After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:14-15
I didn’t ever expect to be home schooling our kids, but then the global pandemic hit, so, the last year I’ve spent countless hours round our kitchen table trying to teach our three wee cherubs.
Most days I’ll use the phrase ‘Not like that, like this…’ one way or another, whether it’s telling them to write numbers the right way, or to put commas in the right place, or what buttons to press on seesaw to share their work with their teachers.
Countless times the boys have responded with a big sigh. They don’t particularly enjoy being told they’ve got something wrong. But it’s a loving thing. They don’t always have the patience, or even desire, to figure out how to do things correctly. But it’s for their best.
It’s understandable. It’s not fun to have our faults exposed. It’s not enjoyable to be told we’re doing things wrong. It’s hard work to consider change.
Mark’s Gospel gets to the point pretty quickly. He doesn’t mention Jesus’ birth, but instead starts with John preparing people for Jesus. Jesus gets baptised, spends time in isolation battling temptation from Satan, then he gets on with ministry.
Mark could’ve given way more detail, but instead, he gets to the point.
Jesus came to proclaim good news. He told people to repent, and believe this good news.
To repent means to turn round, to stop going one way, and start going another.
Jesus was, in essence, saying: “I’ve got good news, you’ve got it all wrong, but I’ll show you what to do.”
That might not have felt like good news, but it really was, and still is.
Our default is sin, pride and doing our own thing. We don’t need to learn to ignore the God who created us. We do need to learn to pay attention to him. We don’t need to learn to fail, don’t need to learn anger, lust, laziness or addiction. We do need to learn to run from it.
We need to be told where we’re wrong and shown what is right.
But Jesus’ good news was more than just about learning right from wrong. It was a message about belief. Repentance goes hand in hand with belief. If we truly trust that Jesus died, rose and lives then we will live differently. In fact, trusting Jesus and living by faith is the only way to truly repent, and live as God intended.
It’s actually then an immense kindness to be shown our errors and called to repentance. It’s good news that Jesus has made a way for us to turn around, leave the error of our ways and find true life in him. It’s for our best, today and eternally.
It’s one thing for my kids to need guidance in their maths work, it’s another for us to consider belief and repentance in light of the Kingdom of God. We’re made for eternity. Either we hear and respond to the good news and be assured of our safety in God’s Kingdom eternally, or we reject this good news and will face banishment from the Kingdom eternally to hell.
This good news isn’t just a message to hear when we first become Christians. It’s not just a message to think about during lent either. The daily life of a Christian is one of belief and repentance, until we go to be with Jesus in God’s Kingdom for all eternity.
It’s a loving thing to be told to turn from sin, and it’s for our best to run to Jesus.
Passage for today: Mark 1:1-15
A thought to remember: Following Jesus means daily turning away from sin and failure to Jesus.
A question to ask: What does it look like for you to turn around in repentance today?
A song to sing: All I Have Is Christ