Preaching, relocating, gathering students.

Mark 1.14-20, Matthew 4.12-22, Luke 4.14-15, 5.1-11.

Whenever bible scholars try to sync up the gospels, we’re guessing. They’re educated guesses, but still guesses. The authors didn’t expect we’d ever try to line ’em up; some might’ve assumed there weren’t other gospels, or that theirs superseded all others. But we wanna tell Jesus’s story comprehensively, so sometimes we do. I don’t know whether the events I’m writing about here, come right after Jesus healing the royal’s son. But it kinda works, so it’s the order I’ll go in.

At some point, John the baptist got hauled off to prison, ’cause he pissed off the Galilee’s ruler, Herod Antipas.

Luke 3.19-20 KWL

19Quarter-king Herod Antipas,

embarrassed by John about his brother’s wife Herodia,

and everything evil Herod does,

20shuts John up in prison,

adding this to everything.

The gospels eventually get into what became of John; it’s not pretty. But as soon as John went into the clink, Jesus took up John’s charge and began proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom.

Mark 1.14-15 KWL

14After John’s arrest,

Jesus goes into the Galilee preaching God’s gospel,

15 saying this:

“The time was fulfilled.

God’s kingdom has come near.

Repent! Believe in the gospel!”

Matthew 4.12-17 KWL

12Hearing John is arrested,

Jesus goes back to the Galilee.

13Leaving Nazareth, coming to Capharnaum,

he settles by the sea

on the border of Zebulún and Naftalí,

14so he can fulfill

the prophet Isaiah’s word saying,

15 “Land of Zebulún, land of Naftalí,

on the sea road, beyond Jordan,

the Galilee of gentiles:

16The people sitting in the dark

see a great light.

To those sitting in the place of death’s shadow,

light rises to them.” Is 9.1-2

17From then on, Jesus begins to preach and say,

“Repent: Heaven’s kingdom has come near!”

Luke 4.14-15 KWL

14Jesus goes back into the Galilee with the Spirit’s power.

Rumor goes out across the whole region about him.

15Revered by all,

Jesus teaches in their synagogues.

The gospel of Christ Jesus is summed up in Mark 1.15: “The time was fulfilled. God’s kingdom has come near.” With Messiah—who’d be Jesus—as its king.

You might notice a whole lot of folks who supposedly preach “the gospel” don’t preach that. Instead they quote John 3.16: God loved the world, sent us his son, and those who believe in him get eternal life. They claim that’s the gospel. It’s not. Getting saved is how we get into the kingdom. But the full gospel is what we have now that we’re in God’s kingdom. We get access to our inheritance.

And that’s why so many evangelists only proclaim a partial gospel. Some of ’em don’t believe we have access to our inheritance. Some of ’em are mighty uncomfortable with everything God’s kingdom entails.

In many Christians’ minds, we don’t get the kingdom till Jesus returns. If the Left Behind fans are to be believed, that day will always be seven years from now. Good luck catching up with it. For many others, the kingdom’s been pushed away into the neverland of “heaven.” We only encounter it after we die. Either way, it’s not in reach, so Christians don’t live in expectation or preparation of it. We don’t tap its power. We don’t really repent, turn away from our pagan lifestyles, and work on producing good fruit: We don’t figure we’ve anything to reform for. The gospel’s been hobbled.

I go on about the kingdom in my article on it. Read it if you wanna know what Jesus really meant by his kingdom. Many of us Christians are proclaiming it. ’Cause it’s really good news.