From then on Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”
This verse presents the beginning of Jesus’ ministry through the central message of His first preaching. The call “Repent” means not only to feel remorse, but to change one’s way of thinking and return to God’s path. Jesus declares that the kingdom of heaven is near, that is, God’s reign is already being made present through Him. This is the core of Jesus’ teaching: He calls for inner change, for the turning of heart and mind, so that a person may share in the life of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ message begins where John the Baptist stopped; both were calling people to repentance. Yet in Jesus’ words this call receives a new meaning, because in His case the kingdom of God is no longer only a future event, but a reality through Him. In other words, what John the Baptist proclaimed as a near promise, Jesus announces as a present reality: from that moment God’s reign is a living reality, which, as we will see next, is revealed in the person of Christ, in His word, and in His works.