The Good News

One of the first things Jesus says as he begins to teach people, is that they should believe the good news. But what is this good news? What is it that Jesus wanted them (and us) to believe? Well, in the very same verse, Jesus gives us the answer: "God's kingdom is very near."

The people of Israel had been waiting a long time for God to fulfill his promise and make their kingdom great again as in the days of King David (the same David who slew Goliath). Israel had a special relationship with God and God often referred to them as his special "kingdom." So when the Israelites heard Jesus talking about the kingdom of God being at hand, for most of them, they were expecting a new king to make Israel stronger and greater and closer to God than they had ever been before. When Peter made the statement (often called the "good confession") that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, he was saying that he believed that Jesus was going to be the king of Israel.

Jesus was king - and still is - but what the people of his day didn't understand is that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). They thought he was going to be an earthly king and rule an earthly nation, the renewed and remade kingdom of Israel. That would have been good news, to be sure, but they weren't thinking big enough. The good news of Jesus is even better. He is a king, but not just any king, he is THE king, the king of all time and all creation - God made flesh. He is the good king who leads his people in triumph and brings them close to God. His kingdom isn't limited by borders or languages or cultures, his kingdom is spread out over the entire earth and is doing the will of God and bringing him glory no matter who they are or where they are from. His kingdom is eternal and his people will live with him forever. 

The good news is that the kingdom of God is finally here because its king has come and led us to salvation and victory. The good news is that the king will come back again to gather all of his citizens and take them home to be where he is. The good news is that the king rescues his people from darkness and slavery and oppression from sin and death itself. The good news is that he is inviting us to join his kingdom, to be saved and to take part in the wonderful things that God is doing, now and forever more. This is the good news we want to share with you.

And to take hold of the good news and reap the blessings of it, you simply need to surrender yourself to Jesus and make him your king. Jesus calls us to change our hearts and lives and follow him, even though it means that we will suffer like him. Jesus calls us to die to ourselves in baptism and to begin a new life for him, finding his forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit to remake us which seals us for redemption. Jesus calls us to be faithful to him, even to death, so that we may take hold of the crown of life. Jesus calls us with good news: he is king and he will lead us and save us.