Matthew the apostle shared how Jesus, “said he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Matthew continued, “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter you not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”, and in chapter ten and verse seven of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples to, “go, preach … the kingdom of heaven is at hand” where we read:
And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The verse reads, “And as you go, preach, saying, ...” Matthew began with the words, “and as you go” or “and while the disciples departed and went forth they were to”, “preach” which means “herald, publish and proclaim openly”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”. Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples while they were going to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”, they were to “herald and proclaim” the following words.
The verse continues, “... The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew added the words, “the kingdom” which means “the royal power, kingship, dominion and rule” “of heaven” or “belonging to region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings” “is at hand” which means “is brought near and approaching”. Matthew shared how Jesus instructed His disciples to declare how the “dominion and rule” of God's “heaven” was near them.
When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we discover the message Jesus wanted His disciples to share with the people in Israel. God desires to have a relationship with every person, and when they understand that His “kingdom of heaven” is near, they should submit to His rule in their lives. Jesus died for man's sins which separates him from God, and when a person yields their life to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they not only shall have recognized the His “kingdom”, but they also shall be among those who belong to this wonderful “kingdom of God”.
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told His disciples to, “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
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www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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