“How was your week?” someone asked me, recently.
“Oh, it was fine,” I replied. “Just the usual.”
Sometimes, I get so entrenched in my routines—so used to the ups and downs of life in this world—that I start settling in, as if I’ll always live here and life will always be this way.
Maybe you can relate.
So often, when we experience good things in this life, we assume the very same blessings will still exist in years to come. And when we experience hard things, we say phrases like “well, that’s just the way life is,” meaning that life has its hard parts and it always will.
But Jesus reminds us in Luke 4:40-43 that, for believers, life will not always be as it is right now. One day, our “usual” is going to be interrupted and altogether changed—because something better than this life and world is coming. Look at what the passage says:
When the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. Demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Rebuking them, he didn’t allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he wouldn’t go away from them. But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s Kingdom to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent.”
God’s Kingdom truly is good news. It is the “something better” that is coming and it has the ability to interrupt our “usual,” everyday with anticipation and purpose.
The good news of God’s Kingdom interrupts our everyday with anticipation
In verses 40-41, we read an account of how Jesus ministered to a crowd of needy people one night after sunset. And the specific ways that He ministered, there, are foretastes—sneak-peeks, if you will—of the Kingdom blessings awaiting God’s people in heaven.
- Affliction Healed. Verse 40 says, “all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.”
I love how thorough the healing is in this passage. Jesus healed not just some people, but all the people who came to Him. And likewise, His touch was sufficient to remedy all the various diseases present, not just one or two.
In this life, sometimes we do see God heal in tangible ways. He patches up broken hearts. He gives people more time and better health. And yet, the healings we experience in this life are partial compared to the eternal and all-encompassing healing we will experience in heaven. All of us will be healed, then. Completely.
There is not a chronic pain, mental illness, broken heart or errant symptom that will not be entirely made right in heaven. As Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” Complete and thorough healing is coming—it’s part of the good news of God’s Kingdom.
- Evil Removed. Verse 41 goes on to say that “Demons also came out of many…” In other words, Jesus cast out demons. He cast evil out and people were better off because of it. This, too, is a foreshadowing of what we will experience when Jesus’ Kingdom comes in full.
While today, we may not walk through our cities and see demon-possessed people all around, we do see the existence and influence of evil in our world. We see it in the senseless crimes done to innocents. We see it in a culture that calls right wrong and wrong right. Just by opening our eyes, it’s plain to see that the enemy has a hold on our world—and yet, Scripture tells us his days are numbered.
The cross made Satan a defeated foe and, one day, he and all the evil he has propagated will be cast into a fiery lake (see Rev. 20:10). The good news of God’s kingdom is: we will be free of Satan and every evil influence for good.
- Darkness Transformed. Verse 42 says of Jesus, “When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he wouldn’t go away from them.”
Jesus had spent all night ministering to these people. Hours that were normally dark and lonely, were made so bright by His presence that they didn’t want Him to leave! They wanted more of Him.
Jesus’ presence has the same power today, doesn’t it? It has the ability to transform dark times and bring joy. And it always leaves us wanting more—yet, unlike the people from this passage, we don’t have to fear His absence. Jesus’ presence never actually leaves us.
Back then, they had the blessing of seeing Jesus in the flesh, for a few limited moments. But as Believers today, we have His very Spirit indwelling our flesh—and He will never leave. This brings sanctifying light to the dark places in our souls and it brings comfort to every dark night we have to walk through. And God’s presence gets even better from here. Look at what Revelation tells us about the coming Kingdom of God:
- “…God’s dwelling is with His people; and He will dwell with them…” (Rev. 21:3)
- “They will see His face…” (Rev. 22:4)
- “The city had no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it…there will be no night there. (Rev. 21:23,25)
One day, we, too, will see Jesus face to face. And on that day His presence won’t just transform our darkness, it will eradicate it. There will be no shadows of sorrow and no shades of darkness left in our souls. There will only be light and joy and Jesus.
So where, in your life so far, have you gotten a taste of Jesus’ presence, healing, transformation and freedom? And how does that experience make you anticipate the even fuller blessings of God’s coming kingdom?
We are meant to live in excitement over the “something better” that is coming.
The good news of God’s Kingdom interrupts our everyday with purpose.
Verse 43 records Jesus’ response to those who tried to prevent Him from leaving. “…He said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s Kingdom to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent.”
Jesus, and the Father who sent Him, wanted all the cities to hear the good news about God’s Kingdom. They wanted all people to have their chance to respond. And I believe They still do. This is why They invite us, who have already been saved, to join in spreading the Word. (Matt. 24:14, Matt. 28:19-20)
This is our purpose now, and it should jar us out of the haze of our “usual” routines. We have tasted the goodness of the Kingdom and now we are called to extend an invitation to others.
So, who do you know that needs to hear the good news of Jesus and His coming kingdom? And how might God be calling you to share it with them?
You know, when we settle into the “usual” routines of life, we often lose our urgency to witness. We think we’ll always have time later for sharing the gospel. But the truth is, people and opportunities may not always be there.
In Jesus, something better has come—today is the day of salvation! And as we await that even better day, when we experience the fullness of God’s Kingdom, our lives should be caught up in this one purpose: extending the invitation.
Something better than we can imagine is coming…and we don’t want anyone to miss it.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
