Jesus sent His disciples to proclaim that God’s Kingdom is near. This Kingdom is not an earthly one but a kingdom of peace, justice, forgiveness, and love. It is a gift from God, freely given and already at work in the world and in human hearts. As followers of Christ, we are called to make God’s love visible through our words, actions, and unity with one another. Just as we have freely received God’s gifts, we are invited to freely share them with others.
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“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ … ‘Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.’” (Mt 10:7-8)
In this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples have just been chosen by Jesus. He calls them by name, gives them authority to cast out unclean spirits, and grants them the gift of healing every disease and infirmity. He also gives them clear instructions on where and how to carry out their first mission. He tells them:
“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”1
By telling them to proclaim this message “as they go,” Jesus emphasizes, on the one hand, that true disciples are first and foremost messengers of closeness. On the other hand, their very way of going out together must itself be a proclamation. In fact, in the Gospel of John, after giving the new commandment, Jesus says: “This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”2
“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ … ‘Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.’”
The “kingdom of heaven” is at the heart of Jesus’ message. The same expression was used in the Old Testament to indicate God’s sovereignty, authority, and saving action in human history. He is the ruler of the world and especially of the people of Israel, who were awaiting a descendant of King David to restore Israel’s role among the nations. In the New Testament, Jesus himself is presented as a descendant of David and therefore as a king. Unlike an earthly kingdom, however, the “kingdom of heaven” is a kingdom of peace and justice, where the poor are cared for, where forgiveness and reconciliation prevail, and which will bring life and light to all nations. It is a kingdom already begun in the world and in human hearts, yet destined to be fully realized when Jesus returns.
“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ … ‘Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.’”
Jesus announces that the kingdom is at hand now. It is near. From parables such as the mustard seed or the yeast that makes the whole dough rise, we understand that the kingdom works over time in mysterious, humble, yet persistent ways. “At hand” also has a spatial meaning. When the disciples, who carried the presence of Jesus’ Spirit, approached people, the kingdom of God drew near to them. And when, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God,”3 he could have said, “You are not far from me.”
“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ … ‘Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.’”
“Without cost” translates a term that in the original Greek means “as a gift.” This highlights that what the disciples received was not given because they merited it. Its source is God’s generosity and the fact that they were chosen for a special mission. Chiara Lubich once wrote:
“The kingdom of God has to be welcomed. It’s a gift that God gives to you. No amount of human effort, no exercise in self-denial, no intellectual study or research will give you the right to enter the kingdom of God. It is God himself who comes to meet you, who reveals himself with his light, who touches you with his grace. There is no merit on your part that you can claim or rely on that will entitle you to such a gift. The kingdom of heaven is offered to you free of charge.”4
By welcoming the kingdom, we are called, even today, to continue the task Jesus entrusted to the disciples: to proclaim, with words and deeds, the nearness of God’s kingdom. Together we announce to every person this message of hope: God loves this troubled and uncertain world immensely; he loves each of us without measure.”
Prepared by Augusto Parody Reyes
and the Word of Life team
- Mt 10:7.
- Jn 13:35.
- Mk 12:34.
- Chiara Lubich, Commentary to the Word of Life of October 1979.
Each month the Focolare chooses a Scripture passage as a guide and inspiration for daily living. The commentary on it was originally written by founder, Chiara Lubich (1920–2008). Today this Word of Life, written by an international commission and translated into 96 different languages, reaches several million people worldwide. For audio and video resources about the WoL, visit focolaremedia.com.
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