Jesus Reveals His Kingdom

By Jeremy Writebol

There are days in my past where, when I think about them, I am glad I was prepared. My wedding day was filled with anticipation and excitement, as well as a pressing need to be ready for the ceremony. I was about to enter a new life. Just as well, there are days in my future that carry the same weight. I want to be prepared in light of how important the day will be. My daughter’s wedding (a day not too soon, I hope) will likely be one of those days.

This sense of anticipation and preparation is one we should carry concerning the kingdom of Christ. It is a kingdom that has been promised, is currently active, and will one day be fully realized. The hopes and longings of our hearts for all things to be made new and right are met in Christ and will be brought to bear on all things when He comes again.

In our reading today, we see Jesus capitalize on the promises that were given throughout the Old Testament. The nature of the kingdom that Jesus unveiled is that captives would be liberated, the poor lifted up, those suffering and sick made whole and well again, and even the very shroud of evil and sin that covers our lives and this world holds no chance against the radiant light of Christ. In Him, righteousness, justice, truth, and mercy always prevail.

Jesus’s work and teaching throughout his life revealed these qualities of the in-breaking kingdom of God. It is, and it will be, so gloriously good.

But we can’t forget the call that summons this kingdom beauty into our lives. Jesus didn’t arrive, announce the kingdom, and then say, “carry on, go about your lives as normal.” No, He called for the one thing that is the most difficult for us. He called for repentance. To prepare for the kingdom, we have to repent of living for the glory of other kingdoms. We have to live renouncing and forsaking all others while anticipating and holding on to Jesus’s kingdom. Repentance is the call over everything in our lives here and now.

When Jesus said the kingdom was at hand, He meant that it is very near to everyone who acknowledges Him for who He is. However, that kingdom can’t be accessed unless a person repents and comes to the true God and King. The way we prepare for the kingdom Jesus has inaugurated is by turning from our own broken kings and kingdoms to His true, lasting kingdom. Repentance is preparation and anticipation for that future kingdom.

Far better ahead is the day when all Jesus has promised will come to be. His first coming unveiled the character and quality of that kingdom. For those who obey His gospel to repent, His second coming will be the day He unveils the experience of that kingdom. Will you be ready?