Mark 1:14-15
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
I’ve heard it said that everything Jesus did and said revolved around the Kingdom of God (go to our podcast section and listen to Aaron White’s sermon on Prayer). Everything. It makes sense, then, that the first thing Mark records Jesus preaching about is the Kingdom of God. He makes amazing statements, that sometimes don’t reflect the sad faces we put on on Sunday mornings, like “The time has come!” I think we miss the importance of such words. Jesus comes and reveals Good News – that the Kingdom of God is near. It’s at hand. It is now.
Just as interesting is the statement that follows Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom: “Repent and believe the good news!” In order to be in this Kingdom, you have to repent.
An obvious statement, yes. But what does that imply, exactly?
I’ve heard repentance explained a number of times, I’m sure. But the one that has lodged itself in my brain, probably forever, is one that I read about in a book by Eugene Peterson, “A Long Obedience In The Same Direction” (at least I think I did). The illustration goes that at some point, when army platoons would go out to march as a unit, one of the commands they used was “repent”. Instead of commanding a resounding, “About face!”, they would yell, “Repent.” The soldiers would then turn around and march the opposite direction, doing the same thing as an about face, just with different wording.
This idea is certainly the thrust of Scripture. To repent means to turn. More specifically, repentance means turning from my way of living and embracing God’s way. See, ultimately, Jesus taught that what is important is doing God’s will, living His way. Since the Kingdom of God is now, we need to live out the Kingdom now.
Jesus hints at this in Matthew 7:15-27. In this context, Jesus is finishing a sermon known as “The Sermon on the Mount”, which is chapters 5-7, and he concludes by talking about doing his will. The first bit, 7:15-23 goes like this:
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Basically, by putting emphasis on the fruit of a person, he stresses that what’s important what we do and not who we say we are. Because ultimately, if we’re really who we say we are, the fruit will come.
So asking for forgiveness is not just about a verbal plea, but ultimately about change. It’s about not doing one thing, and doing the opposite. This is what Jesus looked for. He wanted obedience.
Then Jesus goes on to talk about what happens when people do the Father’s will:
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Interestingly enough, Jesus gives us two pictures that are really two sides of the same coin. In other words, in both situations, there are storms. That’s the constant, the absolute. What changes is not the storms, but the outcome. One falls, the other stands its ground, and the storms come no matter what.
Sometimes there’s this perception, this negative connotation, that obeying the Father’s will is constrictive and freedom-stealing. The opposite is the truth! It’s when we submit that we are freed. It’s when we obey that we experience life to the fullest. It’s when we live out the Father’s will that we stand our ground. This is the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is now.