Friday, January 24, 2025

Who Is This Jesus? -- Kingdom Mission (Matt. 3-4)

Who is this Jesus? That is the question we are asking as we explore the Gospel of Matthew. By meditating on His words and actions as recorded by the apostles, we can come to know the one we call Savior a little bit better.

In the first few chapters of Matthew we saw where Jesus came from--His family history and where he fits in the story of Israel. You know, background. Now, in chapters 3 and 4, we will see Jesus enter the public scene for the first time. Here, we will begin to discover what Jesus came to do.

The Mission of Jesus

In Matthew 3-4, we're presented with a series of events starting and ending with a common theme--the proclamation of the Kingdom of heaven. This is the mission of Jesus.

We see this mission first come up in Matthew 3:2, where we are told that John the Baptist came preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." John is preparing the way for the coming Messiah, preparing the hearts of men to receive His message.

Then, further down, in Matthew 4:17, we see Jesus take up this same mantle, preaching the Kingdom of heaven. This is expanded upon in Matthew 4:23-25. Here, Jesus' activities include: teaching, proclaiming good news, and healing--all of which are associated with God's coming Kingdom. We'll expand on these in future posts.

This should raise several questions for us. What is the Kingdom of heaven? What is it like? And why did Jesus make the proclamation of this Kingdom central to His mission?

Kingdom Mission

To answer the last question, let's reflect on the story so far. In our last post we established that Jesus was coming in the role of King, Redeemer, and Immanuel. Each of these is tied to Jesus' mission.

Most straightforward, Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven. So, Jesus comes in these chapters proclaiming His own Kingdom. As we learn more about that Kingdom, we can learn more about Jesus Himself. What kind of King is he? How does He rule? What is His vision for His Kingdom?

However, Israel is barely a nation at this point in history. They are a people in exile. This is true in more ways than one. They are under the rule of a foreign power. They have also wandered far from God. And, so, the second and third roles of Jesus come into play here. Jesus has come to redeem His people from that which enslaves them. And He has come to draw near to them after centuries of silence. The King is coming as the great Redeemer returning to His people.

Preparing for the Kingdom Mission

Two key events occupy the intermediate paragraphs in these chapters: the baptism of Jesus and the trials of the wilderness. Both of these events happen before Jesus begins His public ministry. You could say that through these two events, Jesus is preparing for His mission.

Baptism serves to inaugurate Jesus into His Kingdom mission. As Jesus comes up from the water, Jesus is both ordained and empowered. God declares from heaven who this man is: "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased."

Take a moment to pause and consider these words. If our task is to see who this man is, we should take special note when this question is answered directly. The words, "this is my beloved son" speak to the relationship that Jesus has with His Father. A relationship of love. When the Bible says that God is love, it's not just in some abstract sense that that is true. God is love because even before anything was made, there was a living active relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit--a relationship of love. Whatever love we may think we have for our spouse, for our children, for those closest to us--it all is but a shadow of the love that exists between the Father and the Son. It is in the overflow of this perfect, everlasting love that all of creation is brought forth and that now we live and move and have our being.

Before Jesus does anything, we find Him here, resting in the love of His Father. It is upon this foundation that He is able to move forward with His mission.

After His baptism, Jesus goes out into the wilderness to arm Himself against the powers of this world. He does so not in His own human power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. We see shown twice--once when the Spirit descends upon Him like a dove just before He heads out into the wilderness, then again as the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness.

Here, Jesus arms Himself through prayer, fasting, and Scripture. These are the weapons that Jesus takes up as He goes out to wage war against the powers of darkness that have enslaved His people (c.f. Eph. 6:12). But, again, He does all of this not in human strength or will, but rooted in His Father's love and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the only one who could ever be self-sufficient, makes Himself dependent on the Father for all things.

Invitation to Mission

One final thought before I wrap this up. After the wilderness journey, Jesus begins His ministry. And one of His first acts in this ministry is to call disciples. "I will make you fishers of men," he says to Peter and Andrew.

Jesus is embarking on a mission, and He is inviting us to be a part of that mission. Proclaiming God's Kingdom. Teaching His ways. Bringing healing to the broken and the hurt. We are His messengers and ambassadors. More than that, we are His disciples.

We are invited to walk after Jesus, to follow in His footsteps. Yet, in doing so, we are not simply walking after Him, but He is walking beside us. Remember, "God with us." When we are baptized and begin our Christian journey, we are baptized with and into Christ. When we walk through various trials, we walk through those valleys with our Shepherd by our side. When we suffer for His name's sake, we share in the sufferings of our Messiah. And so, we come to know our Jesus a little better.

So, I leave you with this challenge. Consider how Jesus prepared for His mission and go do likewise.

  • First, rest in your Father's love. If you've not been baptized, consider this first step in the Christian walk. If you have, remember the love poured out on you. Though we go through seasons of silence, that love has never changed. He is your rock, your foundation. Root yourself in the love of God.
  • Second, arm yourself against the powers of darkness. Ask God to empower you with His Spirit. Start here before moving on to any spiritual disciplines. Then, in faith that God will do just that, begin establishing the spiritual rhythms of prayer, fasting, and Scripture meditation in your life. Do these things not on your own, but in the knowledge that Jesus is there with you. Praying with you. Fasting with you. Reading the Scriptures with you.

Next time we will start to talk about what this Kingdom looks like. And what that tells us about the King reigning over it.

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