When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
His fame spread to all of Syria,
and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases
and racked with pain,
those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics,
and he cured them.
And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

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

This passage may seem to be a simple narative about movements and actions of the various characters at that time. However, there is a major thing happening here, even if it is not immediately obvious. This passage marks the official beginning of Jesus’s Ministry. St. Jerome, writing about this, says “Christ begins to preach as soon as John was delivered to prison, because when the Law ceased, the Gospel commenced.” What he is saying here, is that before this moment the law consisted of the teachings of Moses, the Sages, and the centuries of prophets, but now that all will be fulfilled in the teachings of Jesus Christ, known as the gospel.

The “kingdom” before this moment consisted of the kingdom of David and the protocols and traditions that were established therin. One of those traditions was that of the queen mother. David was annointed by God, and upon his death his son Solomon inherited the kingdom. And at this time Solomon’s mother (Bathsheba), not one of his wives, became the queen of the kingdom. This tradition was then repeated throughout the generations until the moment of todays reading.

John’s preaching, represented the fullfillment of all of the law and the prophets. The old tradition of queen mothers is ultimately fulfilled in Mary the queen mother of Jesus, and finally Jesus would be annointed the last of the Davidic Kings who would reighn over the new and final kingdom in heaven.

So the old dividic kingdom has come to an end, and Jesus builds the kingdom in heaven. This is what all of the Old Testament was pointing to, what all of the prophesies fortold, and what all of the people of isreal were waiting for. But instead of hearing the preaching of John, and heeding his warnings, and seeing the fullfillment of all prophesy in the person of Jesus Christ, the pharisees instead rejected john, imprisoned him, and eventually martyred him. The pharisees, ultimately rejected the law, and the prophets, chose themselves instead. And eventually they would kill their king as well. This moment marks the point were the new covenant will begin, and this new covenant will be proclaimed by the gospel.

The gospel is the way and the truth and the life. It is, in a word, Jesus. This gospel is the new teaching of the “kingdom of heaven,” and it is indeed now at hand. But how can the kingdom be at hand? Because Jesus is remaking the davidic kingdom in himself. Jesus’ life death and resurrection was the work that built this new kingdom. It did not exist before Jesus’ sacrificial action. This is why Jesus is our saviour, he created a place for us to be with him in eternal happiness, and he showed us the way to live so that we will be invited into eternity with him, and then He open the gates, so that we too could enter upon our deaths.

This is why the kingdom is at hand. Because its gates lie before us, the invitation is real, and the oportunity for eternal happiness simply awaits our assent. What an incredible gift that Jesus has placed at our feet, we simply need to bend down and pick it up. The old is over, and the new has begun, and we should indeed repent in the light of this new covenant and promise. The gates of heaven are now wide open to, if you simply repent, and humby ask for God’s forgiveness…, the eternity of happiness awaits.

Oh lord, thank you for loving us so much that you would send your son, to open the gates of heaven to us, and show us the way to reconcile our sin with you. We truly do not have any way to fully express our gratitude, but Thank you anyway, Amen.