Repent! That is one of two subjects covered in our Scripture today. Repent? You might say to yourself that you thought today’s Scripture was from the Gospels, not the Old Testament, where that word is a much more common subject. Or you might think that this is another message about John the Baptist, who frequently preached on that subject. This is instead a message about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. But if this is a message about Jesus, people today think that it should then be all about love, mercy, and warm, fuzzy feelings. At least that is what so many preachers today solely equate Jesus with, not telling people to repent. Let’s look into the Bible and see what God’s Word has to say.
Our Scripture begins shortly after Jesus’ baptism, as He begins His ministry. John the Baptist was recently arrested and put in prison (vs. 12). He was arrested because he spoke out against some sinful behavior that King Herod was involved in, and then he was later executed. Jesus departed from Judea, where John the Baptist had been, and He traveled north into Galilee (vs. 13-16). He didn’t leave Judea out of fear of also being arrested. His movements were in accordance with God’s timetable. This was in fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 9:1-2). Isaiah had foretold that light would dawn in “Galilee of the Gentiles”. Jesus’ ministry began precisely where God said the Messianic light would shine.
Galilee was the territory in the north of Israel, and it was considered spiritually dark, as when the kingdom of Israel split shortly after the death of King Solomon, the northern kingdom descended into deep idolatry almost immediately, and never really turned from that. Now at this time it was heavily influenced by Gentiles. The people of Judea looked down on them for that, and also because they felt intellectually superior, as well. However, those were exactly the people that Jesus wanted to minister to first, not in Jerusalem’s religious center, but in a region considered spiritually insignificant. God chose a spiritually neglected region as the first to receive the Messiah’s ministry, bringing revelation, truth, and salvation to those sitting in darkness.
And what was Jesus’ first message? It wasn’t some “feel good about yourself” message like many today preach about. It was a subject that too many preachers actively avoid, it was a message of repentance (vs. 17). Repentance is not optional. It is the necessary response to God’s rule. Repentance is turning from sin and one’s sinful lifestyle towards God. Jesus felt that the message of repentance was so important that it was the first one that He preached to the people.
Sin and repentance are essential elements of the Gospel. Not only did Jesus preach repentance at the start of His ministry, He also instructed His disciples, which also includes us, to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:46-47). The Gospel message is not to feel good about yourself because God loves you. It is realizing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, to repent, and turn to Him. Repentance is a non-negotiable step in salvation. Some teach a false doctrine that Jesus forgives and saves everyone whether they repent or not. However this is a false and ultimately damning teaching.
As Jesus proceeded with His ministry in Galilee, which we see emphasized repentance, He began to call men to join Him as His disciples (vs. 18-22). The first two He called were Peter and his brother Andrew, and then James and his brother John. These were ordinary men. They were fishermen, not scholars who had advanced degrees in theology from universities. They each responded immediately. They didn’t tell Jesus that they would think about it and get back to Him. They immediately dropped what they were doing to go and follow Him. Discipleship often involves us forsaking some things in our life in order to follow Jesus. It involves obedience, sacrifice, and prioritizing Jesus above all else. Are we willing to leave some things behind and follow Jesus?
As we look at the last verse of our Scripture, we see that Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing (vs. 23). He explained the Scriptures, proclaimed the Gospel, and called for a response from those who heard. The healings Jesus performed authenticated His identity as the Messiah.
As we close this study, we must remember that any teaching that someone gives, any preaching we hear that minimizes repentance is not the Gospel that Jesus preached. This is not something that we can overlook because it makes us uncomfortable. As we saw, God chose Galilee to begin Jesus’ ministry because He delights in using the overlooked and ordinary. He also chose ordinary men to join Him, and they obeyed immediately, wholeheartedly, and sacrificially. When we respond to Jesus’ call in our life, we should respond in a like manner as we join others in being fishers of men.
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