14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
John’s brief ministry was coming to an abrupt halt. The limelight now shifts from the proclaiming prophet - the one who came preparing the way for the Messiah - the ambassador of the King – and shines brightly on the Lord Jesus Himself. The multitudes that at one time followed the Baptist thus began turning their sights upon the Savior and just as John had preached repentance and faith, so too our Lord. We discover John’s words recorded in Matthew have the same ring to them as Jesus’:
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matt 3:1-2 (NIV)
This was “good news” indeed. It was news that brought forth much joy. It was history-making, earth shattering, life-changing news as opposed to just the simple, ordinary, run of the mill routine information. The term translated “good news” is from the Greek word “Euangelion” meaning an announcement of something that has happened in history that would change a person’s status forever. And so it did.
Interestingly to me as well, John had a proper perspective of his diminishing popularity giving way to the One he came to boldly announce. Some of our modern day preachers should take heed – it is quite simply not about any of us but all about Him. We discover the Baptist’s response to some of his followers when they questioned why this Jesus was gaining momentum over their leader – John’s last sentence to them being one useful to us all:
26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him." 27 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:26-30 (NIV)
Our goal is to glorify God - plain and simple. To glorify means to unconditionally serve Him out of love and appreciation for Who He is. We are not to be preoccupied with self or others rather Christ - the all deserving One. Remember the One who gives the power gets the glory. He is to be our focus – He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. When we exalt flesh – either our own or others - we are destined for disappointment. Nothing makes one more miserable or less interesting than being self-absorbed. It leaves us wallowing in a static life rather than a dynamic and abundant one which Jesus died for us to partake of. He equips us to live life to the fullest. We are purposely and purposefully gifted by the grace of God for God’s glory – there remains no room for boasting.
“The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life ‘hidden with Christ in God’ in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.” Oswald Chambers
“It is important to understand that fruitfulness and growth are the results of focusing on Christ and desiring to honor Him. When growth and change are our primary goals, we tend to be preoccupied with ourselves instead of with Christ. ‘Am I growing? Am I getting any better? Am I more like Christ today? What am I learning?’ This inordinate preoccupation with self-improvement parallels our culture’s self-help and personal enhancement movement in many ways. Personal development is certainly not wrong, but it is misleading—and it can be very disappointing—to make it our preeminent goal. If it is our goal at all, it should be secondary. As we grasp the unconditional love, grace, and power of God, then honoring Christ will increasingly be our consuming passion...The only One worthy of our preoccupation is Christ, our sovereign Lord, who told Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness’”. Robert McGee, The Search for Significance
Lastly, our Lord gives His hearers a double command – repent and believe. He first calls for our repentance – a turning away from sin to Him – a turning from the error of our ways to His life giving Way. He follows this by calling us in faith to receive the forgiveness He so graciously and freely offers. Christ has joined repentance and faith together and what He has joined together we dare not separate. Interestingly, the wording actually used here means for us to turn away from our existing temporal object of trust – objects that will always prove false in the end leaving us wanting and to commit oneself wholeheartedly to Jesus as the object of our faith – our Surety – One on whom we can fully depend – the Way, the Truth and the Life.