After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the …
Is Repentance a Gift or a Pain?
The first words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Mark are these: "The time has come...The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). That little word "repent" has quite a big meaning, but it may not mean a lot to us today. It's unlikely we would ever …
The Only Way to the Kingdom
When Jesus proclaims that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15), He draws upon a powerful idea that pervades the Hebrew Scriptures and history. There was an expectation in the Hebrew Scriptures that God’s kingdom would catastrophically break into the world. The Scriptures described a figure—the Messiah or Son of Man—who would inaugurate …
Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness
Ivan Kramskoi, “Christ in the Desert,” 1872 (oil on canvas) inspired by Matthew 4:1-11 Led by the Spirit into the wildernessJesus fasted from foodto the extremes of human possibility.And it was then,then, that the devil set to work. Then the devil set to workchipping away at Jesus' identity:"If you are the Son of God..."Immediately after …
Encountering Jesus the Healer and Deliverer
"That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." (Mark 1:32-34) Jesus is the healer …
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Matthew Erickson 