After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God, "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near, Repent and believe the good news!" -Mark 1:14-15 NIV

Despite popular consensus, teaching folks to "love thy neighbor" was not Jesus' main thing. Nor was it convincing them to turn the other cheek, to be hospitable, or to help the poor. All good things, just not the main thing.


This was the main thing: Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of heaven--God's sovereign rule and reign, now and for all of eternity.


How did He go about it? By picking up where His predecessor left off. Like John the Baptist, Jesus commanded all who would listen to repent and believe. Following more rules wasn't part of the equation, lest someone think salvation would be earned.


Jesus was calling for heart change. Radical inward transformation was the price of kingdom admission. Nothing ore. Nothing less. And it just so happened that a disastrous night of fishing, followed by a boatload of revelation (pun intended) set the stage for Simon to experience just that.

Knowing Simon had an unsuccessful night of fishing, Jesus told him to go back out into the deep and let down the nets (Luke 5:4-5). Peter complied.


As soon as the nets hit the water, they were filled beyond capacity. So much so, Simon and Andrew needed help from others to handle it. Very quickly, both boats were nearly sinking with the massive haul of fish.


That's what did it. The miraculous catch compelled Simon to fall to his knees in front of Jesus and say, "God away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (v. 8 NIV). Because that's what miracles do--they bear witness to the sovereignty of God and expose human frailty. Which should result in what Simon did: repentance.


"Do not be afraid," Jesus responded. "From now on you will fish for people" (v. 10 NIV). And just like that, Simon went from being questioning to sure. He and the men pulled their boats out of the water, left everything, and followed Jesus.


It wouldn't be the last time Simon would come face-to-face with his weaknesses; it was a reoccurring theme. So was repentance. So was forgiveness, which was why Jesus would repeatedly send Simon back into the deep. There were more men to catch and hearts in need of changing. But because of his own repentant heart, Simon would pick up where his predecessor left off and proclaim the kingdom of heaven--God's sovereign rule and reign, now and for all of eternity.







PRAYER FOCUS

Pray to God for repentance for as many things as you can think of, but end the prayer with gratitude for His forgiveness.


MOVING FORWARD

  • What do you focus on more: Jesus' command to love others ... or to repent and believe?
  • What incident in your life incited radical inward transformation? Would you regard it as a miracle?
  • Repentance fosters humility and surrender, so what can you repent of?

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