Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming, “the presence of the future.”5 In Jesus, “the time before the kingdom is finished, the time of the kingdom has begun.”6 This is why after recording Jesus’ staggering claim, the Gospel writers go on to record a series of Jesus’ mighty deeds. Jesus’ deeds validate Jesus’ claim. Jesus’ miracles demonstrate that indeed the future is breaking into the present, but they do more than validate the claim. They give us a picture of what God’s kingdom is all about.7 Jesus gives sight to the blind—that is the kingdom of God come near. Jesus causes the lame to walk—that
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