This week, we’ve been considering Matthew 9:35-36 and the example of Jesus as a laborer for God’s harvest. Yesterday, we saw that Jesus taught and instructed everywhere He went. Similar yet distinct from this action, we also read that Jesus was “…proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…” Jesus wasn’t just a motivational speaker, nor was He a mere self-help instructor. Along with His teaching, Jesus also proclaimed a special message. That message was the good news of God’s kingdom.
Preaching the kingdom involves several aspects. For example, Jesus often taught, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Kingdom preaching demands we submit to Jesus as the King. The message of the kingdom is good news in part because sins can be forgiven in Jesus. But the gospel is not simply that Jesus is the savior. If we want to labor for the Lord, we must proclaim that Jesus is king!