Matthew 4:23-25
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 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. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,[a] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Reflection
The Bible passage for today occurs after Jesus was baptized, after He has been tested in the wilderness by Satan, and after He officially started His ministry by calling 4 fishermen to be part of His disciple group.
Look at what Matthew records Jesus doing: teaching, proclaiming (the good news of the Kingdom), and healing. Look back at our reading from Friday. What did Isaiah say would happen with the Kingdom of God? What did Jesus say – that He is fulfilling that prophesy.
Now we see Jesus doing the exact things that He said He would do and the exact things that Jesus called good news.
So the good news is that the Kingdom of God is ALREADY here. But we have to wait for its fullness until Jesus comes again so it is also NOT YET here.
And what happened after the teaching, proclaiming and healing? See verse 25: “Large crowds…followed him.”
Here is the question for all of us: how do we treat this time in between? What do we do and how do we act? And more importantly, how can we, as we treat the Kingdom of God being ALREADY AND NOT YET, spread the Kingdom of God? Think about what our responsibilities should be as citizens of this new kingdom.
