Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned."

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

- Matthew 4:12-17

Yesterday, we read that, after His baptism by John the Baptist,  Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,'  and,  'In their hands they shall bear you up, / Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, / By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: . . ."  Galilee of the Gentiles tells us that many non-Jews lived in this region.  Jesus is from Nazareth of Galilee, and many of the apostles are also Galileans.  Since Galilee had a mixed population, it wasn't considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many of the Gentile residents converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  Because many of the Jews there were influenced by Greek/Hellenistic culture and its customs, they were generally considered second-class citizens by the Jews of Judea. 

"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, / And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death / Light has dawned."  In the context of the Scripture, darkness means ungodliness.  My study bible says that here it represents the Gentiles' unawareness of God and the Jews being under the shadow of the Old Covenant.  To sit in darkness is to be completely overcome by spiritual ignorance.  The great light is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The quotation is from Isaiah 9:1-2.

 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  John is in prison, we read, and Jesus begins where John's preaching left off:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  The difference is that the kingdom of heaven is present wherever Christ is.

Repentance, as we've learned in discussing John the Baptist's preaching, is an about-face.  John used it as a word to indicate a need to turn toward this new "light" that is coming, the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  That "One" is Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah.  Here, Jesus Himself preaches repentance.   He comes from Galilee of the Gentiles, and He brings a Kingdom with Him in His divine origin.  He will bring together Jew and Gentile in His Kingdom, and all must prepare via repentance.  His ministry begins in Galilee.  If we read about the Maccabean and Hasmonean periods leading up to this time, we understand that for several centuries, what was once a Hellenistic kingdom under Alexander (who had conquered most of the known world, across an entire continent) had broken up into other kingdoms at war, and fighting over this territory was the result.  Under the Maccabees there was Jewish rule, a restoration in Judea, and forced conversion for some in Galilee and elsewhere.   But with Christ, something new and different is happening.  This Kingdom is for "both Jew and Greek," or if we want to think about it a particular way that makes complete sense in the context of warring factions, "neither Jew nor Greek."  It is something new that is at hand.   It is preached first to the Jews ("for salvation is of the Jews," says Jesus), and as fulfillment of Jewish spiritual heritage.  That is why the words of the prophets are so necessary to our understanding of Christ, and fill the Gospels.   But the great light which begins here in Galilee of the Gentiles is for the whole world.  And this Kingdom "comes not with observation" and not by the sword.  It's a Kingdom of faith, one of the heart, a spiritual presence and reality that fills the earth and all things.  It is within us, among us.  It asks for our repentance, and the depth of who we are.  It is a Kingdom of love, and love doesn't work with compulsion.  Its obedience is of love, its service is of love, and its King comes of love.  It is not just about following the rules, observing the commands.  Our King comes because the Father seeks those who can worship in spirit and in truth, as told, poignantly in light of today's reading and commentary, to the Samaritan woman.  This Kingdom is filled with those who can return God's love.  Let us think about the context, the people whose land has been fought over and dominated, who will see yet more "wars and rumors of war."  The time and place remain in memory and experience of great rulers and warriors of history, Alexander and Caesar, and all those who rule kingdoms in their name.  And let us understand this Kingdom and its King, who preaches repentance, who has been baptized by John, and continues where John, the last of the Old Testament-type prophets, leaves off.  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," becomes a word for all of us.  It remains always true, everywhere.