As you read Matthew, you will find that the passages take you through each point in Jesus’s life and ministry. In last week’s study we reviewed John the Baptist being the herald of the King. He is the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah, and he is announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. With this announcement he is also issuing a call to repentance for that is the key for entry into this Kingdom. People were heeding this call and confessing their sins as they were being baptized in the Jordan River.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Those were the first words that Jesus used when he began
to preach. He went throughout Galilee, teaching and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom.
He said that the Kingdom of Heaven was for the poor in spirit, for the meek, for the pure in
heart, and for the persecuted. He said that the self-righteous could never enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. He told us that the thing we should be seeking first and foremost in this life is the
Kingdom of God and his righteousness. If we do that, he will take care of everything else. Let’s
abandon our anxious pursuit of the treasures of this earthly kingdom and instead live as citizens
of the Kingdom of God.