Friday, February 27, 2014
Mark 1:14f Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
THE SAVIOR INTRODUCES HIMSELF
With these words Jesus acquainted His listeners with the fact that He was indeed the promised Savior. Right after man fell into sin, God said that someday One would come who would free man from sin and the prince of sin (namely Satan). Because the LORD God had said this, man, of whom Adam and Eve were the first, looked for the time when the LORD God would fulfill that promise and again establish the kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of Satan here on earth. Since the people of Christ's day knew this promise of God and had learned from John the Baptizer that it would soon be fulfilled, and since Jesus Christ was He whom God had in mind when He made this promise and was the One for whom all believers of that day hoped, Jesus Christ had only to step before them and say, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand." Everyone would know that He meant that He was the Savior of sinners whom God once promised, the One who would conquer Satan and establish God's kingdom in the hearts of His people. Thus Christ, by saying only these few words, acquainted the people of His day with the fact that He was indeed the Savior.
In order, however, that people might not only know Him as the Savior and then let it go at that, but in order that they might also keep the benefit of His work of salvation, Jesus adds, "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel!" These words tell us how to reap the benefit of the work of salvation. Do they say, "Now sinner, do this deed or that deed, and then you shall be benefited by what Christ has in store for you"? No. What they say is to repent, which means to turn away from all things that belong to Satan, and believe and trust in what the Gospel says: that through Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven. And how does this repenting and believing happen? This happens through the preaching of the Word, the Law and the Gospel. Through His Word Christ calls us to repentance and His Word works faith there, for "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).
In that way thus Jesus made Himself acquainted with all whom He came into contact with during His ministry here on earth, so that everyone hearing Him might learn to know Him as the Savior, believe on Him as the Savior, and be saved through Him.
