Religion & Spirituality
Matthew records that following Jesus's baptism and His temptation in the wilderness, He settled in Capernaum and "began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'". In the following chapters, we are presented by the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 thru 7, followed by signs and wonders; healing the sick, healing the leper, driving out demons, raising the dead, etc. The pattern we see is preaching and teaching, truth, followed by signs and wonders which serve to authenticate His teaching. It should not surprise us, then, that when Jesus summoned the twelve, that He sent them to the lost sheep of Israel, preaching, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This was to be accompanied by signs and wonders; in other words, truth accompanied by signs and wonders. In today's lesson we see how this pattern can be a model for the church in proclaiming the Gospel and bringing the compassion of Christ to bear on a hurting world. Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Word.