Luke - Your Kingdom ComeEsimerkki

The Good News about the Kingdom

If you had to sum up Jesus’s message in a nutshell, what would you say his preaching was about? We could spend hours and days talking and trying to figure it out. It would be interesting, don’t you think? 

If you pay attention to Jesus’s preaching, you will notice that he spent a lot of time speaking and teaching about the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom is spiritual, and as such, it influences and rules both the spiritual and the natural world not by imposition, as most earthly kingdoms do, but by following the principle of service. 

Jesus went around the villages and towns of Judea and Samaria serving the people—healing those who were sick, and setting free those who were possessed by evil spirits. This could be summed up as—“telling the good news about God’s kingdom” (Luke 8:1).

Who could be part of his kingdom? Who followed Jesus, establishing God’s kingdom? Interesting also, He was not followed by his disciples only; if you look closely at verse two in today’s reading, you will see that a group of women also followed him. I know that this may not seem a big deal for you, but in those early days, women were supposed to stay home, they were not allowed to follow any rabbi. Yet, these women not only followed Jesus but also used what they owned to help Jesus’s ministry and his disciples.

These women were healed and freed from evil spirits; this freedom and change resulted in them giving everything they had to support Jesus’s ministry. Isn’t that wonderful? These women did not care about what people would say about them or do to them. Everything they had belonged to Jesus—their hearts, their reputation, and their resources. When the good news about God’s kingdom enters into your life, town, or village, it is spread like a contagious disease. It will not be stopped, hindered, or restrained. 

Children were also welcome. Jesus never stopped anyone from listening or coming to him and walking with him. Men were accepted, women were accepted, and children were more than welcome. In fact, Jesus even said that his kingdom belonged to those who were like children (Matthew 19:14 CEV).

The apostle Paul goes further and says, “Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman” (Galatians 3:28 CEV). There are no barriers, no excuses; everybody is welcome! This is good news indeed!

Reflect

What makes God’s kingdom different from earthly kingdoms? Who can be part of this kingdom? Are there any restrictions, limits, or barriers?

Pray

Father, I pray that your kingdom would come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Respond

What acts of service can I do for my family, friends, or community that will open doors so that they can hear the good news about the gospel of Jesus? 

Father, guide me so that I can serve those who need to hear about your kingdom.

Every one of our readers has a unique story of how they interact with the Bible. We invite you to click on the link below, so that we can learn more about you and readers like you. Your participation will help El Centro Network continue providing high quality biblical resources for people anywhere, and will report on the development of new biblical resources. Start Survey.