Friday, March 15, 2024

Listen to the Word

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached. (Luke 16:16a)

Jesus makes an audacious claim in today’s verse – he says that his arrival brought about a fundamental shift in the primary message God wants humans to hear. Before Christ, the best information about God and life was found in “the Law and the Prophets” – what we now call the Old Testament. Our guides to life with God were the expectations laid out in God’s law, and the stories of God’s interaction with Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, and other ancient heroes. Those Old Testament Scriptures are still valid (in the very next verse Jesus says they are more permanent than the planet on which we live). But Jesus has brought a new story that is the consummation of all those old stories: “the good news of the kingdom of God.” The Gospels make it clear that the Kingdom of God was the key theme of Jesus’ message. He wants us to know that, through him, we can live life with God as our king.

Live the Word

Go to biblegateway.com and do a search for the word “kingdom.” Notice how frequently Jesus referred to the Kingdom of God. Ask God to help you to live with him as your King.