Following Christ-Rediscovering the Jewish Faith of Jesusಮಾದರಿ

Day 8: Good News of the Kingdom

God promised David that the kings of Israel would be his descendants forever. The prophets echoed this:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess…I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them” (Jeremiah 30:3, 8-9).

“The Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation…There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms...My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever” (Ezekiel 37:21-22, 24-26).

Jesus was recognized by many as the “son of David.” Before His birth, an angel told Mary, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).

Sometimes Jesus called it “the good news (or gospel) of the kingdom.” This should have been good news to the Israelites under Roman rule, but the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus, and He died as a substitute for all who would place their faith in Him. We sometimes think of the “gospel” as only referring to the salvation Jesus brought through His death and resurrection, but it also includes His future reign as Messiah.

Paul calls it a “mystery”: “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).

Gentile believers are not to become Jews, but they are given an identity that is in partnership with Israel, sort of Jewish-adjacent. In Romans 11, Paul writes that Gentiles are wild olive branches that have been grafted into the Jewish olive tree, so the future kingdom over which the Messiah reigns includes both. This is truly good news for all!

Reflection

Jesus went to a lot of trouble to open the way for all people—you, me, everyone. As He proclaimed the good news of His coming kingdom, He taught and He healed. Amazingly, He continues to do both. Journal about your experience with either aspect today: What precious truth have you learned through your relationship with Him that has changed you? Write about a healing you have experienced—physical or otherwise.

An attitude of gratitude is fitting among Christians. Because we are unique, that gratitude is different for each one of us. Jot down a short list of things for which you are grateful. The next time you are with someone—anyone at all—mention one of those things. Gratitude is catching!