Matthew 3:2

Matthew 3:2. Repent. Not mere remorse, but conversion and reformation, or turning away from sin and unto God. The Greek word means change of mind or heart. A necessary exhortation, because the people were corrupt, but especially now: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, i.e., has become and is now near in time. ‘The kingdom of heaven' is equivalent to ‘the kingdom of God,' and is used by this Evangelist alone. It is in the world, but not of the world, heavenly in its origin, character, and destination. It is the kingdom from heaven, for the Messiah, the King, came from heaven. The Jews, however, thought it was to be a temporal kingdom. Hence they rejected an humble Saviour, and yet used this view against Him before Pilate (Luke 23:2; John 19:12). From this Jewish error the Apostles were not entirely freed until the day of Pentecost. It does not refer exclusively to a kingdom still future, but to the reign of the Messiah both in its inception (at the Advent) and its consummation (at the future ‘coining') The former is the prominent thought here, in other cases the latter. In the widest sense, it includes the Old Testament theocracy as a preparation. Matthew's exclusive use of ‘heaven,' is probably in contrast with the external (and worldly) Jewish notions.