Matthew 4:17 - Repentance According To Jesus.
Mat.4:17: Repentance According To Jesus.
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Mat 4:17 (KJV) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to
say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 4:17 (NLT) From then on, Jesus began to preach, "Turn from
your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
Overview
John predicted Messiah's appearance, and preached baptism as a
sign of repentance (3:1-12). Christ was baptized to identify Himself
with John's righteous message (vv. 13-17). The Spirit then led Jesus
into the wilderness, where He overcame temptation and demonstrated
His commitment to God (4:1-11). Thus prepared, Jesus began to preach
(vv. 12-17), called His first disciples (vv. 18-22), and demonstrated
His God-given authority by miracles of healing (vv. 23-25). [The
365-Day Devotional Commentary]
4:17-25 The Community Is Called
Jesus' message was precisely the same as John the Baptist's
(4:17; cf. 3:2). Jesus started where John left off, but he would soon
go far beyond all that John had said and done (cf., for example,
4:23-25; 5:1-7:29). The call of the first disciples in 4:18-22
chronologically follows the events of John 1:35-51. This was not the first
contact that these men had had with Jesus. They had heard John the
Baptist identify him as the Lamb of God and had traveled with Jesus to
Cana where they had seen his first miracle (John 2:1-11). But now at
Jesus' invitation, they left their fishing to become fishers of men by
proclaiming the gospel. The gospel was the "good news" of forgiveness for
those who would repent and align themselves with the righteous remnant
(cf. Isa. 1:19-20; 25:6-9; 51:1-8; Mal. 4:1-2).
Jesus was teaching in the synagogues (Matt. 4:23; cf. Luke
4:16-22), announcing the kingdom (cf. Matt. 4:17), and authenticating his
message by miracles (12:28; cf. John 20:30-31). The stress on healing
was leading up to the Matthew 8:17 quote of Isaiah 53:4. Healing was
a picture or outward sign of a greater restoration based on the
forgiveness of sins (Matt. 9:6). Many interesting things happened during
this part of Jesus' ministry, but Matthew rushed through the events
to give the reader a sense of the general impact and growing
ministry of Jesus.
"Decapolis" (4:25) was a Gentile district east of the Jordan
River known for its splendid Greek cities. This section (4:17-25) gave
a quick summary of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing
ministries as a contextual background for Jesus' well-known Sermon on the
Mount in the following chapters (Matt. 5-7). [New Bible Companion]
SECTION HEADINGS
Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee
Jesus Begins His Ministry (4:12-17)
Teaching and Healing (4:12-25)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Matthew 3:2 (KJV) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
Matthew 9:13 (KJV) But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I
will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 1:14-15 (KJV) Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15]
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Acts 2:38 (KJV) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 3:19 (KJV) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that
your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come
from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 20:21 (KJV) Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the
Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 26:20 (KJV) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at
Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the
Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for
repentance.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
BEGAN TO PREACH
Began to preach, that is, in Galilee. The phrase does not
necessarily imply that this was the first occasion upon which Jesus
preached. About a year and a half of His public ministry was already in
the past (see on v. 12). [SDA Commentary]
With His victory won and His authority over inner, human
frailties demonstrated, Jesus began His public ministry... It's significant
that the personal, inner issues were settled before public ministry
began. God wants to do an inner work in our lives too, to qualify us
for ministry with others [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
REPENTANCE
Jesus began his public ministry with the same message as that of
John the Baptist (3:2). [NIV SB]
John the Baptist and Jesus both called for persons to repent in
preparation for the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is necessary for those
entering the kingdom of God.... We must turn from our sin to His salvation.
[Disciple SB]
Jesus started his ministry with the very word people had heard
John the Baptist say: "Repent." The message is the same today as when
Jesus and John gave it. Becoming a follower of Christ means turning
away from our self-centeredness and "self" control and turning our
life over to Christ's direction and control. [Life Application SB]
Turning from sin and exchanging confidence in human systems of
rules to trust and reliance on God is the entrance requirement for
God's kingdom. [Disciple SB]
There is constant danger of falling into sin, for Christ has
warned us to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. If we are
conscious of the weakness of self, we shall not be self-confident and
reckless of danger; but we shall feel the necessity of seeking to the
Source of our strength, Jesus our righteousness. We shall come in
repentance and contrition, with a despairing sense of our own finite
weakness, and learn that we must daily apply to the merits of the blood of
Christ, that we may become vessels fit for the Master's use. ST05-19-90
He who is truly penitent does not forget his past sins, and grow
careless about them as soon as he has obtained forgiveness.... astonished
that he should have continued in rebellion so long. He renews his
repentance toward God, while he grasps more decidedly the hand of Jesus
Christ, and finds that repentance is a daily, continued exercise,
lasting until mortality is swallowed up of life. ST11-26-94
All who take their position on the Lord's side will, as branches
of the True Vine, receive nourishment, and will be stimulated by
the vine to bear like fruit. They will be in co operation with God,
according to their ability exercising themselves unto godliness by walking
in newness of life, which is daily repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. RH02-23-97
Satan provides humans an alternative to serving God. This is
part of human freedom. Jesus exercised His freedom to serve God and
God's purposes. He showed that Satan can be defeated. He also showed
that accomplishing God's purposes through Satan's methods is wrong.
Providing food for the hungry, displaying God's power and will to care for
His own, and establishing Christ's kingdom are all part of God's
ultimate purpose. Each must be done under God's leadership, not Satan's.
[Disciple SB]
Everywhere Jesus went He proclaimed the twofold message of
repentance and faith in God (Mar.1:15). The faith He proclaimed was not
mere mental assent, but the kind of faith that produces change in
people's lives. There is no such thing as biblical faith that does not
produce obedience...
It is important to note that the Bible identifies both a true
and a false repentance. 2Cor.7:10 says, "Godly grief produces a
repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief
produces death." Godly grief is true repentance, and true repentance is
more than contrition. A person may be sorrowful over his sins yet
unrepentant because he is sorrowing for the wrong reasons. Instead of
sorrowing because his sins have hurt and disappointed God, he may just
feel bad because his sins have been personally painful, stressful, or
costly, or because his sins have been found out. If there is no change
in character, there has been no true repentance....
The results of false repentance are seen everywhere in the
church. Hearts are unbroken. Sin is covered up... And many professing
Christians do not walk in the light with God and one another. The fruit of
true repentance is a change of mind, heart, and behavior. [Floyd
McClung; Time with God devotional SB]
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
The "kingdom of heaven" has the same meaning as the "kingdom of
God" in Mark and Luke. Matthew uses this phrase because the Jews, out
of their intense reverence and respect, did not pronounce God's
name. [Life Application SB]
God's kingdom is the central focus of the teaching of Jesus. The
kingdom of God means, primarily, the sovereign and righteous rule of God
over the lives of those who have accepted His rule and are striving
to live in accordance with His will. The kingdom of God is both a
present reality and a future culminating hope. Life in the kingdom,
whether present or future, is God-centered and God-controlled. [Disciple
SB]
The kingdom of heaven is an expression used exclusively by
Matthew (31 times) in the NT, in preference to the more common term
"kingdom of God," which Matthew himself uses five times, and the other NT
writers use exclusively. The substitution of "heaven" for "God" is in
harmony with the custom of the Jews of Christ's day to avoid uttering
the sacred name for God, in the same way as they used the
expressions "name of heaven" for "name of God"; "fear of heaven" for "fear
of God"; "honor of heaven" for "honor of God," etc.... The "kingdom
of heaven," or "kingdom of God," constituted the theme of Jesus'
teaching (Luke 4:43; 8:1). He introduced many of His parables with the
words, "The kingdom of heaven is like [or likened]" (see Matt. 13:24,
31, 33, 44, 45, 47). He taught His disciples to pray for the coming
of the kingdom (ch. 6:10). His gospel was the good news of the
kingdom (ch. 4:23; etc.). His disciples were the "children of the
kingdom" (ch. 13:38). The Father was pleased to give them the kingdom
(Luke 12:32), which they were to inherit (Matt. 25:34). In this life
Christians must make the kingdom supreme in their affections and the great
aim of life (ch. 6:33). When He sent forth the Twelve He instructed
them to "preach the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:2, 60).... The "kingdom of
heaven" was established at the first advent of Christ. Jesus Himself was
King, and those who believed in Him became its subjects. The territory
of the kingdom was the hearts and lives of the subjects. Obviously,
the message Jesus bore referred to the kingdom of divine grace. But,
as Jesus Himself made clear, this kingdom of grace was preparatory
to the kingdom of glory [SDA Commentary]
With Jesus' announcement that the kingdom was near (4:17),
people were naturally asking, "How do I qualify to be in God's
kingdom?" Jesus said that God's kingdom is organized differently from
worldly kingdoms. In the kingdom of heaven, wealth and power and
authority are unimportant. Kingdom people seek different blessings and
benefits, and they have different attitudes. Are your attitudes a carbon
copy of the world's selfishness, pride, and lust for power, or do
they reflect the humility and self-sacrifice of Jesus, your King?
[Life Application SB re Mat.5:11,12]
AT HAND
The bible expression "at hand" is never a positive affirmation
that the person or thing said to be near will immediately appear, but
only that that person or thing has the quality of imminency.
[Scofield SB]
|
|
