Mark Chapter 1, Verse 16
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16: περιπατων δε παρα την θαλασσαν της γαλιλαιας ειδεν σιμωνα και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου βαλλοντας αμφιβληστρον εν τη θαλασση ησαν γαρ αλιεις
16: Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
16: And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his
brother, casting nets into the sea for they were fishermen.
- καὶ λÎγων ὅτι ΠεπλήÏωται ὠκαιÏὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεÏετε á¼Î½ Ï„á¿· εá½Î±Î³Î³ÎµÎ»Î¯á¿³Â· [WHNU]
And he said “the time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent, and believe in the Good News.â€
- ὅτι here is recitative, introducing direct speech.
- μετανοεῖτε and πιστεÏετε are present imperatives, emphasising continuous and habitual action.
- Repentance is a key theme in this passage, preached by both John (v. 4) and Jesus (v. 15). Repentance was expressed in John’s case by baptism, which was normally reserved for proselytes (Cranfield:1963, p. 43) and hence involved an admission on the part of those undergoing baptism that they had not been living like ‘real Jews’ and a recommitment to God. However, John’s message of baptism must be united with his proclamation in vv. 7-8 of another baptiser to come. When Jesus does come, he also preaches repentance, and links it with the imminent approach of the kingdom of God.
- Guelich: 1989, p. 18 points out that John’s message linked baptism and repentance so tightly that the two cannot be separated, and hence the baptism and the repentance were together part of the hope of the forgiveness of sins. The moral injunctions of John’s teaching in the other Gospels (Mt 3:7, Lk 3:7) clearly places him in line with the Old Testament prophets who implored the people to return fully to God.
- In this sense, μετανοία is translating the Hebrew concept of שוב, returning to a place or person rather than the more common Greek usage of ‘a change of mind’. (Kittel & Bromiley: 1967, pp. 984-986)
- While John links baptism and repentance, Jesus’ preaching links repentance with belief. This formulation occurs in other proclamations (Acts 11:17-18, Acts 20:21) suggesting it was an established tradition. As Guelich: 1989, p. 45 puts it, this use of μετανοεῖτε refers to a ‘total surrender to God’ both in actions and acknowledgement of His rule.
