The Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

A very overweight man decided that it was time to get into shape. He went on a strict diet and was doing quite well. In fact, he was so serious and dedicated about his weight-loss program that he even changed his usual driving route to work precisely in order to avoid passing his favorite bakery. One morning, though, he arrived at his office carrying a large, sugar-coated, calorie-laden coffee cake.

His fellow employees laughed and teased him about this, but he only smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, “What could I do? This is a very special cake. What happened is that, just out of habit, I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning, and there in the window were these trays of the most incredible goodies.

“Well, I felt this was no accident that I happened to pass by this way, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you really want me to have one of those scrumptious coffee cakes, let me find a parking space right in front of the bakery.’ And sure enough, on the ninth time around the block, there it was!”

Anyone who has struggled with their weight—or any number of other problems, for that matter—knows the familiar cycle: temptation… indulgence… regret… then: try, try again…

In an important way, Jesus addresses this in the gospel today and wants to leave us with his reassurance and encouragement as he says: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Immediately after Jesus finished his great temptation experience in the wilderness—you remember how the devil tempted him three times—he received some bad news. His cousin, John the Baptist, had been put in prison. John’s message had been a powerful one. He demanded that everyone repent of their sins and amend their lives. He was blunt and spoke his truth boldly. He preached to the crowds and pressed them to prepare for Jesus, God’s called and special One, who would save people from their sins. He was jailed for his words and would later be executed for them. John refused to compromise his message from God.

This makes it doubly interesting that despite John’s experience, here comes Jesus who immediately began preaching a message of repentance. Repentance has always been dangerous and unpopular. It takes courage to look within yourself and be honest with God—whether it has to do with giving up fattening and unhealthy foods or morally-harmful attitudes and behaviors.

So, what does it mean when the Lord tells us that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? He means that a spiritual revolution is afoot, and he, of course, is ushering it in. God is now with us and among us. He has come to be our light, to show us the way out of the morass we’re in, to save us from our sins, to love us and to set us on a safe footing in this life and in the next.

The idea about the kingdom or reign of heaven is so important, that it’s mentioned 33 times in the gospel of Matthew alone… and 99 times in all the gospels combined… and another 25 times through the other books of the New Testament. God’s kingdom is the major and most all-encompassing focus of the good news of Jesus Christ.

And ironically, Jesus’ words about the kingdom of heaven are probably the teachings that are most often overlooked by many, many people! Why do we so quickly focus on other teachings? Probably because we find it easier to look for Band-Aid fixes to life’s problems rather than get to the root of things.

I began today’s message by telling a funny story about a heavy guy having a major relapse from his diet. But isn’t that how dieting often works? Every overweight person who wants to lose weight dreams of the miracle weight-loss cure. They’ll try every new diet that comes down the pike: low-fat, low-carb, all-protein, all grapefruit juice or other liquids, diet shakes, and so on. Some take pills. Some opt for surgeries. But when push comes to shove, don’t we all know that in the vast majority of cases, a person loses weight if they take in fewer calories than they expend? In other words, a combination of controlled, healthy eating and an exercise program will get you where you want to go. Everything else is a Band-Aid fix. You can’t really expect to gorge on doughnuts and coffee cakes and watch the pounds melt off.

In exactly the same way, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand AND that what it’s going to take is not a superficial change, not a simple little Band-Aid fix, but radical discipleship. Everyone, without exception, is welcome into this kingdom… but if we want to participate, our human conscience must be aroused to injustice and the roots of sin. If we want our heart to be liberated, then we must repent of these—in thought, word and deed.

God, in his kingdom, is righteous and all-good. Anything opposed to God’s goodness, love and mercy is called sin, and we must root it out of our life. That takes commitment and perseverance. Jesus traces sin to the human heart and challenges us especially on the sins of neglect, the good left undone, our unused talents; and then our insensitivities and lack of compassion towards others, and all the sins against people, against love.

We are incredibly blessed that God has sent his Son to fill us in on the kingdom of heaven and patiently teach us how to get there. I pray that we’ll all embrace Christ’s call to repentance and experience the joy and grace of God’s kingdom.