Healed by Christ (Part 5 of 0)

To the Poor the Gospel is Preached – Part five

We continue to explore the lessons of Jesus' response to John the Baptist. We have seen the symbolic meaning behind the blind seeing (understanding the Truth), the lame walking (the new walk in Christ), the lepers being cleansed (being forgiven of sins), the deaf hearing (obeying the commandments of Christ) and the dead being raised up (passing from certain death to the hope of eternal life). The next item in the list is, "to the poor the gospel is preached."

At first sight, preaching might not seem like healing. But the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom is linked to the healing actions of Christ. “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matt. 4:23).

Poverty may not seem in the same class of affliction as physical ailments, yet Isaiah parallels the deaf and blind with the meek and poor: “In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of dark­ness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 29:18-19). In other words, the meek and the poor will be “healed” just like the deaf and the blind.

Christ is continuing the same theme of conversion we have seen in the earlier “healings.” The “poor” refer to those who have a contrite spirit, those who have humbled themselves, those who depend not on themselves but on God, those in whom God will dwell in the coming kingdom age upon the earth. The “gospel being preached to the poor” is the preaching of the good news of God’s kingdom and His Anointed.

Messiah and the Year of Jubilee

Jesus’ answer to John the Baptist alludes to Isaiah’s great Messianic prophecy: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompense; to comfort all that mourn; that there should be given to them that mourn in Zion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called the generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord of glory” (Isa. 61:1-3 LXX).

The Speaker’s Commentary volume on Isaiah points out these verses promise a year of jubilee: “There is a manifest reference in verses 1-3 to the year of jubilee. In fact, the words used in v. 1, ‘proclaim liberty,’ are technical words — see Leviticus 25:10; ‘Ye shall hallow the fifteth year, and proclaim liberty (same word) throughout the land’ (see also Jer. 34:8, 15, 17 s.w.).”

This prophecy was being fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus. That is, he was proclaiming and performing “ju­bilee” blessings, foreshadowing the blessing of the kingdom age to come. He leaves us with no doubt he was doing this. After he read from these verses in the synagogue at Nazareth, “he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down…And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Lk. 4:18-20).

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

Jesus was also preaching the king­dom of God was at hand. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17; cp. 3:2). “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mk. 1:14,15).

We know the kingdom was not literally set up at that time. So what do these verses mean? Here is a suggestion. Although the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth must await the return of Christ, the citizens of the kingdom were entering it during the ministry of Jesus. That is, for those he preached to, the chance to enter the kingdom was at hand. The teaching, preaching, and healing of Christ and the apostles made the blessings of the kingdom a reality. Those who believed took action to enter into the kingdom even before it was established.

From this perspective, the kingdom is still at hand! The scriptures teach the gospel to us, thus making it pos­sible now to become citizens of the kingdom.

The Poor in Spirit

Who are the poor to whom the gospel is preached? They are the poor in spirit. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the king­dom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3; cp. Lk. 6:20). They are those who have a contrite and humble spirit, in whom God will dwell. “Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest?…To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word?” (Isa. 66:1-2). “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). The poor are those who are prepared to receive the gospel.

Called into the Kingdom

The poor in spirit have already been called into the kingdom. Note carefully the tenses of the verbs in the following verses. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for their’s is the king­dom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3). “Blessed be ye poor: for your’s is the kingdom of God” (Lk. 6:20). “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Mt. 23:13). “The Father…hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated la into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:12-13). “Ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye should walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory” (I Th. 2:11,12).

God commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:5­6). Peter applies these words to believers: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9). As the true spiritual children of Israel, we are citizens of God’s future kingdom even though we must await Christ’s return for its outward manifestation.

Citizens of the kingdom

We are fellowcitizens of the king­dom even today. “Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowci­tizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). “Our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20 RV). Consequently, we are commanded to “behave as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27 RVm). God expects us to behave like subjects of His kingdom, now.

The Lord is king

The Lord God Almighty is king.

He has always been king. He will al­ways be king as He shall reign for ever and ever. The poor in spirit acknowledge the sovereignty of God; they are already citizens of His kingdom. This first of all principles is repeated over and over in the Psalms: “The LORD is King for ever and ever” (Psa. 10:16); “The kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the ruler over the nations” (22:28 RV); “The LORD Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth” (47:2); “The LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods” (95:3). “The LORD hath established his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all” (103:19 RV). See also Psalm 29:10 RV; 45:6; 93:1,­2; 146:10.

Although the Lord sits as king, He invites us to approach His throne. We sing, “Lord of all being, throned afar, thy glory flames from sun and star; center and soul of every sphere, yet to each seeking heart how near! …Lord of all life, below, above, whose light is truth, whose warmth is love, before thy ever glorious throne, we ask no luster of our own” (Hymn 101).

We must acknowledge God as our king, today. He is the sovereign Lord. We must not allow king sin to continue to reign in our lives. Instead, we must follow through with the words of our hymns, asking our Lord to reign over our lives: “Father, I ask that all my life may be o’erruled by Thee” (Hymn 89). These words are a real challenge. Undoubtedly, each of us allows God to rule in areas of our life. Let us work to allow Him to take control over all parts of our lives that we might truly be among the poor to whom the gospel is preached.