Matthew 4:17

Friday, 27 September 2024

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“From then, Jesus, He began to proclaim and to say, ‘Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens’” (CG).

The previous verse completed the citation from Isaiah concerning the coming Messiah who would appear in the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. With that citation complete, it next says, “From then, Jesus, He began to proclaim and to say.”

The baptism of Jesus has been noted, His temptation in the desert area was explained, and then the imprisonment of John was noted, which was immediately followed by the note that Jesus departed to the Galilee, thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. Matthew’s account of the ministry in the area of Galilee now officially begins with this verse.

The narrative clearly and unambiguously shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy, just as was the prophecy concerning John from Isaiah that he would be the forerunner of the Messiah.

The logical step-by-step nature of how Matthew is presenting the unfolding of Israel’s history in relation to the coming of the Messiah is carefully laid out for us to see. With Jesus as the Messiah on full display, His message is next given in the words, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens.”

It is a letter-for-letter repeat of John’s message in Matthew 3:2 –

3:1, 2 – And in those days, comes John the Baptist, proclaiming in the desolate of Judea, 2 and saying, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens.”

4:17 – From then, Jesus, He began to proclaim and to say, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens.”

Jesus is, at this time, noted as being like a herald. He is proclaiming a message of reconsideration to the people of Israel. As they were the Lord’s people, this must mean reconsidering their relationship with Him. This is unlike the later reconsideration when the gospel is preached to the Gentiles.

The Gentiles did not have a relationship with the Lord as noted, for example, in Ephesians 2:12 where Paul notes that they stand “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

As such, the reconsideration of the Gentiles which Paul mentions in (for example) Acts 17:30, concerns their idea about who God is, not so much their relationship with Him. Once they are presented with the gospel, they reconsider who God is and what He is like, turning to Him through faith in the Messiah.

Jesus, at this time, is proclaiming reconsideration to Israel who is still under the law. He is telling them that the kingdom of the heavens is at hand. John’s proclamation was to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah who would establish this kingdom. Jesus’ proclamation is that He is the One who would establish it.

Life application: There is a false teaching concerning the establishment of Christ’s coming that says Jesus came to renew the Mosaic Covenant. Thus, rather than translating verses like Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:8, 13 as “new,” these false teachers say “renewed.” This is what is taught, for example, in the Hebrew Roots movement.

The word, in both Hebrew and Greek, means “new.” The word “renewed” is not a possible translation, nor can it even be inferred. There is a complete divide between the Law of Moses and the Covenant of Grace which comes through Jesus’ finished work.

This is because Jesus’ finished work... well, it finished something. What did it finish? It finished the task He was assigned, which was to be born under the law, live out the law without sinning, and then end the law because the law stands against us. It is not our friend but our enemy in the sense that it only condemns us. Without Jesus, the law can never bring about salvation. That is why Paul wrote this –

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” Ephesians 2:14-16

Jesus “abolished” the “law of commandments and ordinances.” It is speaking of the Law of Moses. It stood opposed to those who were under it. For those who believe in the completed work of the Messiah, salvation is realized. For those who claim that Jesus came to “renew” the Law of Moses, they have believed a false gospel and there will be no salvation.

Man simply cannot give up on himself. It is the sin of pride that says, “I am my own Savior.” Jesus may be a part of the process, but this type of thinking ultimately comes back to self. Give up on self! If you are a part of this heretical sect, come to Jesus today. Be saved through His full, final, finished, and forever work. Come to the cross and lay yourself and your burdens down.

Glorious God, forgive us for always trying to make everything about ourselves. Even in salvation, we greedily claim a portion of the process, as if we have somehow merited grace. But grace cannot be earned. Help us to get this right. May we forever hail Jesus who alone has done it all. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.