Jesus Enters the Ministry Work
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Pastor Nick Gatzke turns to the first chapter in the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus delivers a message that demands a response. His public ministry began with the bold declaration that the Kingdom of God had come. Discover how people reacted to Jesus’ ministry and his message.
The public ministry of Jesus begins with an arrest. Thousands had either seen or heard of the baptism by John in the Jordan River. And after being tempted by Satan in the desert and withstanding the temptation, Mark 1 tells us that just as Jesus begun, John the Baptist was arrested. Now, we’ll learn more about that later, but… not an insignificant historical note. You remember John’s message, says it in verse four, John was proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And as all of Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him and confessing their sins, you might say that he was causing a bit of a stir.
Now, it doesn’t tell us what he was arrested for. It doesn’t tell us who was behind it at this point. Was it the religious leaders who didn’t like the message? Was it the local king or magistrate who didn’t like the excitement and the mobilizing of the masses? Mark doesn’t tell us yet. But the fact that his arrest corresponds with the beginning of Jesus’s ministry is not mere coincidence. As John’s mission was nearing an end and Jesus is beginning, the arrest would foreshadow some things that were to come.
John’s arrest shows that the ministry of the gospel would be proclaimed through persecution and suffering. It would not be comfortable. His arrest and his eventual death would foreshadow Jesus’s own arrest and death. for this same message, the message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And John’s suffering would not only foreshadow Jesus’s suffering, but also the suffering of his followers. Because as the gospel of Mark was written, somewhere in the 60s probably, the Christians of the first century were under intense persecution by the emperor Nero. And it was not just the followers of Jesus in the first century that would experience suffering, but by extension, many throughout history would suffer for the sake of this good news. The road of the gospel is not a road of comfort. It’s the road of difficulty. And from the very beginning, John shows that to be true.
But as Jesus begins his public ministry, his message, was an announcement that had three points of emphasis to it. He came to announce the kingdom of God. Look at verse 14 and 15 again. Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. The message had three parts. The kingdom’s at hand, repent, believe.
Let’s consider them. The announcement of the kingdom of God was an announcement of the rule and the reign of God on earth. That’s a simple definition of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is where the rule and reign of God is present. And Jesus is saying, that with his coming to earth, he inaugurates that kingdom.
It’s a spiritual kingdom as the reign of God is being established in a way that it had not before through the coming of his son. Now, for those living under the rule of the Roman Empire, this was an evocative proclamation. because the glory of Rome was known the world over. It had spread throughout the entire known world. The Caesars themselves were considered to be gods among men with divine right that many considered. The kingdom of Rome was expansive all the way from Europe. Into the Middle East and Jerusalem, the reach of this European city was strong. And if there was glory to be associated with a kingdom, it was to be associated with Rome. If there was glory to be associated with a king, it was to be glory given to Caesar. But Jesus comes announcing a different kingdom.
and by extension, a different king. Now, this idea of the kingdom of God and pointing to his own kingship, Jesus’ own kingship, will be one that is one of the reoccurring themes throughout the gospel of Mark. He describes it in a variety of ways, the kingdom, to help us and his hearers in the first century understand. Here’s just a couple. Mark 4:26, Jesus says, is as if a man should scatter seeds on the ground. And he goes on to tell a parable about the kingdom. Mark 9:47. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out, for it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than have two eyes and be thrown into hell. Behold, the kingdom of God is at hand.
And for many of us, that prompts a sense of urgency. But for some of us, we lack that urgency. The sovereign God, the ruler of all that he has created, sin is simply living by our own law instead of God’s regarding ourselves in a quiet way as his excellency or her majesty. But Jesus announces, behold. The kingdom of God is at hand.
And in this announcement, he emphasizes the message of repentance. Now, last week, we saw in the first part of the chapter that John prepared the way for the coming of the king, and he pointed to the king by having a baptism that included repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And we talked together about how repentance really consisted of three parts. Do you remember? Part number one, repentance is an acknowledgement of sin. Yes, I actually did sin. And today, that in and of itself has many obstacles in our culture, right? The second part of repentance is a contrition or apology for that sin. And the third part of repentance is turning away from that sin. That’s what repentance literally means, to turn the other way. Now, I’m sure that most of us have seen a car chase on the evening news at one point or another. And at first, I don’t know about you, but at first when I see a car chase, why does it seem like it’s always in Los Angeles, maybe Portland? It’s riveting, right? Because at least for most of the men in the room, and probably some of the ladies as well, We’ve all wanted to drive that fast and that recklessly at one point or another. But as you watch further and you see the real danger and the helicopter that hovers above is showing the wide range picture of the car moving down the interstate with… cruisers here and there and the spike strip a mile up ahead and all kinds of other realities, you begin to realize very quickly that there’s no escape for this criminal. And the end of this scenario is only going to either be their death or their arrest. And then it hits you because you can’t help but think, just stop. Just stop the car, man. Stop and turn around. There’s safety that comes when you turn around. That’s an apt picture of life because those who live in sin are heading in the direction of the consequences and punishment. And the gospel calls all lawbreakers to repentance, literally to change their mind and direction of their lives.
Jesus proclaims this repentance. This repentance is a posture. It’s a desire. It’s a decision. And here’s the thing. You can’t experience the benefits and the joys of a relationship with God without repentance. And as much as we’d like to, it’s not possible. Repentance is the first step of experiencing the kingdom, Jesus says.
Charles Spurgeon said it this way: “Sin and hell are married unless repentance proclaims the divorce.” And again, he reminds us that repentance is not just a one-time act. It’s sure it is the act that happens upon your conversion, but it happens throughout your life. Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent. Jesus comes, he proclaims the kingdom. He proclaims repentance. And his third point of emphasis is to believe in the gospel. Now, the logical progression is not lost on us, right? Because the kingdom of God is at hand, the access to this kingdom is brought to you by repenting and believing in the gospel. If repenting is turning away from sin, believing is turning toward God. And it’s not just a vague belief in God. Jesus introduces them to the gospel, the good news. Ultimately, we know that the gospel is the message of God’s forgiveness of sins for those who’ve rebelled against him through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. for the forgiveness of sins. Here, as he introduces the gospel in Mark chapter one, the story hasn’t played out yet, right? And so he is proclaiming that the good news is simply that the son of
God has come and everything that’s going to come after. In his coming, it signals that the kingdom has arrived. And this is good news for anybody who actually and truly desires God. He emphasizes belief. He doesn’t call them to do anything, at least not yet. But the message of faith alone for salvation comes throughout this whole ministry that we’re gonna read about and the message of the apostles of the New Testament. Mark chapter five, Jesus overhearing what they said, said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not fear, only believe. Acts chapter 16. The apostles said, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. Romans 3, verse 28, the apostle Paul says, for we hold that one is justified by faith or belief apart from works of the law. So in the very beginning, Jesus’ ministry is marked by the message of
repentance and belief. And these two things happen together, don’t they? Spurgeon again says it this way: “True belief and true repentance are twins. It would be idle to attempt to say which is born first. All the spokes of a wheel move at once when the wheel moves, and so all the graces commence action when regeneration is wrought by the Holy Spirit. Repentance, however, there must be.” So Jesus comes. He announces the kingdom. The way to have access to the kingdom is repentance and belief. And look at what this message produces in some people who hear it. He calls them to be followers or disciples. Verse 16 to 20. Passing along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting the net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, follow me. and I will make you become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and they followed him. And going on a little further, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were in the boat mending the nets, and immediately he called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. Take a step back. You’re starting to see the sequence. The kingdom is here. Repent, believe, follow. For both sets of brothers, there are four elements to their following Jesus, and the same is true for us today.
The first is that of an immediate response. They didn’t hesitate when the Lord called them, and neither should we. How many times have we heard someone say, oh, well, tomorrow I will change, or tomorrow I will go, but they never do. immediately these disciples left their nets and followed him. Some of you are in that place today. Jesus has been calling, you’ve been delaying. He’s been calling you to follow him or perhaps he’s been calling you to give up that sin that you are holding onto because you love it so dearly. He’s been calling you perhaps for some of you to take a step forward in faith or to serve him or to commit to, a local church, or to be baptized. Don’t delay any longer.
Admirers stand. at a distance, but they don’t change anything. Followers are willing to change and respond. And Christ never asked for admirers and he never asked for adherence. He regularly spoke about followers and disciples. So follow the example of the disciples and respond immediately.
Because the kingdom of God is at hand. The second dynamic in their response is the significant sacrifice that it presents. Following Jesus meant a sacrifice for them. They left their nets and their jobs to follow him. And that’s been the same throughout history. Not everyone is called to leave everything behind, but we certainly should be willing to. Sadly, many of us might struggle to give up just one or two nights a week to follow Jesus. Nevermind our whole career, our whole life. We struggled to part with our money to follow Jesus. We struggled to give ourselves away. And yet for these disciples, the sacrifice was great, but it was worth it because the kingdom of God is at hand.
The third dynamic is that they entered into the unknown. They didn’t know where Jesus was going to take them and neither will you. But if the king of the universe is the one who created you, can you not trust him to sustain you in the particulars of life? Trust him and follow him into the unknown because the kingdom of God is at hand.
And fourthly, he takes them and gives to them the greatest mission of life. You want purpose? you want meaning behind what you do, these men would become fishers of men. The followers of Jesus would not define the success for their life by how many fish they caught. They wouldn’t define the success for their life by how much money they made when they sold those fish. They wouldn’t define the success for their life based on how big their house was or how many fun vacations they were able to go on or even how well their own kids did. The followers of Jesus had a new mission. The mission was his mission. His agenda for life became their agenda for life. And the core of that agenda is people. There’s nothing more valuable to God than people. And therefore there’s nothing more valuable to his followers. than people. And this is because the kingdom of God is at hand.
If you wanna be in the kingdom of God, repent of your sins, believe in the gospel, and follow the Lord Jesus. And you will. If you wanna be in the kingdom of God, repent of your sins, believe in the gospel, and follow the Lord Jesus, and you will.
You know, it’s possible to be a type of follower of Jesus without being a disciple. William Barclay once said to be a camp follower without being a soldier of a king, to be a hanger-on in some great work without pulling one’s weight. Once someone was talking to a great scholar about a young man, and he said, so-and-so tells me that he was one of your students. And the teacher answered devastatingly, he may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students. There’s a world of difference between attending lectures and being a student. It is one of the supreme handicaps, Barclay says, of the church, that in the church there are so many distant followers of Jesus and so few real disciples. But what say you? The calling of Jesus back then is the calling of Jesus today.
The kingdom of God is at hand. Don’t live your life in such a way to think that you will coast all the way to a very distant future. The kingdom is here now. Repent, believe, and follow. If you wanna be part of the kingdom of God, Repent of your sin, believe the gospel, and follow the Lord Jesus, and you will.
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This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy, but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.
