Ungodly Empire & Christ’s Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-23

As we saw in our Gospel readings the past two weeks, in this season after Epiphany the church year focuses on the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry.  First, we read the story of Jesus’ Baptism and last week we heard John the Baptist’s experience of that event.  This week we read the story of the calling of the first disciples in the Gospel of Matthew.  In Matthew’s Gospel it appears that John being arrested is the catalyst for Jesus beginning his ministry.  And what Matthew records Jesus saying as he begins his ministry is critically important.  In verse 17 Jesus says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

This sentence is packed with meaning, and in some ways it’s the thesis statement about Jesus’ whole life and ministry.  The first word that’s translated “repent” is the Greek word metanoia, which literally means to go beyond (meta) your mind (noia).  Jesus isn’t saying to feel bad or guilty about your past, like we might assume when hear the word repent.  He’s saying to go beyond your mind, transform your way of thinking.  One commentator said Jesus was basically saying “Get ready for your mind to be blown!” or “Prepare to be amazed about what God is doing!”

This metanoia, this transforming of our minds, is what the spiritual journey of discipleship Jesus invites us into is all about.  After this story of calling the disciples, He’ll get into specifics later in the Gospel, but for now it’s sufficient to say that Jesus offers a path that transforms minds to perceive a new reality, and that reality He calls the Kingdom of God.

That’s the next word to think about today: the word translated kingdom.  It’s basileia in Greek or its equivalent malkut in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke.  The word meant kingdom or empire.  Basileia was a common Greek word for empires from Alexander the Great down to the Roman Empire under which Jesus lived.  And while it is sometimes referred to as the kingdom of heaven in Matthew, the other Gospels usually say “the Kingdom of God” which seems to be the more historically accurate term used by Jesus.  Jesus did not want us to confuse this Kingdom with the heavenly afterlife.  Jesus certainly spoke of an afterlife, but He referred to that using terms like “the resurrection” or “paradise” or “eternal life.”  Whenever Jesus uses the word Kingdom remember He’s talking about the alignment of these two realms, the alignment of heaven and earth.  

Now simply using the term basileia was a political statement.  Jesus clearly chose this word as an alternative to the Roman Empire.  And not just the Roman Empire, but also the Egyptian Empire, Assyrian Empire, Babylonian Empire, Persian Empire, and every other worldly empire that is not in alignment with the divine way, any worldly authority that exercises authoritarian power over its subjects and is at odds with the Kingdom of God.  It’s not any one empire, but is a manifestation of ungodly energy, injustice, evil and oppression, and the use of force for extortion, greed and exploitation.  Let’s call this Ungodly Empire.  When Jesus calls the disciples, he invites them to learn the ways of His Kingdom, an alternative to the Ungodly Empires of this world.

The church has always been called to resist Ungodly Empire not through force or violence but by manifesting Christ’s Kingdom.  Following Christ’s call to transform our minds and embody this alignment of heaven and earth in our personal lives and in our community.  This vision of the Kingdom Jesus calls us to is the reality that Jesus was the living embodiment of.  This is a vision of life in which God is present in, with, and through everything.  A vision of life in which we are all sons and daughters of God.  A vision of life in which divine love flourishes and is shared as we care for one another as sisters and brothers in the human family.  A vision of life in which the hungry are fed, the sick are cared for, the stranger is welcomed, the naked are clothed, and the poor are given good things.  This is a vision of life where unconditional love is the driving force of human action, and where love of God and neighbor and sacrificing for others takes precedent over profit, pleasure, and personal gain.  It’s the way of life Jesus modeled to His disciples, the way of life the early church strived to follow, and the way we are called to embody as well.

What would the world look like if the majority of Christians truly embraced Jesus vision of the Kingdom?  What would our national priorities be?  What would the world economy look like?  Who would our political leaders be?  Whatever answers we may have to those questions, it’s clear that Jesus was calling on His followers to be ‘yeast’ in the world, to infect the world with a thirst for justice, to bear witness to ways Ungodly Empire destroys individuals and society, to stand against war and oppression, and lead the way ushering in a new creation based on the principles of peace, harmony, and unconditional love.  God’s Vision of Shalom made manifest in the physical realm. 

Now remember, Jesus wasn’t killed for saying nice things like “love your neighbor.”  He was killed because He was viewed as a revolutionary threat by both the religious and political establishments.  And this message of the Kingdom is precisely why they were so afraid of Him.

In contrast, Ungodly Empire is any worldly power that doesn’t reflect the ways of God.  History’s been full of them.  Ungodly Empire was manifested in the Book of Exodus when Egypt enslaved Israel.  Ungodly Empire was manifested by Assyria and Babylon when they brought violence and destruction to Israel and Judah.  Ungodly Empire was manifested by Rome when they conquered and crucified and ruled through violent oppression.  And even though the church was intended to embody a new vision of life, Christian nations also fell into the trap of Ungodly Empire.  The alluring trap of sin and greed and political power manifesting Ungodly Empire once again.  This led church authorities to support wars with pagan tribes during the dark ages, wars with Muslims in the Crusades, wars against other Christian nations too.  And it led to justification for the era of European colonialism, for the World Wars of the 20^th century, and manifestations of Ungodly Empire to this day. 

In today’s world we see it manifested in overt Christian nationalism and more passively reflected by Christians who look the other way when Empire abuses and attacks.  Like when federal agents murder American citizens in Minneapolis and then lie about what happened.  That is a manifestation of Ungodly Empire.  It’s hard to see Ungodly Empire come out in full force in the Twin Cities where I lived four years during seminary and where Rev Ryan was born and raised and lived most of his life.  Such a blatant manifestation of Ungodly Empire is something I never thought I’d see in this country. 

As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to bear witness to the sinful ways Ungodly Empire manifests in our world.  And we are called to model a different way of being.  In our personal lives, in our community life as church, and in what we advocate for in the public sphere. 

Jesus calls us, like he called Peter and Andrew and James and John on that lake shore 2000 years ago.  He calls us to follow Him, to transform our minds, and to learn the ways of His Kingdom.  Not the ways of Ungodly Empire, but the divine way of being that Jesus called the Kingdom.  Let us follow Jesus’ call to bear witness to the sin of Ungodly Empire and to transform our minds and manifest the goodness and love of Christ’s Kingdom with our lives.  

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Pastor Brian | Third Sunday after Epiphany | January 25, 2026