“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ … And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” (Mt 4:17,23)
The gospel of the kingdom that Yeshua preached is more than just forgiveness of sins and going to heaven one day. It is the good news of the blessedness of a life ruled by God and His commandments.
Yeshua overcame the devil by submitting to God’s Torah. In each temptation He choose to obey God’s instructions rather than the temptations of the devil and His own desires. When He was hungry and the devil said, “command these stones to become loaves of bread”, Yeshua quoted from the Torah and said: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Mt 4:4) He surrendered to God’s Torah instead of following His own desires.
When the devil even quoted Scripture to Him and said: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (v. 6) Yeshua once again choose to obey the Torah and said: “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (v. 7)
It is interesting that Josephus tells us that Yeshua’s brother Ya’acov (James), who eventually became the leader of the community of believers in Jerusalem, survived exactly such a fall from the pinnacle of the Temple, which most likely was the top of the southeast corner of the Temple from the roof of the Royal Stoa. But it was not because Ya’acov put the LORD to the test, but because he was pushed down from it.
Finally, Satan tempted Yeshua with “the kingdoms of the world and their glory” if He would worship him. This is exactly what Yeshua one day will inherit as it says: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” (Ps 2:8) But He will inherit all this through His obedience to the Father, even to the death of the cross, and not by worshipping Satan. So Yeshua replied again with an answer from the Torah: “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (v. 10) Yeshua chose to obey the Torah.
We are also called to live a life of obedience to God’s instructions, surrendering our lives to His will rather than our own desires. The Apostle John wrote: “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 Jn 2:4-6)
This is the Good News of the Kingdom! It is “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” (Zec 4:6), which is the promise of the Father that Yeshua came to give to all those who believe in Him.
“’If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (Jn 7:37-39)
The Spirit and the Word will always agree. The Spirit of God will always cause us to obey the very Scriptures that He has inspired. This is the true Spirit filled life, the Good News of the Kingdom, that Yeshua preached. The first part of this Gospel is to turn from our own will and our own ways to obey God. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt 4:17)
We are called to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom by preaching repentance and obedience to God, not the watered down, sugar coated Gospel of doing whatever you want and using God for your own selfish desires, which is so prevalent today in many Christian circles. God was not created in order to serve us. We were created to serve God!
