob that called for the overthrow of Rome. His intention was not to establish a temporal government but to proclaim and establish an eternal kingdom. His desire was not to accommodate the political strategy of his fellow Jews but to call them to repentance and transformation of life. In the end, his goal was not to comply with the current model of a messiah, but to bear the sins of many upon the cross, and be raised from the dead. Jesus Christ came to preach the message of the kingdom of God, and to be the very embodiment and way into the Kingdom.

 

Once again Matthew weaves the Old Testament prophetic passages into his Gospel. His purpose was to declare Jesus Christ to be the promised Messiah, the only Savior of sinners. From a chronological point of view, Matthew skipped over some of Christ's early ministry to hasten to His Galilean ministry-Matthew's home area. For him, Christ came as a Light into his dark world.

 

The coming of Christ must be reckoned as the Light invading darkness, and thus calling those in darkness to the Light. This is what we find in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Has the Light of the gospel dawned in your heart?

 

I. A prophetic scene

 

Jesus lived most of His earthly life in Nazareth, a town of little significance in Israel. Outside the visit to the temple when He was twelve, we have no record of our Lord's activities. We can safely assume that He was faithful as a son and as a carpenter in Nazareth. But after His baptism and temptation, His earthly ministry began. Matthew skips some of the earliest events as recorded in John's Gospel: the wedding at Cana, the first cleansing of the temple, the encounter with Nicodemus, and the visit to Samaria. Matthew goes right to Galilee, his own home area where Jesus called him to be a disciple.

 

The text points out that John's arrest became a motivation or direction for our Lord to head to Galilee: "Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee." Some suppose that He fled into Galilee out of fear of Herod, but that would have been rather strange since Herod's territory was Galilee! It was really the providential movement of John decreasing and Jesus increasing as our Lord moved into Galilee. He was not running from Herod but standing firmly upon His messianic purpose.

 

1. An unlikely beginning

 

But Capernaum was an unlikely place to establish His home and use as the base for His ministry. Jerusalem would appear to be the likely starting point, where one could find all the religious leaders and scholars in Israel compressed into that small geographical area. The temple was there, the Sanhedrin was there, and history seemed to follow Jerusalem as a launching pad for momentous events. But Jesus began quietly without the fanfare that many would have wanted for him. "And leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali." Capernaum had a strong Gentile influence for many years. During the Maccabean period (2nd C. BC), it was said that there were so few Jews there that the Maccabees were able to gather all of them together and evacuate them from among the Gentiles. But the population shifted so that by this time the Jews outnumbered the Gentiles, though likely not in influence. The area had been shaped by the fact that it was at the first stop of the Assyrian invasion, leaving that same pagan mentality in the region. Idolatry was more tolerated in Galilee than in the rest of Israel, as were other religious ideas. It was a key transportation route, seeing many more visitors than Judea, so the effects of foreign travelers with their ideas, philosophies, and religions seeped into the mind of the Galileans. Because of this, Jerusalem and the surrounding area of Judea looked down upon the Galileans.

 

It was in this kind of setting that our Lord spent two years of His three-and-one-half year ministry. The ancient prophet Isaiah made a point by anticipating this Messianic invasion of Galilee: "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles'." Even though Jews were now the predominant population, it was considered to be "Galilee of the Gentiles," rather than a purely Jewish region. The unlikely start in this region foreshadowed the spread of the gospel beyond the land of Judea. The Messiah's message was not just for the Jews, but He came as a Savior for people throughout the world. And still today, Jesus Christ is not the Savior of a few peoples, but the Savior of the world. We must never lose sight of this in the way we pray, prioritize the use of our resources, and plan our evangelistic work. As with Jesus Christ at the beginning of His ministry, the world must be on our hearts and in our plans.

 

2. People in darkness

 

Who were these people that caught a first glimpse of the Messiah? They are described as "the people sitting in darkness." By the use of a Hebrew poetic device, the prophet reiterates the condition of darkness by stating, "those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death" to characterize them. It is obvious that the prophet-and Matthew, were using "darkness" metaphorically to help us grapple with the human condition. When Paul described his calling and ministry, he said that he was sent by God "to open their [Gentile's] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). The parallelism shows what he means by darkness; it is the dominion of Satan, a condition of living under the rule and authority of the Adversary-"the prince of the power of the air," as Paul calls it in Ephesians 2:2. In a strong passage on sanctification, Paul exhorts the Romans, "Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (13:12). The language shows that he is speaking of the unregenerate condition of man as darkness. Paul describes this as "being darkened in their understanding," (Eph 4:18) so that "darkness" does not mean that a person has lost his natural faculties, but his mind is darkened to the truths of God, insensitive to the gospel, and unaffected by the Law. William Hendriksen calls it, "a condition of danger, fear, and hopelessness, a pining away, with no human help in sight" [NTC: The Gospel of Matthew, 244]. He further adds that it is characterized by delusion, depravity, and despondency, with the latter being foremost.

 

We must understand that when he speaks of "darkness" he is referring to the whole of humanity apart from the grace of God. Darkness is man's disposition, the whole bent of his life until he meets Christ in the gospel. When Paul was exhorting the Ephesian believers he uses darkness synonymously for their lives apart from Christ: "for you were formerly darkness" (5:8). Notice that he did not say that you were in darkness, but that you were darkness-that is the disposition of your life. Do you realize the horror of that statement? It means that there is no hidden divine spark somewhere in your heart or mind. It means that there is no flickering flame of God awaiting your command to burn brightly in your life. Do an inventory of your life apart from God's intervention of grace, and what will you find? Darkness. It is a life that is bent on sin and rebellion against God. The whole propensity of one's rational mind goes against God, so that you live according to the desires of the flesh and darkened mind (Eph 2:3). You wonder why Christians are so weird! They want to obey Christ and live in holiness. They shun the things that you find to be to your delight. And you cannot understand it. It is because your whole disposition is "darkness." And on top of it all you live under the despotic rule of the prince of darkness so that your only hope is to be called out of darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ (Col 1:13; I Pet 2:9).

 

How can we envision such darkness? In my teenage years I would occasionally trek into the limestone caves that surround my hometown area. I distinctly remember one particular spelunking jaunt in which my friends and I crawled through a narrow passage until we reached a large cavern. We turned off our flashlights, and even though we waited for a brief time for our eyes to adjust, they could not adjust. There was absolutely no light in the cavern. We were in total darkness. That is the kind of darkness that our text describes. It is a heavy darkness, one that weighs upon the senses and mind. Though plenty of opportunity to hear the truth might be around, the mind is so saturated by darkness that seemingly nothing can penetrate it. Tragedies can occur, but they cannot lift the fog of darkness. The most persuasive discussions cannot wrest our minds from the darkness. We find the gospel to be nonsense, the story of Creation to be ludicrous, and the call for repentance to be folly. Does this describe you? Are you living in such darkness? Your need is for Light!

 

3. A dawning light

 

It was into such darkness that the Light dawned! "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned." In its original setting, the prophet Isaiah saw the foreshadowing of the Assyrian invasion of Israel, beginning right at the point of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali in Galilee. Their hope was gone-sunk forever; except that God had promised that even into that land so darkened by despair and hopelessness, the Light of the world would come (Isa 9:1-2). The Light did not originate in the darkness. We must see this! The "Light dawned" upon those in darkness, just as the sun breaks upon the morning horizon. It was not natural to them, but outside of them. Having lived all their lives in darkness, the Light dawned and they "saw a great Light." In his own unique way, Matthew Henry describes this Light:

It is a great light; denoting the clearness and evidence of gospel-revelations; not like the light of a candle, but the light of the sun when he goes forth in his strength. Great in comparison with the light of the law, the shadows of which were now done away. It is a great light, for it discovers great things and of vast consequence; it will last long, and spread far. And it is a growing light, intimated in that word, it is sprung up [dawned]. It was but spring of day with them; now the day dawned, which afterward shone more and more. The gospel-kingdom like a grain of mustard-seed or the morning light, was small in its beginnings, gradual in its growth, but great in its perfection [Matthew Henry's Commentary, vol. IV, 33].


The "Light" is a person. Jesus declared, "I am the Light of the world" (John 8:12). He is a person with whom you can enter into a vital relationship: "he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John 3:21). This Light comes by means of revelation. "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" [or understand it or grasp it with the mind] (John 1:4-5). God gives grace so that we might see and understand the Light-Jesus Christ. Our normal condition of darkness implies that while we may hear the gospel we do not comprehend it; while we may see the truth of Christ it really does not dawn upon us. But it is the gracious God who created us that is pleased to open our minds to the light of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the imagery of light at creation to help us see this: "For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (II Cor 4:6). Just as God declared in the darkness of creation, "Let there be light!" He dawns upon our sin-darkened minds with the Light through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And when we believe the Light we become children of light. Jesus said to those at Lazarus' tomb, "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light" (John 12:36). When this divine transaction takes place, you are declared to be "light in the Lord" (Eph 5:8).

            Has the Light dawned upon you? If so, then walk as children of Light (Eph 5:8). If not, then plead for the grace to know the Light of Jesus Christ through the gospel.

 

II. A pointed sermon

 

Matthew begins a new section in his Gospel with the phrase, "From that time" serving as a narrative marker. He uses this again in 16:21, so that we can divide Matthew's Gospel into three sections: (1) beginnings and early ministry, 1:1-4:16; (2) message of the kingdom and public teaching, 4:17-16:20; and (3) preparation for the passion and private teaching, 16:21-28:20. Verse 17 stands at the doorway announcing the public teaching ministry of our Lord. What did He teach? It is summarized in this one text.

 

1. Divine vocation

 

We are first confronted by the vocation of Christ: the Prophet of God. Matthew demonstrates our Lord exercising His divine office as Prophet through His ministry of proclamation or heralding the truth. "From that time Jesus began to preach." Preaching is the God-given means of confronting men with His revelation, and calling them to obedience and faith. Jesus Christ was a preacher, par excellent! None has ever surpassed the effectiveness and power of Jesus Christ in preaching the gospel; for He who is the very embodiment of the gospel also proclaimed the gospel to sinners. The word, "preach," means to herald or to proclaim. It was the ancient term used of the herald who announced the tidings of the King. Jesus assumed the mantle of the herald, announcing the revelation of heaven concerning the good news. His preaching was revelatory, bringing new light into the minds of those darkened by sin, and bringing all of the Old Testament revelation into the compass of the gospel. When the disciples tried to talk Christ into engaging in a lengthy healing ministry in Galilee, He rebuffed them and said, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for" (Mark 1:38). That one statement ought to elevate our thinking on the value of preaching! For if it was within the vocation of our Lord to preach the gospel, then it ought to become a priority for us to hear the preaching of the gospel.

 

Preaching is revelational. We would all agree that preaching today does not contain new revelation or additions to the cannon of Scripture; it is revelational in the sense that God is pleased through the foolishness of preaching to deliver His truth to sin-darkened minds. "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (I Cor 1:18). It is revelational in the sense that it announces what God has already made clear in His Word. That is why we speak of it as proclamation, for the preacher has no business creating something new for sinners; he is to be faithful in proclaiming what God has given in His Word. And when that Word comes as light into the darkness, the sinner sees it as revelation of truth.

 

Preaching also analyzes. It has the capacity through the exposition of Scripture to probe the mind and heart, to expose the inward thoughts, motivations, and dispositions of those paralyzed by darkness. It cuts to the quick. It slays the monster of the flesh that tries to ride rough-shod over the sinner. Think of how often when our Lord preached that the Gospel writers tell us it cut to the quick or cut to the heart. People anguished over the preaching of Jesus Christ. Some anguished and others were angered enough to try to kill Him. Preaching that exposes the heart makes life uncomfortable until the sinner repents.

 

Thankfully, preaching offers hope for sinners. After dismantling excuses, crushing mental opposition, and exposing the horridness of sin, preaching extends hope for sinners in the gospel. That is precisely what Jesus did through His preaching ministry.

 

2. Divine demand

 

The message Jesus preached was a continuity of John's message (3:2): "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." We discover in this brief synopsis of our Lord's preaching that it was not suggestive at all. Jesus was not out to give people some new options for how to live their lives. Some people view Christianity like this; that it is just an option. Instead we must see it as an absolute demand of sinners.

 

Some time ago Dr. Al Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was a guest on Larry King Live along with two Jewish rabbis and another Christian leader. The subject at hand was to discuss Southern Baptist's publication of materials on witnessing to Jews and emphasizing that as a vital evangelistic ministry. The rabbis were incensed, as were liberal religious leaders, to think that we would dare to impose our beliefs upon another religious group! When asked pointedly by Larry King whether or not Jews would go to heaven, Dr. Mohler clearly stated, 'Unless they have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior and Lord, they will not go to heaven'. One rabbi went into hysterics! Perhaps Dr. Mohler got a little taste of what Jesus experienced with the religious leaders of the first-century. Jesus Christ did not cut any slack with them! He called upon them, religion and all, to repent because of the drawing nearness of the kingdom of heaven.

 

What did Jesus mean by "repent"? It is obvious that He couches His command upon the basis of two truths: man is living in darkness and the light of God's kingdom is dawning. Light and darkness do not mix. They cannot co-exist. You are either light or darkness. Repentance is that call to turn from darkness, the way of sin and rebellion against God, and turn to God through faith in Christ. It is as Paul expressed it to the Ephesian elders, "repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Let me summarize some of the implications of repentance. I was helped by a sermon from Rev. Samuel Davies, an 18th century preacher and former President of Princeton University following the death of Jonathan Edwards.

 

First, repentance deals not only with a man's sins but also "to the more corrupt fountain in his heart from which they flow." As Davies put it, "Every true penitent is a critic upon his own heart, and there he finds constant cause for repenting while in this imperfect state" (204).

 

Second, the one repenting is not sorry for his sin only because it means he will face divine judgment otherwise, but it is also a grief and sorrow for sin because he realizes that his sin offends God. He has sinned against God and he becomes conscious of it. "What I mean is that the fear of punishment is not the principle, much less the only spring and motive of true repentance. The true penitent hates sin even when he is not thinking of heaven or hell, but only viewing it in its own nature. If he were allowed to go to heaven in the ways of sin he would by no means choose it. Heaven itself would be the less acceptable to him if it were the end of such a course" (205).

 

Third, "true repentance extends to all known sin without exception." Whatever is against God and His law is sin, and the penitent hates it and seeks to turn from it (207).

 

Fourth, repentance is an inward reformation, affecting the mind and disposition so that the penitent's desire is to prevail over sin. He longs to put on the sinless perfections of heaven, and grieves over the presence of sin in his life in light of God's goodness shown to him (208-210).

 

Finally, repentance does not trust in itself as though merit was gained from it, but it is a view toward clinging to the merits and pardon through Jesus Christ alone. One does not trust in repentance but in Jesus Christ (210) [Richard Owen Roberts, editor, Salvation in Full Color: Twenty Sermons by Great Awakening Preachers].

 

Have you repented of your sins? Are you continuing in repentance?

 

3. Divine announcement

 

Just as John had already done, Jesus announced the nearness of the kingdom, using the modifier, "of heaven" in deference to the Jewish fear of violating the sacredness of the divine name. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The language expresses both the present and future dimensions of the kingdom. It has not arrived in its eternal fullness, but it has arrived with enough might that you must take notice. The kingdom is both visible and invisible. We are seeing visible aspects of the kingdom in the life of the Church, as the body of Christ lives under the Kingship of our head, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom refers to the sovereign rule of the King. But there is much of the exercise of that rule that we cannot see. There is much yet to come.

 

What Jesus was implying to the religious leaders and the common folks around Galilee was that the kingdom was not what they were thinking. It did not constitute mere earthly government, and a chicken in every pot, and a house on every lot. It involved something so grand and eternal that He had to describe it as "the kingdom of heaven." It was only in those proportions and realities that it can be fully consummated.

 

Conclusion

 

How do you become part of the kingdom of heaven? The doorway is repentance and faith; repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom is here! Are you in the kingdom of our Lord?

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:

Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.