Mark 1:14-20 – Jesus First Disciples

Mark 1:14

1. This was the signal Jesus had been waiting for; as soon as John was imprisoned, Jesus knew it was his turn.
   1. Jesus sent a clear signal that you can imprison God’s servants but you cannot stop God’s message.
2. Jesus preaches the same message as John. The only difference is that John preached about the Messiah, while Jesus is the Messiah.

Mark 1:15

1. “Converted” is the first word of the Gospel, the good news.
   1. John the Baptist preached repentance (Mk 1:4).
   2. Jesus preached repentance (Mk 1:15).
   3. The disciples preached repentance (Acts 2:38).
2. To repent means to stop putting oneself at the centre and to put God at the centre.
3. Just as one cannot travel to a place without first leaving that place, so one cannot enter the kingdom of God without first repenting.
   1. If you choose to enter the kingdom of God, you have automatically repented.
4. Anyone who turns away from a life without God and chooses instead to believe in the good news of Jesus may enter the kingdom of God.

Mark 1:16

1. It was not uncommon for a rabbi to have disciples in Jesus’ time. The difference here is that it is Jesus who chooses his disciples instead of the other way around which was the normal procedure.
2. The disciples were fishermen, not scribes.
   1. Jesus could have chosen religious specialists from Jerusalem, but instead he chooses young workers from Galilee.
3. The disciples left their father and their jobs, giving a clear signal of what one might have to be prepared to give up in order to follow Jesus.
   1. Not all disciples followed Jesus in this way, but those who would become Jesus’ 12 apostles did.