“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
– Matthew 3:2 (NRSVue)
Activity
Matthew 3:1-12, the section of the gospel story from which this verse is taken, tells of John the Baptist predicting the arrival of Jesus and, with his coming, the closeness of the kingdom of heaven.
References to the “kingdom of heaven” abound in Matthew—there are more than 30 of them. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed…. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast…. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls…. The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind…. The kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old…. Children, in their humility, are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, but it is hard for the rich to enter.
Imagine the kingdom of heaven for yourself. How would you talk about it? How does it feel near to you?