“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

1 In those days John the Baptist comes and preaches in the wilderness of Judea

2 And he says: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For he is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah said: the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 John himself had a robe of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan came out to him

6 And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!” who inspired you to flee from future wrath?

8 Produce fruit worthy of repentance

9 And do not think to say within yourself, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10 Even the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;

12 His fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, and He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

(Matt. 3, 1-12)

The activity of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John is revealed to us, who came to prepare the way before the Lord - a huge and great personality, a prophet whom the Jews had been waiting for a long time. It is no coincidence that a huge number of people flock to him: they were really waiting for the Forerunner, and after him the Messiah, so that He would return the great kingdom for which they offered so many prayers.

John the Baptist speaks very simple, but very important words, which are addressed to the people of that time and to us: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Scripture also says: “The kingdom of God is within you.” The Kingdom of God and the Lord are so close to us than we can even imagine. We believe that God does not see our suffering and problems, that He is very far away. Something happens to us that does not fit with our hopes and ideas. People like to say, “Where is your God?” But the Kingdom of God is very close to us: hidden somewhere deep in our souls - we don’t hear it, because there are too many passions, emotions and other garbage in our hearts.

We can enter the Kingdom of God only through repentance: its doors are very low, and we must bow our heads low to enter them. John the Baptist says: “Create fruit worthy of repentance and do not think of saying within yourself, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” The Jews believed that Abraham had such enormous merits before God that they would cover up all the sins of his descendants, and they hoped to divide Abraham’s bosom. But John the Baptist says that we are responsible for our lives. Abraham and his son Isaac set an example of faith and humility, meekness and obedience, and we too should follow their example.

The Lord calls us to repent, change and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is no coincidence that John the Baptist says: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” And people came to him and repented. “Already the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” - we must understand that if we do not do good, do not bear the fruits of repentance and struggle with passions, then we gain nothing for ourselves and we will not inherit any blessings of eternal life.

Transcript: Natalya Maslova

12 When Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, he withdrew into Galilee
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
15 The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, on the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 The people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in the land and shadow of death a light dawned.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

When we celebrate one of greatest holidays ours - the Baptism of the Lord or the Epiphany - then a perplexed question arises before us: why did he come to the Jordan, why was our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, who took on human flesh for the salvation of us, damned sinners, baptized.

This perplexed question arises only for us, but for none of the crowd of people standing on the banks of the Jordan and contemplating the baptism of the Lord Jesus, it could not arise, since no one yet knew Him as the One Sinless One, as the true Son of God.

Well, shall we say that He did not need to be baptized by John? No, we will not say: we will not dare to say, for the Lord Jesus Himself told His Forerunner that they must fulfill all righteousness, and with His baptism the Lord Jesus Christ testified to the great importance, the great truth of repentance. He began His very sermon with the words: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).

He came to open the way for us to the Kingdom of Heaven, into which no one has access who has not washed away the filth of his soul with hot tears of repentance. Only a human heart purified by repentance can perceive greatest word Savior: I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).

The entire great sermon of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John had as its main goal a call to repentance, with which he prepared His way for the Lord.

And without deep repentance it is impossible to begin the difficult path to the Kingdom of Heaven, indicated to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. And another greatest work of God was accomplished on this glorious day of the Baptism of the Lord. When the Eternal Son of God emerged from the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove onto His head. And the people standing on the banks of the Jordan heard the voice of God the Father thundering from heaven: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). This was a never before seen or heard appearance of the Triune God to the human world. This was a testimony about the God-man Jesus Christ, as it were, a presentation of Him to the world from God himself. And, despite this such a wonderful testimony about the Son of God, not all the people of Israel bowed before Him and believed in Him.<…>Hear, hear, my brothers and sisters, that not only our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit testified about the Lord Jesus Christ as the Eternal Son of God, but also the greatest of those born of women testify to the same thing with all the power available to man.

Isn’t this testimony of God Himself enough for us, this Divine presentation of Him to the world as the Beloved Son of God? Is it not enough for the testimony of Him as the Son of God to be the greatest of all women ever born? Are these greatest testimonies of Christ as the Son of God, repeated annually on the great day of Epiphany, not enough?

Oh, how I fear that even one of you, my God-given flock, will not lose ardent faith in our Savior and will not become one of those unfortunates who have been crucifying Christ everywhere for many centuries and to this day.

May this worst thing not happen to any of you.

Key Verse 3:2

Today's passage tells how John the Baptist prepared the way. John the Baptist prepared the hearts of the people to receive the Messiah. How did he prepare this path? I pray that as we study today's word, we will repent, accept Jesus, and find Heavenly Kingdom in your heart. I also pray that we will fulfill our God-given mission and lead many people to the Lord, just as John the Baptist did.

I. John the Baptist prepares the way for the Lord (1-12)

Look at verse 1: “In those days John the Baptist comes and preaches in the wilderness of Judea.”. There is a difference of 30 years between the events of the 2nd and 3rd chapters. This was the time when Jesus ended His private life and began the life of mission. It was a time when the dark night passed and the sunny day arrived. It was in those days that John the Baptist came and preached in the desert of Judea. The Judean Desert is a wild place located on both sides of the Jordan River. The divine mission began in the desert, not in a luxurious temple. The desert is the most unpromising place to preach. But when one man devoted himself entirely to God's mission, God did a great thing even in such a place.

What was John the Baptist's sermon? See verse 2: “And he says: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”. Word “repent” causes negative feelings. It's not soft and beautiful word. It is especially unpleasant for people to hear this word. However, if someone accepts this word, it becomes the most gracious word in his life. At that time, the people of Israel suffered greatly under the yoke of the Roman Empire. It seems that John the Baptist was supposed to preach warm and comforting words. But above all, he called for repentance.

He spoke “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. What is repentance? Repentance is not a change of form. And this is not just awareness of one’s sins and confession of them. Repentance is a change of heart and change life path. Therefore, repentance means actively changing the direction of life. You must turn your heart, which strives for peace, to God and accept God at the center of your life. For example, Matthew lived a selfish life only for his own happiness in this cruel world. But after hearing Jesus' call “follow me”, he followed Him. After this event, the goal of his life became to live only for the Lord. He changed the direction of his life from himself to Jesus. This is true repentance. One Chinese philosopher proclaimed the middle path to be the principle of human life. These are the principles of democracy - compromise for mutual benefit. But in the spiritual world there is no middle path, no compromise with Satan. Repentance is a choice between God and Satan, a decision to be a slave of God or to be a servant of Satan. Therefore, through repentance, every person becomes a slave of God, and without repentance, he becomes a slave of Satan. Repentance is the decision to leave old life and sins and live for God. Repentance is a courageous decision. Often repentance requires a great decision. For example, when the famous publican Zacchaeus repented, he said that he would distribute half of his property to the poor, and would repay everyone whom he had offended fourfold. This means that he seemed to be left completely poor. But he decided that the Heavenly Kingdom was much more expensive. This is true repentance. But how to repent? Listening to the word of God, we must repent. John the Baptist truly loved his people; he did not compromise with sin. In order for his people to become the people of God, he preached repentance to them.

John the Baptist did not just say, “Repent, you wretched ones!” He said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” Behold, the Kingdom of God is so close, you just need to enter it by repenting! Who could convince Zacchaeus to give away his property? Who can find reasonable enough arguments? But when he saw that the Kingdom of God was close to him, he repented and accepted the Kingdom of God as more precious than all his possessions. In repentance there is a great solution, but there is also great grace that surpasses any loss. The approach of the Kingdom of God means not only grace, but also that the judgment of God is approaching, and everyone who resists God will be condemned. There is God's wonderful Kingdom, and there is the fire of future wrath, and we must choose.

Also, the word “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” means that through repentance, God’s Kingdom, God’s governance, enters our lives. We must now submit to God. If you stole, committed adultery, deceived, then leave it, even if the price is high.

When, through the 13th chapter of Romans, I repented and decided to pay taxes, I had to accept that my salary decreased from 700 to 50 dollars - 14 times. But God's Kingdom and God's management are more valuable and precious, and by submitting to God and accepting His Kingdom into our lives, we will never suffer damage, which I have fully experienced myself.

Who was John who preached the Word in the wilderness? Look at verse 3: “For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah said: “ the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John the Baptist was the forerunner, previously predicted by the prophet Isaiah (Is. 40:3). Heart Israeli people was not ready to accept the Messiah because of pride and unbelief. Then John the Baptist, preaching repentance, prepared the hearts of people. Why is it difficult for people today to accept Jesus? Because people stopped considering sin to be sin. In worldly society, adultery is commendable, and love affairs are revered as heroic deeds and praised. Unless we say that adultery is a sin, that pornography and looking at a woman lustfully is a sin, then people cannot come to Jesus while continuing to live in sin. By preaching about sin, we prepare the way for people to accept grace. This sermon is not only about telling everyone - look, you are a sinner, but also about living in society, working at work, living purely, honestly and truly. By doing this we destroy the atmosphere of sin that people create so as not to feel condemned for sin. Otherwise, it is very difficult to talk about Jesus, otherwise people's hearts are complacent and cold.

John the Baptist preached: “prepare the way of the Lord”. John the Baptist created a favorable atmosphere for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to come and work. "Path" means a rough path. Through this word we see that people have different hearts: arrogant and humble. Arrogance is a characteristic of the proud. A proud person praises himself and despises others. Such people must humble themselves and only then can they accept Jesus. Humiliated people often fall into self-destruction. They destroy themselves out of feelings of defeat and fatalism. At first glance, such people seem to be modest. However, in reality, such people hate others and are full of anger at themselves, at people and at God. Flagellation and scolding yourself is a matter very far from repentance and quite useless. Behold, a man will scold and beat himself up in order to do the same thing tomorrow. But such people must fill their hearts with the Word of God, and have hope in God! There are also hearts that lack integrity and are irreconcilable. Such people resist in any situation and look askance at everyone. Even the love of a shepherd and any gift are received with suspicion. Such people must get rid of their prejudices. In Ukraine, many, many people suffer from prejudice and therefore do not accept Jesus. How many parents, having no faith, but having only external religiosity, oppose their children who believe in the Gospel! But God gives them many shocks and troubles, so that they do not rely on empty religiosity without faith and in sorrow they sincerely seek God. John the Baptist faithfully fulfilled his mission as a voice crying in the wilderness. The voice only conveys meaning and meaning and immediately disappears. Likewise, John the Baptist fulfilled his mission as the forerunner of the Messiah and disappeared without thinking about his popularity.

What was his life like while he was on his mission? Look at verse 4: “John himself had clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”. John lived in the desert where no one disturbed his life of prayer. He lived very simply. His daily food was locusts and wild honey. He wore clothes made of camel's hair. This life of John reminds us of the life of the prophet Elijah. His life was simple and poor. From such a life came such a sermon, which has full vitality. If you speak sweetly and beautifully, but do not follow such a life, then such words are an empty phrase. Therefore, when proclaiming, we must follow this in life. Such a life is a living sermon. Because great strength is in pure life.

What happened among the people when he preached repentance? Did they all run away with heavy hearts? No! Let's read verse 5 together: “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan came out to him.”. Confessing their sins, they were baptized in the Jordan. Here we see that people do not need empty praise and flattery, but they need the true Word of God, which leads to the Kingdom of God! There is great struggle in repentance, but there is much greater grace and mercy. That is why so many people came to John and were baptized by him in the Jordan.

Look at verse 7. Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to John to be baptized. All of them were spiritual leaders who gave their instructions. The Pharisees were very strict, adhered to the provisions of the law, and believed in life after death and resurrection. However, at that time they were very complacent, hypocritical and formal leaders. The Sadducees denied life after death, angels and the Spirit, and the resurrection. Since they only cared about reality, they were more interested in political power and wealth. Seeing them, John scolded them mercilessly, saying: “spawn of vipers! who told you to flee from the wrath to come?” Why so strict? They probably came because John had become popular and they were afraid of losing the respect of the people. John named them “spawn of vipers” due to the fact that they, being spiritual leaders, had an evil influence on the people. The echidna is an outwardly beautiful snake with soft skin, but inside it has a deadly poison. Likewise, they looked righteous and reverent and were dressed in luxurious clothes. But in reality they had a deadly influence on the people, killing the souls of people. Especially, the spiritual leader has a huge influence on the lambs, so when he lives a hypocritical life, he has a harmful influence on others.

Let's look at verse 8,9: “Create fruit worthy of repentance, and do not think of saying within yourself: “ Our father is Abraham”; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” John the Baptist not only scolded them, but also gave them the right direction. To avoid future wrath, they must abandon their empty grandeur and produce fruit worthy of repentance before God. The biggest obstacle for them to create a worthy fruit of life was their pride in being descendants of Abraham. However appearance is not the norm for evaluating God. In God's view, kinship and other conditions simply do not matter, because God can raise up the children of Abraham from stones. God evaluates by looking at our fruits. A God who judges only by fruits is a righteous God. Let's say a tree can deceive with its appearance, but it cannot deceive with its fruits. Here we learn that we must not only repent, but also produce worthy fruits of repentance. Here we see that if we want to truly bear the fruits of repentance, we must sincerely repent. If a person truly repents, then if he lived in passion, then he must leave such a life and live a pure and holy life before God. If we repent of our selfishness, we must live with dedication, we must give, serve and sacrifice. Therefore, true repentance means not only repenting in words, but also bearing worthy fruit of repentance in your life. When we repent, most of all we must repent of our inner sinful thoughts. If we do not repent of the little sinful thoughts that are inside us, then this prevents us from creating the fruit of repentance. We must stand before God, taking off all our sinful clothes: secret pride, righteousness, empty greatness.

But why do we have to create fruits? See verse 10: “Already the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”. Words “Already the ax lies at the root of the trees” means that God's judgment is near. Thinking that judgment is far away, people freely sin, indulging their desires. However, the court is not somewhere far away, but very close. We do not know when we will stand before the judgment of God and receive according to our good or evil deeds. Therefore, we must produce the good fruits of repentance. Our life can be compared to a tree. The purpose of a tree is to bear good fruit. If it does not bear fruit, it will lose value. We must bear good fruit, but first we must become a fruitful tree. To produce good fruit we must truly repent before God and abide in Jesus, who is our true Vine (John 15:1).

John not only preached repentance, but also strongly proclaimed Jesus. See verse 11: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”. He testified that he baptizes in water for repentance, but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which radically cleanses a person's sin and allows one to be born again and become a new person. Through repentance, we decide to leave the old, we decide even beyond our strength, but the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to bring our repentance and decision to life. John also testified of Jesus that “He will gather his wheat into the barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.”(12) Yes God's judgment, where there is an unquenchable fire, and there is God’s granary, the Kingdom of God, full of joy, love and grace. And we must use our lives to make a choice and help others choose the coming Kingdom of God.

I pray that we, like John the Baptist, will fight sin, preach the Gospel of repentance, and bring many wandering souls to Jesus, pointing to the coming Kingdom of God.

"REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS COMING"

These words were first spoken by John the Baptist regarding the coming of Jesus Christ. But besides this, the words “The Kingdom of Heaven also has a spiritual meaning.”

Everything that belongs to a person constitutes his kingdom, be it enormous wealth and power or insignificant possessions. The kingdom of heaven means complete possession of something, when the thing possessed is self-sufficient . There was once a dervish in Gwalior, Muhammad Ghaut. He sat in the jungle without clothes and ate only when food was brought to him. In the eyes of the world, he was the poorest man, but everyone respected him. And so bad times arrived in Gwalior. The state was threatened by a strong enemy, whose army was twice the size of the army of the local ruler. And so, in a depressed state, he began to look for Muhammad Ghaut. The sage asked to be left alone for the first time, but then, when the Maharaja himself began to beg him for help, he finally said: “Show me the army that threatens you.” He took him outside the city and showed him the huge enemy army that was advancing on him.

Muhammad Ghaut waved his hand, repeating the word “Maktul” (i.e. “may you be destroyed”) And while he was doing this, the army of the Maharaja of Gwalior seemed huge to the advancing army, which turned them into fear and they fled. This Sufi saint was the owner of the kingdom of heaven. His grave is now in the palace, and the kings of the earth come and bow before it.

The kingdom of heaven is in the hearts of those who are God conscious. This is recognized in the East, and saints are always given great respect and honor.

Sufi Sarmad, a great saint, immersed in the contemplation of the One, lived during the time of Aurangzeb the great Mughal Emperor. Aurangzeb demanded that Sufi Sarmad come to the mosque. When he refused to do this, he was beheaded by order of the emperor. From this day the decline of the Mughals began. This story proves that he who owns the Kingdom of Heaven, even when dead, has the power to overthrow the kingdoms of the earth.

We see the same truth in the story of Krishna and Arjuna. Arjuna and his five brothers had to fight alone against a huge army. Prince /Arjuna/ turned to God and wanted to give up the kingdom. But Krishna said, “No. You must first return what you have lost. Then come to me.” The story further tells how Krishna himself drove the chariot, and Arjuna's enemies were defeated, for with Arjuna was the ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven himself.

Speaking from a metaphysical point of view , The Kingdom of Heaven can be achieved through repentance . If we have offended a friend, he turns away from us, and we ask for forgiveness with all our hearts, his heart will thaw towards us. If, on the other hand, we close our heart, it freezes. Repentance and asking for forgiveness not only melts the hearts of those we have offended, but also the hearts of the unseen world. These words can also be explained with scientific point vision. Heat melts and cold freezes. Drops of water falling on a warm place and on a cold one experience different effects. A drop that lands on a warm place expands and becomes larger, covering more space; whereas the one that falls into a cold place freezes and becomes limited. Repentance has the effect of a drop falling on a warm place; it causes the heart to expand and become universal, whereas the hardening of the heart brings limitation.

12. When Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, he withdrew into Galilee

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

15. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, on the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the heathen,

16. The people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in the land and shadow of death a light dawned.

17. From that time Jesus began to preach and say: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

(Matthew 4:12–17)

In today's Gospel reading, dear brothers and sisters, the Apostle Matthew narrates the beginning of the preaching of our Savior. Soon after the events of baptism and Christ's forty-day stay in the desert, misfortune befell John the Baptist. He was arrested by King Herod Antipas and imprisoned in the dungeon of the Macheron castle. His crime was that he publicly denounced Herod Antipas for seducing his brother’s wife and marrying her, sending away his lawful wife. It is not safe to denounce an Eastern despot, and the courage of John the Baptist led him first to prison and then to death.

But time passed inexorably, and the Savior had to begin fulfilling His mission. Lord retired to Galilee and, leaving Nazareth, came and settled in Capernaum by the sea(Matt. 4:12–13). There is some kind of symbolic irrevocability in this. The Savior left His home and never returned there again. Before opening the door that was ahead, He seemed to slam the door that remained behind Him.

But why does the Lord leave after the news of the arrest of John the Baptist? As St. John Chrysostom states: “In order to teach us not to go towards temptations ourselves, but to retreat and evade them. It is not the one who does not rush into danger who is guilty, but the one who does not have courage in danger. So, in order to teach this and tame the hatred of the Jews, Christ retires to Capernaum, fulfilling the prophecy, and, together, hastening, like a fisherman, to catch the teachers of the universe who, practicing their art, lived in this city.

The city of Capernaum itself, or to be more precise, Capernaum, where the Savior went and where He preached His first sermon, unfortunately, was completely destroyed. Archaeologists still do not have a common point of view about its location. Two assumptions have been made. It is most often (and seems most plausible) identified with Tel Hum on the western shore of the northern end of the Sea of ​​Galilee. Another and less likely assumption is that Capernaum was located about four kilometers southwest of Tel Hum. In any case, where Capernaum might have stood, there is now nothing left but ruins.

Capernaum is a city of Galilee. But what do we know about Galilee itself? This is the northernmost region of Palestine and the most fertile. There was a saying that it was easier to grow a grove in Galilee olive trees than in Judea - one child. Josephus, who was at one time the ruler of the province of Galilee, says: “It is rich in fields and pastures, on which all kinds of trees grow. Even those who are least inclined to work are ready to work on this basis. agriculture; every piece of it is cultivated, nothing is wasted, and everywhere it is fertile.”

And therefore in Galilee the population density was enormous. But Galilee was distinguished not only by the number of inhabitants; The Galileans were, moreover, a special kind of people. Surrounded on many sides by pagans, they more easily accepted everything new, but at the same time firmly adhered to the Jewish tradition.

The natural qualities of the Galileans and the course of history made Galilee the place in Palestine where a new teacher with a new message had a chance to be heard, and it was there that Christ began His mission and first preached His sermon: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand(Matt. 4:17).

These words are already familiar to us. This is exactly the call John the Baptist made to the people on the Jordan River. And the Lord addresses people with the same call. And in this, Blessed Jerome sees the special Providence of God: “After John the Baptist was brought to trial, Christ Himself immediately begins to preach, that is, after the actual operation of the law ceases, the Gospel begins. If the Savior preaches the same thing that John the Baptist preached earlier, then by this He shows that He is the Son of the same God, whose prophet John was.”

The sermon of our Savior, dear brothers and sisters, lies in the commandment, without the fulfillment of which our salvation is not possible: “Repent!” This is a call to each of us to turn from our sinful ways and turn to God. Lift our eyes from the ground and look to the sky. This commandment has become extremely important because the Kingdom of God has approached. Eternity has invaded life. God has entered the world in Jesus Christ, and therefore it is of utmost importance that each of us follow Christ. Help us in this, Lord.

Hieromonk Pimen (Shevchenko)