The Invisible King and His Kingdom by John Eckhardt

Author:John Eckhardt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Charisma House
Published: 2011-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

—MATTHEW 11:4–5

God desired mercy rather than sacrifice. Religious observances are never a substitute for mercy. Religion without mercy is unacceptable to God: “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Jesus demonstrated mercy and compassion.

The Pharisees had no mercy. They were legalistic and judgmental with sinners. They looked down upon people and did not lift one finger to help them. They did not understand the kingdom, and they did not understand the mercy mission of Christ. Jesus continually clashed with the Pharisees, and they rejected Him and His ministry.

Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

—MATTHEW 9:10–13

The prophets saw a coming kingdom of mercy. Micah’s vision of the kingdom is one of mercy.

“In that day,” says the LORD, “I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation; so the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.”

—MICAH 4:6–7

The reign of God in Zion would be one of mercy. God would bring in the afflicted and halted. The lame would leap and the dumb would sing (Isa. 35:6). The outcasts of society would be welcomed in the kingdom. These are prophecies that connect the mercy of God to the kingdom. Jesus fulfilled these prophecies, thereby revealing Himself as the King of the kingdom of heaven for all who would believe (Matt. 15:30). Multitudes were healed. The lame, blind, and dumb were healed. This reveals the mercy and compassion of Christ and His kingdom.

Micah’s prophecies emphasized justice, mercy, and humility, as opposed to sacrifices. Micah’s prophecies play a key role throughout the Book of Matthew, which emphasizes the kingdom of heaven. By extending mercy to society’s least desirable people, Jesus offers a vision of God’s kingdom that differed markedly from the prevailing schools of thought and practice offered by the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were more concerned with the external requirements of the Torah than with the needs of the sheep. The condition of the sheep revealed the failure of the leaders who were responsible to watch for and protect them.

Then Jesus went about

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