Mark 1:15 - Repent and Believe.
Mark 1:15 - Repent and Believe.
Mark 1:15 (KJV) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Mark 1:15 (NLT) "At last the time has come!" he announced. "The
Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good
News!"
Mark 1:15 (EAV) And saying, The [appointed period of] time is
fulfilled (completed), and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent (have a
change of mind which issues in regret for past sins and in change of
conduct for the better) and believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to)
the good news (the Gospel).
Mark 1:15 (CWR) He said, "The time is fulfilled! The kingdom of
God is here! Repent! Believe the good news that I'm telling you, and
your lives will be changed!"
Jesus Begins His Ministry In Galilee
Jesus' announcement, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand," was the same as John's message (see Matt. 3:2). The
people understood it as a declaration that the Messianic kingdom was
about to be set up. In the popular mind, as indeed in John's, this
involved the establishment of an earthly kingdom for the Jews and
subsequent triumph over all their enemies. Throughout Jesus' ministry this
misunderstanding continued, and was not finally corrected in the minds of His
disciples until after the resurrection (see Luke 24:13-32; Acts 1:6, 7),
even though through His parables Jesus had repeatedly taught that the
kingdom He had come to establish was, to begin with, a spiritual kingdom
(see on Matt. 4:17; Matt. 5:3; cf. ch. 13:1-52). Jesus'
announcement, "The time is fulfilled," referred to the prophecy of the 70
weeks in Dan. 9:24-27, near the end of which "Messiah the Prince" was
to "confirm the covenant with many" and "be cut off". In the days
of Christ, some, at least, knew that this time period of Daniel was
nearly at an end. "When the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son" into the world (Gal. 4:4). [SDA Commentary]
Jesus began his ministry with this proclamation: "The time
promised by God has come at last! ... The Kingdom of God is near! Repent
of your sins and believe the Good News!"
These first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark reveal
the essence of Jesus' ministry on earth - the long-awaited Messiah
had arrived to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom would not
be what many had expected, however. The Jewish people wanted a king
who would set them free from the Romans; Jesus came instead to set
them free from sin and bring the Good News of salvation.
People responded differently to Jesus' announcement. Some
accepted him, some rejected him. The same is true today. You accepted
Jesus when you believed the Good News. As a believer, you are likewise
called each day to follow Jesus in a life of obedient discipleship.
[The One Year Bible for New Believers]
Even a servant must have credentials, and our Lord has the very
best. His coming was prophesied by Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1) and
announced by John the Baptist. The Father and the Holy Spirit commended
Him (vv. 9-11), and Satan could not defeat Him (vv. 12-13). He is a
Servant you can trust.
But what can He do? What is His work? He can guide your life and
make it a success (vv. 18-20). He can overcome Satan (vv. 21-28) and
sickness (vv. 29-34, 40-45) and use you to bring the message of salvation
to a lost and needy world (vv. 35-39). You can be a servant of the
Servant and share in His wonderful work.
Where did the Servant get His power? He depended on the Holy
Spirit (v. 12) and prayer (v. 35). He did not allow the demands of the
work to rob Him of the time He needed to renew His strength. If the
holy Son of God needed to pray, how much more do you need to pray! In
the Lord's service, you cannot "run on empty." (See Isa. 40:28-31.)
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
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