One Sunday the minister was preaching to his congregation about going to heaven. While he was in the pulpit, one of his parishioners, Mr O’Flaherty, had dozed off in the back pew. Worried that others might be growing disinterested and distracted, and wanting to inspire his flock, the minister said with a booming voice: “Will all who want to go to heaven, stand now!”
Well, everyone in the congregation stood—everyone, except Mr O’Flaherty, still asleep.
“Alright then, sit down,” the minister continued. “Now—will all who want to go to that other place stand up now.”
Well just at that moment, someone dropped their hymnbook and it fell on the floorboards with a loud thud, startling Mr O’Flaherty, who instinctively sprang upright. Confused and drowsy he mumbled: “Aye, Father – I dunno what we be votin’ on…but it looks like you and me are the only ones for it!”
In today’s text we hear of another sermon where heaven is the subject. Jesus commissions the twelve disciples to go to the lost sheep of Israel, proclaiming the message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
A kingdom is a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen. The monarch pledges their loyalty to the realm they reign over, with authority to rule over their people to bring good order, peace, and protection for their citizens.
In today’s text Jesus reveals that the Kingdom of Heaven is much more than a place we have to wait until we die to go to, but the reign of God’s Kingdom on earth now. The King of this Kingdom is Jesus himself. Matthew captures this for us with the opening verse: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” when Jesus came to earth, the kingdom of heaven broke into this world of sin and sickness, this world in bondage to decay, death, and the power of Satan, bringing divine grace, mercy, forgiveness, and life to whomever he went. Wherever Jesus is, the kingdom of heaven is present and reigning, overturning the power and effects of sin, death and the devil. This is itself the Good News that Jesus proclaims, and miracles of divine power attested to this, as Satan’s demons and sickness (which ultimately ends in death) are driven back from those helpless to help themselves. What happened in our text pointed to the future day in which all who trust in Jesus will rise and share in God’s eternal victory over evil, and the demonic realm and those who reject God’s grace in Christ will be banished to hell forever.
In earthly kingdoms kings can often rule from a selfish heart, not for the good of the people but for the good of self; exploiting and oppressing their people rather than serving them. But in our text we hear that the Kingdom of Heaven reigns because God has compassion on the people he has made. Matthew tells us that Jesus intentionally and insistently seeks out the people, searching throughout all the cities and villages. He takes the initiative to move among them with his ministry of bringing salvation and wholeness. Jesus did this, because when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
The reign of the Kingdom of Heaven through Jesus’ ministry to show compassion to those helpless to help themselves is a central theme of the Gospel according to Matthew. In last week’s sermon we heard how Jesus had compassion on a woman who had suffered chronic, abnormal menstrual bleeding for twelve years—and with that, all the personal and social limitation, and all the shame, ostracism, guilt and helplessness that would have come with that. She touches the hem of Jesus’ cloak, and Jesus turned and said to her. “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”
Jesus shows her God’s heart is for her; God’s compassion is for her. This miracle comes in the wider context of chapter 9, where Jesus exercises God’s compassion by forgiving a paralysed man his sins and healing him. He eats dinner at the table with many sinners and tax collectors; those who the Pharisees and rest of society shunned as unclean and unworthy of divine hospitality (and, actually, they were right—they just didn’t realise their judgment applied to themselves also!) Jesus responds by saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13-14). He shows compassion by bringing an end to the grief of a father by raising his dead daughter back to life. He gives sight to two blind men calling out to him for mercy. He expels a demon from a man who was unable to speak, and therefore even cry out for help himself.
This is the kingdom of heaven at work in the person of Christ; this is the compassion of God on display. And so this compassion leads Jesus to send out others, to go to God’s chosen people Israel who have not recognised him as their long-promised Saviour. God has not given up on them. He is compassionate and wants them to know their Saviour and the life he gives. So Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and commissioned them: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” The ministry he calls them to is an extension of his own, giving them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. They will speak because they are empowered by the Spirit of the Father who is speaking in them. In so doing, the reign of God’s compassion, grace, mercy and salvation continued to break into human history.
The timing of today’s text at this place in the church year—the third Sunday after Pentecost—raises some questions for me. Why is it located here? We celebrated Pentecost Sunday just three weeks ago—the event where, through the risen and ascended Jesus, God the Father poured out the Holy Spirit upon people representing nations beyond Israel, giving them the ability to speak and hear the gospel in their own native tongues. What takes place in today’s text is well before that. So why recount something that took place before Pentecost, after Pentecost Sunday?
Because since Pentecost, the Kingdom of Heaven continues to reign in the world, and every part of life is now the arena where God brings about his work of compassion and mercy. The risen and ascended Christ, although unseen, continues to be with his people, working through them in their homes, and workplaces, and social clubs, in the conversations at the bus stop and shopping centre. The Kingdom of God still reigns in the world today, as Jesus goes through all the towns and villages, even our metropolitan suburbs in 2023. It’s for these reasons that opportunities like the upcoming St Paul’s Community Care Soup Outreach day are so exciting–when someone comes to hear that there is a compassionate God in Christ who redeemed the world by his precious blood, that is the Kingdom of Heaven at work.
God’s call on our lives directs us again and again to the neighbours around us: “Freely you have received; freely give.” Jesus says. By God’s grace and compassion the Kingdom of Heaven has reigned in our hearts and made us alive in Christ; children of the Kingdom. But this grace and mercy is not to be stored up for ourselves, but flow through us, received in order to give, blessed in order to be a blessing.
As we go in Christ’s name, we shouldn’t be worried whether our witness will offend people, for the default human condition is to take offence at Christ and reject his gospel. The gospel is offensive and affronting to the human pride which affirms that we are essentially good and the captain of our souls, and don’t need any help and mercy outside of ourselves. Jesus sends us out as sheep amongst wolves. We should expect that everyone will hate us on account of Christ. It is not normal for people to accept the gospel—it is supernatural! That is why we are here. He calls us, his disciples today, to go with him, as his servants, as his co-workers, as bearers of his compassion in word and deed, telling people that the Kingdom of Heaven can be found in Christ.
We shouldn’t be worried about what to say, for when it is needed it will be given to you what to say. It will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. And we shouldn’t be anxious about the results, for Christ who already stands before them is he who goes, he who finds, he who calls. Jesus stands among us to bless.
That is why we are here—because the Kingdom of compassion reigns. There are those today, just like those in our gospel reading, who need the Kingdom of Heaven to reign with compassion in their lives, freeing them from sin, death and hell.
That is why we are here–because the Kingdom of compassion reigns—and has first reigned with compassion in you. Through his word and sacraments, Christ has brought the same help and compassion, the same grace and mercy, the same forgiveness and blessing, the same freedom and life that he did for those who were helpless in our text, to you, and gathered you in his communion of saints.
For as the Apostle Paul teaches us in scripture, we were once spiritually dead. We were utterly powerless and helpless to help ourselves spiritually. We didn’t—and couldn’t—know the King from heaven or enter his kingdom. But the kingdom of heaven came to you, to rule in your heart through water and the word and make you alive and give you new life.
The kingdom of heaven came near to you again today, as Christ forgave you all your sins. The kingdom of heaven came near to you again today, when he went with us to pass his peace to one another. The kingdom of heaven comes near to you again today, as the King from heaven hosts you at his table, to freely give you what he earned on the Cross: forgiveness for your sins, life and salvation now. In this holy meal the king of Heaven brings healing for the sick, cleansing for the sinner, freedom from the kingdom of darkness. By his holy body and precious blood you have the life of Christ in your very body. Through this holy meal your Father in Heaven sends you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know him better, and have the eyes of your heart enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
And through this holy meal, you receive God’s promise of the end of all sickness and death, and the resurrection of your body to eternal life. For on the last day when all people shall see the King coming again in glory, all those who have stood firm to the end will be saved. Amen.
