“Jesus said.

‘The time is fulfilled!

The kingdom of God

Is at hand!

Repent!

Believe

In the gospel.’”

 

καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ

 

The preaching of Jesus was like that of John the Baptist.  Matthew said that Jesus was proclaiming the same message as John the Baptist.  It almost seemed like Jesus had become a disciple of John.  The preaching messages of John the Baptist and Jesus were very simple and exactly the same.  They both said that people should repent (μετανοεῖτε).  People should turn their lives around, with a profound metanoia, a change of their spirit.  Matthew, chapter 4:17, was very close to Mark here, except that Matthew always used the term “kingdom of heaven (ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν)”, not “the kingdom of God (ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ),” as Mark does here.  Matthew used this apocalyptic phrase, “kingdom of heaven” over 30 times, but he was the only one of the canonical gospel writers to use this term.  Luke and John did not mention the content of Jesus’ initial preaching.  Mark recounted that Jesus said (καὶ λέγων) that the time was completed or fulfilled (ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς).  The kingdom of God was at hand or coming near (καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ).  They had to repent or change their ways in a metanoia (μετανοεῖτε).  They had to believe in the gospel or good news (καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ).  Belief or faith could be a noun, something believed or a verb, acting in a certain belief style.