The Kingdom of Heaven is Near

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, January 25, 2025, drawing from Matthew 4:12-23

We often summarize things by saying, “In a nutshell...” a phrase which highlights the central point of what we're trying to communicate, the one core thing we really want people to grasp. But if we were to try and summarize Jesus' teaching in a single phrase, precisely what phrase to use would likely spark tremendous debate. Amidst just such a discussion as this, Karl Barth, considered one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, argued that the summative phrase was “Immanuel (God is with us).” Yet this is by no means universally accepted across Christianity. Personally, I believe it might be “The kingdom of heaven is near,” which we see in today's Scripture passage; if nothing else, because it is recorded as Jesus' first teaching in the Gospels.

Heaven, or “the kingdom of God” as it is called in the Gospel of Mark, is often mistakenly assumed by us Japanese to refer to the promised afterlife. However, what Jesus meant by this is entirely different. The word ‘kingdom’ here signifies “being ruled” or “the manner of being governed;" I'm not sure there even exists such an expression in Japanese! For example, in present-day Japan, we are “governed” and ‘ruled’ by the Prime Minister who holds political power. In Jesus' time, the Roman Empire ruled over Judea. Within that context, Jesus proclaimed the “Kingdom of God” or “Heavenly Kingdom” – a world where God rules over us personally. Since this world is under God's rule, it is functions entirely differently from a world ruled by human concepts and values. Human values create hierarchies based on wealth, status, or human authority, with those higher up or those in the majority exercising dominion over the rest. But before God, such hierarchies hold no sway. The central idea of that world is living as a people loved by God. Each person is loved by God in a unique way, so there is no hierarchy, no comparison. In Jesus' question, “Do you love me?” (John 21), the words “Follow me” express only what is required of us in how we live.

When we say the current year - 2026 - it signifies not merely the 2026th year since Jesus' birth, but also the 2026th year under the A.D. system, meaning “Anno Domini” or the years of the Lord Jesus' reign. Living in this new year means we should remember that while we live in the present world, and operate under the dictates of Japanese society, we are also living in a time when the Lord reigns. Therefore, we should remember that we are called to seek ways of thinking and living which are based on God's love as our standard, not on what we might call "common sense" values. The first to answer such a call were not the powerful ones we might expect, but simple fishermen working on the Sea of Galilee.

Let us pray.

God, help us to understand the kind of times we are living in now, and enable us to continue walking your path, the path that should be central to our lives within these times. May You continually show us the ways of a life which follows Your love through the example given us in the life of Jesus.

We pray this in the name of the Lord,

Amen.