The Kingdom of God is Near You(Luke 10:1-16)

Title: The Kingdom of God is Near You

Bible Text: Luke 10:1-16

Luke 10:1-16

누가복음 10장 1-16

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. \ 이 후에 주께서 달리 칠십인을 세우사 친히 가시려는 각동 각처로 둘씩 앞서 보내시며

2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. \ 이르시되 추수할 것은 많되 일군이 적으니 그러므로 추수하는 주인에게 청하여 추수할 일군들을 보내어 주소서 하라

3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. \ 갈찌어다 내가 너희를 보냄이 어린 양을 이리 가운데로 보냄과 같도다

4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. \ 전대나 주머니나 신을 가지지 말며 길에서 아무에게도 문안하지 말며

5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ \ 어느 집에 들어가든지 먼저 말하되 이 집이 평안할찌어다 하라

6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. \ 만일 평안을 받을 사람이 거기 있으면 너희 빈 평안이 그에게 머물 것이요 그렇지 않으면 너희에게로 돌아오리라

7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. \ 그 집에 유하며 주는 것을 먹고 마시라 일군이 그 삯을 얻는 것이 마땅하니라 이 집에서 저 집으로 옮기지 말라

8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. \ 어느 동네에 들어가든지 너희를 영접하거든 너희 앞에 차려놓는 것을 먹고

9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ \ 거기 있는 병자들을 고치고 또 말하기를 하나님의 나라가 너희에게 가까이 왔다 하라

10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, \ 어느 동네에 들어가든지 너희를 영접지 아니하거든 그 거리로 나와서 말하되

11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ \ 너희 동네에서 우리 발에 묻은 먼지도 너희에게 떨어버리노라 그러나 하나님의 나라가 가까이 온줄을 알라 하라

12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. \ 내가 너희에게 말하노니 저날에 소돔이 그 동네보다 견디기 쉬우리라

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. \ 화 있을찐저 고라신아, 화 있을찐저 벳새다야, 너희에게서 행한 모든 권능을 두로와 시돈에서 행하였더면 저희가 벌써 베옷을 입고 재에 앉아 회개하였으리라

14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. \ 심판 때에 두로와 시돈이 너희보다 견디기 쉬우리라

15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. \ 가버나움아 네가 하늘에까지 높아지겠느냐 음부에까지 낮아지리라

16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” \ 너희 말을 듣는 자는 곧 내 말을 듣는 것이요 너희를 저버리는 자는 곧 나를 저버리는 것이요 나를 저버리는 자는 나 보내신 이를 저버리는 것이라 하시니라

이사야 11장 6-9절

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. \ 그 때에 이리가 어린 양과 함께 거하며 표범이 어린 염소와 함께 누우며 송아지와 어린 사자와 살찐 짐승이 함께 있어 어린 아이에게 끌리며

7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. \ 암소와 곰이 함께 먹으며 그것들의 새끼가 함께 엎드리며 사자가 소처럼 풀을 먹을 것이며

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. \ 젖먹는 아이가 독사의 구멍에서 장난하며 젖뗀 어린 아이가 독사의 굴에 손을 넣을 것이라

9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. \ 나의 거룩한 산 모든 곳에서 해됨도 없고 상함도 없을 것이니 이는 물이 바다를 덮음 같이 여호와를 아는 지식이 세상에 충만할 것임이니라

Last week, we learned about the commitment and attitude needed to be a disciple of Jesus.

Today’s story is about Jesus choosing 70 other disciples and sending them to every town, two by two. As He sent them out, He gave them specific instructions. First, He told them to pray for more workers because there is a big harvest ready, but not enough people to gather it. He also said that sending them out was like sending lambs among wolves.

From verse 4 to 9, Jesus gives them a detailed guide on what to do. In these instructions, we can see the main point and focus. The most important mission was to tell people, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (verses 9, 11)

Jesus really wanted them to share this message. He repeats it twice, in verse 9 and verse 11. So, when were they supposed to say it?

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1. Say It After Healing the Sick

In verse 9, they were told to heal the sick and then say, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” For a sick person, getting healed feels like the most urgent and important thing. But that’s not the whole story. Healing wasn’t the main goal. We can understand this to mean that healing people was a way to prepare them to hear the more important message.

The truly urgent news was that the kingdom of God was near.

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2. Say It Even When You Are Rejected

In verse 10, Jesus says that even in a town that does not welcome them, the last thing they should say is, “The kingdom of God has come near.”

Imagine how it feels to be rejected by a whole town. You might feel hurt or angry. But Jesus told them to deliver the message anyway, even if their personal feelings were bad. This is because when the town rejected the disciples, they weren’t just rejecting them personally. They were rejecting Jesus and God the Father. So, Jesus told them not to be discouraged and to still share the message.

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What Does “The Kingdom of God is Near” Mean?

Since Jesus emphasized this message so much, we need to understand what it means. When something is repeated, it’s important.

This was a message they had to remember and share in every situation. So, what does it mean?

To understand its meaning, we must listen carefully. If we don’t, Jesus said something terrible would happen. In verse 12, He says that on judgment day, it will be worse for a town that rejects this message than it was for Sodom. In verse 13, he says, “Woe to you!” which is a very, very strong warning. He was talking about the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These were towns in Israel that saw Jesus’s miracles but still did not accept Him. Jesus said that if He had done the same miracles in foreign lands like Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented a long time ago.

This shows us the true purpose of Jesus’s miracles and power: to lead people to repent. The problem with these cities was that even after seeing and experiencing Jesus’s amazing miracles, they did not repent. Instead, they became proud and arrogant.

And what is pride? Pride is denying, refusing to believe, and not even trying to listen to the fact that the kingdom of God is near.

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The True Meaning of Repentance

Repentance doesn’t just mean stopping small bad things, like lying, stealing, or fighting. It has a much deeper, more fundamental meaning.

“The kingdom of God is near” means that God has arrived.

It means a new world has come. Because a new king has arrived, we must follow a new set of laws. This is not just a personal matter; it’s a public one. It means the world is now a place where God is the King and He rules with His laws.

Think about Zacchaeus. When he repented, what did he do? He said he would pay back anyone he cheated four times the amount. He was following God’s law. Seeing this, Jesus said that God’s kingdom had come to Zacchaeus’s house.

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A New World Needs New Rules

The world’s laws and God’s laws are completely different. The world’s laws are based on the world’s values. God’s laws are based on God’s character and values, like unconditional love, justice, fairness, forgiveness, mercy, hospitality, humility, and gentleness.

Repentance means turning completely away from the old system, old values, and old laws to live by the laws of God’s kingdom. When the kingdom of God has come, you will be punished if you still follow the world’s old laws. In a new world, you must follow the new rules. If the law has changed, but you keep following the old, outdated law, you are breaking the new law.

This is related to our faith. You can say you believe in Jesus Christ, but if you still live according to the world’s values, it means you have not truly repented. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done “big” sins like stealing or lying that could send you to jail. Those things are related to the old world’s laws.

You cannot call yourself a good person in God’s kingdom just by following the world’s laws. The danger is thinking that as long as you don’t break the world’s laws, you are living a good life. But if you haven’t repented, any religious activity or belief becomes meaningless because you are still following the old law, not the law of God’s kingdom.

The king has come, which means the king has changed. A new world is here. The laws under the old king are gone. We now have a duty to live by the new order and new laws under the new King.

Under the old order, it was okay to try to be powerful, to look down on others, and to live with pride. But in the new order, we must not discriminate against each other. We must lower ourselves, be humble, and serve one another in love.

Long ago, the prophet Isaiah described God’s kingdom like this:

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat… The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6–9)

I sincerely pray that this new world will be with you all. Amen.