Within our grasp?

Today's Scripture

As John the Baptist is arrested, leaving a void for his thousands upon thousands of followers, Jesus steps in to proclaim a bold new message: "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This is radically different than John's message of "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Wait, what?

For those who were there, there was a subtle difference in these two proclamations. John's could have ended with the phrase - "and He's standing right there." Jesus could have added these words: "and I'm right here." But there was no heaven there, so were both mistaken?

There is a tension there that theologians describe as heaven being 'already but not yet'. Oh great, another mystery, right? Well sort of. We tend to look on the surface for resolution, but it is often much deeper. When we go to the doctor, we often evaluate the effectiveness of treatment based on the relief of symptoms. Jesus knows this, so He demonstrates for us that ALL of the ills of our world will be taken away. Listen to the list of maladies that are resolved:

Teaching and proclaiming the Good News - giving the people hope.

Curing every disease and illness - not just some - EVERY

They brought those who were sick and racked with pain - removing the deepest pains.

Those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics - spiritual, mental, physical - all CURED.

This is because Jesus is able to treat the root cause: Sin. Sin is the cause of all suffering in the world, some of it direct, some of it accumulated over time, some passed down from generation to generation. By showing the people that all of this can go away, His Good News really meant something. He was giving them a living, breathing promise of a world with no pain or suffering. Spiritual, mental, physical wholeness and health - it is promised and is in our grasp.

But we must be careful. We can get caught chasing relief of our symptoms. We can say a hundred prayers for the healing of a loved one - but have not gone to Him for the healing of our own sin. We want the pain-relieving medication but won't let Him treat the underlying condition. We want the 'kingdom of heaven' part but are rushing past the 'Repent' part. The repent is not just being sorry for sin - but a change of life, a change of perspective a change of purpose, a change of heart. Desire to live a life where the soul has dominion over the body. Our spirit sets the priority, and orders the actions of the body and mind. This life is a healthy dose of heaven in advance of the whole experience and it is within our grasp.

When we grasp for Him, heaven is at hand.