Transitioning to the King. Mark 1:14-15.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel
Dear Family,
Mark, in his characteristic urgency, transitions us from the ministry of John to that of Jesus.
Transition (v. 14). John is arrested and is so removed from the picture. He was to never come out of prison. And while John’s life ends tragically, his martyrdom is no different from that of the King, whose herald he was. John has done and finished his assignment. Herod when he arrested him was trying to silence John, but John’s work was done already and the King subsequently took center stage. God’s plan cannot be thwarted by anyone. Even those who oppose him end up contributing to its success. John’s imprisonment shifted the focus from him to Jesus.
Timeliness (v. 15a). Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel began with the statement that the time was ripe. God times everything perfectly – he is never late but he never jumps the gun, either. At some point in his ministry, Jesus told his mother, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4) but later he says “The hour has come” (John 17:1). Paul tells us that “At the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). God will do what he has decreed or promised but in his time. He will not be rushed and it would be unwise to even try.
Transformation (v. 15b). The message that Jesus was preaching was one of transformation. He was calling on people to Turn Away from their sins. That is what it means to repent. It is the recognition that one is headed in the wrong direction and to make a U-turn away from that wrong direction. Once one turns away from the wrong direction, one needs to, Turn To the right direction, which in this case is to believe the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins and that God raised him from the dead.
Believing the gospel is not simply affirming that the fact of Christ’s death and resurrection is true, but is an act of surrender to Christ and his will, in line with the words of the apostle Paul, “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Do you just go to church and try your best to be good, or have you repented and believed the gospel?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.