THE KINGDOM IS NEAR—WHO IS THIS JESUS?
Mark 1:14–28 — Jesus Announces the Kingdom and Demonstrates His Authority
John the Baptist has prepared the way. Jesus has been baptized, the Father has declared Him to be His beloved Son, and He has faced Satan in the wilderness.
Now Mark takes us into Galilee, where Jesus begins preaching.
What is His message?
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” — Mark 1:15
Mark then shows us what happens when Jesus speaks. He calls men to follow Him. He teaches in a synagogue. And an unclean spirit obeys His command.
These events belong together. Jesus announces God's kingdom, and then Mark begins showing us the authority of its King.
1. JOHN IS ARRESTED — MARK 1:14
“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.”
John's public ministry has come to a turning point.
He had announced that someone greater than himself was coming. Now John is in custody, and Jesus begins preaching in Galilee.
Mark does not explain John's arrest here. He returns to it in Mark 6:17–29, where we learn that Herod Antipas imprisoned John because John had condemned Herod's marriage to Herodias.
John had spoken God's message even when it offended a ruler.
His imprisonment reminds us that faithfully proclaiming God's word does not guarantee an easy life.
But John's arrest does not stop the good news.
Jesus begins His ministry.
The forerunner has announced His coming. Now the One John announced is preaching.
2. WHAT IS THE GOSPEL OF GOD? — MARK 1:14
Mark says that Jesus came “preaching the gospel of God.”
The word gospel means good news.
But what makes this news good?
Jesus is announcing what God is doing.
This is not merely advice about how people can improve their lives. It is news about God's action in history and the arrival of His promised kingdom.
Mark has already introduced Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1).
Now Jesus announces that the time has been fulfilled.
God's promises are moving toward their fulfillment in Him.
We should also notice that Jesus preaches the gospel before His death and resurrection.
The disciples do not yet understand everything His mission will involve. Mark will show us how much they still have to learn.
As we continue through the Gospel, we will see that Jesus' death and resurrection are not separate from His kingdom message. They are central to the way He accomplishes His mission.
3. “THE TIME IS FULFILLED” — MARK 1:15
Jesus begins His announcement with these words:
“The time is fulfilled.”
What time?
The Greek word translated time here is kairos. It can refer to a particular time, occasion, or appointed season.
Jesus is not simply saying that another day has arrived.
He is announcing that a decisive moment in God's plan has come.
For centuries, God had made promises through the prophets.
He promised a descendant of David whose kingdom would endure (2 Samuel 7:12–16).
Daniel spoke of God's kingdom, which would outlast the kingdoms of men (Daniel 2:44).
Daniel also saw one like a Son of Man receiving dominion and an everlasting kingdom from the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13–14).
Now Jesus announces that the time has been fulfilled.
Mark does not list all those promises in verse 15. But as we read the rest of his Gospel, we will see Jesus identify Himself with the promised Son of Man and speak repeatedly about God's kingdom.
The waiting has reached its decisive moment. The promised King has come.
4. “THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND” — MARK 1:15
What did Jesus mean when He said the kingdom of God was at hand?
The Greek expression can mean that something has drawn near.
Jesus is announcing that God's promised reign is no longer merely a distant expectation.
God is acting through Him.
We need to be careful, however, not to reduce the kingdom to a location or a political territory.
In Scripture, a kingdom involves the rule of a king. God's kingdom concerns His reign and the people who belong to Him.
Jesus will demonstrate His authority over sickness, unclean spirits, sin, nature, and even death.
These acts reveal that God's promised rule is being made known through Him.
Yet Mark will also show that the kingdom's arrival does not mean every enemy has already been destroyed or that all suffering has ended.
Jesus teaches His disciples to expect suffering, perseverance, and a future fulfillment of God's purposes.
So we should not force everything Jesus says about the kingdom into a single moment.
The kingdom has drawn near in Jesus. Its King is present and at work.
That raises a question for every reader:
If Jesus is announcing God's reign, how should people respond?
Jesus answers immediately.
5. “REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL” — MARK 1:15
Jesus gives two commands:
Repent. Believe.
To repent is to turn away from sin and change one's direction toward God.
It is more than feeling sorry about something we have done.
Repentance involves a changed response to God.
To believe the gospel is to receive God's good news as true and place our trust in Him.
Jesus does not call people merely to admire His teaching.
He calls them to respond.
And these commands belong together.
A person cannot sincerely turn toward God while deliberately rejecting the good news God has announced.
Nor is biblical faith merely agreeing with a set of facts while refusing to respond to God's will.
Jesus announces the kingdom and calls people to turn toward God and trust His message.
As Mark continues, we will see what that response looks like in the lives of the first disciples.
6. JESUS CALLS FOUR FISHERMEN — MARK 1:16–20
Jesus walks beside the Sea of Galilee.
He sees Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea. They are fishermen.
Jesus says:
“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” — Mark 1:17
They leave their nets and follow Him.
A little farther along, Jesus sees James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They are in a boat preparing their nets.
Jesus calls them too.
They leave their father in the boat with the hired servants and follow Him.
Why does Mark tell us about these men immediately after Jesus announces the kingdom?
Because Jesus is not simply announcing information for people to consider.
He is calling people to follow Him.
“Follow Me”
In that setting, following a teacher involved more than attending an occasional lesson.
A disciple learned from the teacher by accompanying him, listening to him, and following his instruction.
Jesus calls these men to leave their work and accompany Him.
They do not yet understand everything about Him.
They will misunderstand His teaching. They will struggle with fear. They will even fail Him.
Mark will tell us all of that.
But here, at the beginning, they respond to His call.
Their understanding will grow as they follow.
“I will make you become fishers of men”
Jesus uses language these fishermen understand.
They have spent their lives catching fish.
Now He calls them to take part in gathering people through the message of God's kingdom.
Notice His promise:
“I will make you become…”
They do not already possess everything they will need.
Jesus will teach and prepare them.
Their calling begins with following Him.
Why does Mark say they left immediately?
Mark emphasizes the promptness of their response.
Simon and Andrew leave their nets. James and John leave their father and the boat.
Following Jesus will change the direction of their lives.
But we should not conclude that every disciple must abandon a trade or leave a family in precisely the same way.
Mark is describing what these particular men did when Jesus called them.
Later, Jesus will explain that following Him requires denying oneself and taking up one's cross (Mark 8:34).
The call is costly, but the cost will not look identical in every person's circumstances.
The important question is whether we are willing to follow Jesus when His teaching challenges the direction of our lives.
7. JESUS ENTERS THE SYNAGOGUE — MARK 1:21
Jesus and His disciples go to Capernaum.
On the Sabbath, Jesus enters the synagogue and begins teaching.
A synagogue was a gathering place where Jewish people assembled for Scripture reading, prayer, and instruction.
It was not the Temple in Jerusalem.
Local synagogues provided opportunities for Jewish communities to hear and study the Scriptures.
Mark does not tell us exactly which passage Jesus taught that day.
He directs our attention to the people's reaction.
They are astonished.
Why?
8. JESUS TEACHES WITH AUTHORITY — MARK 1:22
Mark writes:
“And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
The Greek word translated authority is exousia. It can refer to the right or authority to act, speak, or command.
The people recognize something different about Jesus' teaching.
Mark does not provide a transcript of the lesson or tell us exactly how the scribes taught on this occasion.
We should therefore be cautious about claiming that every scribe merely repeated earlier teachers or that Jesus never referred to Scripture.
What Mark does tell us is that Jesus taught as one having authority.
That authority is about to be demonstrated in a way the people cannot miss.
An unclean spirit interrupts the gathering.
9. AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT RECOGNIZES JESUS — MARK 1:23–24
A man with an unclean spirit cries out:
“What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
The spirit recognizes Jesus.
It calls Him “the Holy One of God.”
But recognizing His identity is not the same as trusting Him or following Him.
The spirit's words express alarm at Jesus' presence and authority.
“Did You come to destroy us?”
Mark does not explain everything the spirit knows or intends by that question.
He does show us that Jesus' arrival brings a confrontation with evil.
And Jesus does not need the spirit's testimony.
He commands it to be silent.
10. JESUS COMMANDS THE SPIRIT TO LEAVE — MARK 1:25–26
Jesus rebukes the spirit:
“Be quiet, and come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulses the man, cries out loudly, and comes out.
Notice what Mark does not describe.
Jesus does not perform a lengthy ceremony.
He does not appeal to another human authority.
He commands the spirit, and it obeys.
The man's convulsion and the spirit's cry show that the encounter is not quiet or gentle.
But the outcome is clear.
The unclean spirit comes out of the man.
Jesus' authority is not limited to His words in the synagogue lesson.
His command is effective even over an unclean spirit.
Mark places this event immediately after the announcement of God's kingdom.
That order matters.
Jesus announces God's reign, and then He demonstrates authority over a power that opposes God.
11. “WHAT IS THIS?” — MARK 1:27
The people are amazed.
They ask one another:
“What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
Notice that the people connect two things:
Jesus' teaching and His authority over the unclean spirit.
They have heard Him teach.
Now they have seen His command obeyed.
Their question is not yet a complete confession of faith.
They are astonished and trying to understand what they have witnessed.
That is an important part of Mark's account.
The reader already knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
The people in the story are still discovering who He is.
As we continue through Mark, that question will become increasingly important:
Who is this Jesus?
12. NEWS ABOUT JESUS SPREADS — MARK 1:28
Mark says that news about Jesus immediately spreads throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
People are talking about what happened in Capernaum.
But becoming widely known is not the same as being understood.
As we continue reading, we will find people seeking Jesus for many different reasons.
Some want healing.
Some want to see a miracle.
Some oppose Him.
Some follow Him without yet understanding the kind of Messiah He has come to be.
Mark will show us that Jesus' mission cannot be measured simply by the size of the crowd.
The question is not merely whether people have heard about Jesus.
It is whether they understand His message and respond to Him.
THE BIG PICTURE
Mark 1:14–28 begins with an announcement:
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Then Mark shows us Jesus at work.
He calls people to follow Him.
He teaches with authority.
He commands an unclean spirit, and it obeys.
The message and the actions belong together.
Jesus is not simply describing a kingdom that someone else will establish.
He is the promised King through whom God is acting.
But Mark has only begun telling the story.
We still need to discover how Jesus will exercise His authority, why He will suffer, and what kind of King He has come to be.
Read on. Let Mark answer those questions.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT
When Jesus says that the time is fulfilled, what does He want His hearers to understand?
How does Jesus' announcement of the kingdom connect with the events Mark describes immediately afterward?
What did Simon, Andrew, James, and John do when Jesus called them? What does Mark tell us—and what does he leave unexplained?
Why were the people in the synagogue astonished by Jesus' teaching?
What does the encounter with the unclean spirit reveal about Jesus' authority?
Why is recognizing Jesus' identity not necessarily the same as following Him?
And as we continue reading Mark, what should we look for to understand the kind of King Jesus has come to be?
NEXT STUDY: Mark 1:29–45 — Jesus Heals, Prays, and Cleanses a Leper
Jesus leaves the synagogue and enters Simon and Andrew's home.
He heals Simon's mother-in-law. Crowds gather. He rises early to pray and continues preaching in other towns.
Then a man with leprosy approaches Him.
What do these events reveal about Jesus' compassion, authority, and purpose?
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