The Reality Of The Kingdom Of God

This morning I am reading from Matthew 4:23-25 NIV:

[23] "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. [24] News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. [25] Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."

I was just thinking about these verses, and letting the reality of what is said here sink in to my heart and mind. Jesus travels throughout the region of Galilee, and His main message was that the Kingdom of God was present, and then He demonstrated that this was true by healing EVERY disease and sickness among the people. What a complete departure from the religion they were used to, and what a complete departure from ones normal experience of church.

His ministry was so effective that people traveled many miles to find Him. Galilee is about 40 miles across, the same of the Decapolis, and Judea is at least 30 miles away from the southern tip of Galilee. Since there was no form of mass communication, I imagine there was a huge network of people talking to people, sharing the news of what Jesus was doing, and where He was and people in their desperation were setting out to find him. The people came carrying or escorting those friends or family members who were sick, paralyzed, in severe pain, possessed or suffering seizures and they were ALL healed.

I can't imagine the hardships the people dealt with to find him. I can almost see them walking slowly by a donkey dragging a travois with a paralyzed person, or a wagon being pulled with someone in severe pain. These trips would not be quick, and the roads were not smooth, and the food wasn't free, nor was a night's lodging. The people were desperate for relief, desperate for God's touch, and they heard that anyone who made their way to Jesus were healed.

Imagine the joy of the return trip, no wonder the crowds grew to the thousands, for I am sure that they told everyone they met about their healing, deliverance or personal miracle. The news about Jesus spread throughout the region and people flocked to Him. Meeting Him would change people's lives!

The amazing thing is that He did all this as a man, just like me, empowered by the Holy Spirit, walking in obedience to the Father! In other words, we should be able to see this type of ministry in our churches, for He was not relying on His divinity, but rather had emptied Himself and became fully man (Phil 2:6-8). Jesus Himself said that we, His followers, could and would do even greater things (John 14:11-14).

This was the message of the Kingdom of God present on earth. God's rules applied and broke people free from the effects of sin in the world. Sickness does not exist in God's Kingdom so Jesus brought the reality of God's Kingdom to bear in the people's lives. Demonic forces do not have power in God's Kingdom, so Jesus cast them out. All are welcome in the Kingdom, so all were touched that came to Jesus. God's Kingdom is superior to all sickness and disease and Jesus demonstrated that over and over again. There was no disease that He couldn't and didn't heal. It didn't matter how far gone the people were, how affected their lives were by the sickness or their condition, Jesus brought the reality of the Kingdom to them. Oh that we would learn to live in this reality once again, for the reality of God's Kingdom has not changed!

Lord help us to settle for nothing less, help us to pursue You for the reality of the Kingdom of God demonstrated in our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

Amen!