The Meaning of Mark 1:15 Explained

Mark 1:15

KJV: And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

YLT: and saying -- 'Fulfilled hath been the time, and the reign of God hath come nigh, reform ye, and believe in the good news.'

Darby: and saying, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn nigh; repent and believe in the glad tidings.

ASV: and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  saying,  The time  is fulfilled,  and  the kingdom  of God  is at hand:  repent ye,  and  believe  the gospel. 

What does Mark 1:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus" message consisted of two declarations and two commands. First, He declared that the time that God had predicted in the Old Testament had arrived. He was referring to the end of the present age and the beginning of the messianic age, as His second declaration clarified (cf. Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 1:2; Hebrews 9:6-15).
The term "kingdom" (Gr. basileia) as it occurs with "the kingdom of God" in Scripture does not just mean everything over which God exercises sovereign authority. The term "kingdom of God" occurs14times in Mark: Mark 1:15; Mark 4:11; Mark 4:26; Mark 4:30; Mark 9:1; Mark 9:47; Mark 10:14-15; Mark 10:23-25; Mark 12:34; Mark 14:25; and Mark 15:43. It means a particular worldwide kingdom over which He Himself will rule directly. [1] Of course God does sovereignly rule over all, and over His people in a more particular sense ( 1 Chronicles 29:12; Psalm 103:19-20). However this is not the rule of God that the Old Testament prophets spoke of when they described a descendant of David ruling over all the earth from Jerusalem. Many Old Testament passages predicted the coming of this kingdom ( 2 Samuel 7:8-17; Isaiah 11:1-9; Isaiah 24:23; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Daniel 2:34; Micah 4:6-7; Zechariah 9:9-10; Zechariah 14:9; cf. Matthew 20:21; Mark 10:37; Mark 11:10; Mark 12:35-37; Mark 15:43; Luke 1:31-33; Luke 2:25; Luke 2:38; Acts 1:6). Jesus" Jewish hearers knew exactly what He meant when He said the kingdom of God was at hand, or they should have if they did not. The presence of the King argued for the nearness of His kingdom, but it was still in the future (cf. Mark 9:47-48).
The Jews needed to make a double response since the kingdom of God was at hand. They needed to repent and believe. These two words call for successive actions, but the action is really one act that involves two steps taken almost simultaneously. Repenting involves turning from something, and believing involves embracing something else. For example, a drowning man who is clinging to a scrap of wood needs to do two things when a lifeguard reaches him. He needs to release the wood and entrust himself to the lifeguard.
When John the Baptist called the Jews to repent, he urged them to abandon their former hope of salvation because the Lifeguard was there to save them. When Jesus said, "Believe in the gospel," He meant, "Believe the good news that Messiah is here." Messiah was the subject of the gospel and the object of belief.
This is the only occurrence of the phrase "believe in [2] the gospel" in the New Testament. It points to the gospel as the basis of faith.

Context Summary

Mark 1:1-20 - The Beginning Of Jesus' Ministry
The ministry of John the Baptist, Mark 1:1-8. Always the message of John precedes that of Jesus Christ; first the changed attitude of the will, then faith. The greatness of the Baptist revealed itself in his humility. He saw what we must see, that a negative religion, symbolized by water, is not enough: we need to be set on fire.
The opening pages of Christ's public life, Mark 1:9-20. Jesus was recognized by the Baptist, who beheld the opened heavens and the descending Spirit. If the Lord was thus anointed ere He commenced His life-work, how much more must we be! Hast thou become united with Him in His death, made one with Him in His resurrection, and anointed by that same Spirit? Then be sure that thou, too, must be tempted. Sons of men must go the way of the Son of man, now under the opened heavens, then tempted of the devil; on one side the wild beasts, on the other the angels; now driven to loneliness, and then to the crowded street of the cities, there to gather disciples by the energy and beauty of a victorious life. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 1

1  The office of John the Baptist
9  Jesus is baptized;
12  tempted;
14  he preaches;
16  calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John;
23  heals one that had a demon;
29  Peter's mother in law;
32  many diseased persons;
40  and cleanses the leper

Greek Commentary for Mark 1:15

The time [ὁ καιρὸς]
That is, the period completed by the setting up of Messiah's kingdom. Compare the fulness of the time, Galatians 4:4. [source]
Repent []
See on Matthew 3:2; and Matthew 21:29. Mark adds, and believe in the Gospel. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 1:15

Mark 6:12 Preached that men should repent [εκηρυχαν ινα μετανοωσιν]
Constative aorist (εκηρυχαν — ekēruxan), summary description. This was the message of the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) and of Jesus (Mark 1:15). [source]
Luke 10:9 Is come nigh unto you [ηγγικεν επ υμας]
Perfect active indicative of εγγιζω — eggizō as in Matthew 3:2 of the Baptist and Mark 1:15 of Jesus. Note επ υμας — eph' humās here. [source]
Luke 21:8 The time is at hand [ο καιρος ηγγικεν]
Just as John the Baptist did of the kingdom (Matthew 3:2) and Jesus also (Mark 1:15).Go ye not after them (μη πορευτητε οπισω αυτων — mē poreuthēte opisō autōn). First aorist passive subjunctive with μη — mē A needed warning today with all the false cries in the religious world. [source]
John 1:38 What seek ye? []
The first words of Christ as recorded by John. Compare Matthew 3:15; Mark 1:15; Luke 2:49. [source]
Romans 4:5 Believeth on Him [πιστεύοντι ἐπὶ τὸν]
The verb πιστεύω tobelieve is used in the New Testament as follows: 1. Transitively, with the accusative and dative: to entrust something to one, Luke 16:11; John 2:24. In the passive, to be entrusted with something, Romans 3:2; 1 Corinthians 9:17; Galatians 2:7. With the simple accusative, to believe a thing, John 11:26; 1 John 4:16. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
2. With the infinitive, Acts 15:11. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
3. With ὅτι that Matthew 9:28; Mark 11:24; James 2:19. Especially frequent in John: John 4:21; John 11:27, John 11:42; John 13:19; John 14:10, John 14:11; John 16:27, John 16:30, etc. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
4. With the simple dative, meaning to believe a person or thing, that they are true or speak the truth, John 2:22; John 4:21; John 5:46. See on John 1:12; see on John 2:22, John 2:23; see on John 8:31; see on John 10:37. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
5. With the preposition ἐν inNot frequent, and questioned in some of the passages cited for illustration. In John 3:15, ἐν αὐτῷ inHim, is probably to be construed with have eternal life. The formula occurs nowhere else in John. In Mark 1:15we find πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ believein the gospel. The kindred noun πίστις faithoccurs in this combination. Thus Galatians 3:26, though some join in Christ Jesus with sons. See also Ephesians 1:15; Colossians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:15; Romans 3:25. This preposition indicates the sphere in which faith moves, rather than the object to which it is directed, though instances occur in the Septuagint where it plainly indicates the direction of faith, Psalm 78:22; Jeremiah 12:6. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
6. With the preposition ἐπί uponon to, unto. a. With the accusative, Romans 4:5; Acts 9:42; Acts 11:17; Acts 16:31; Acts 22:19. The preposition carries the idea of mental direction with a view to resting upon, which latter idea is conveyed by the same preposition. b. With the dative, 1 Timothy 1:16; Luke 24:25; compare Romans 9:33; Romans 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6. The dative expresses absolute superposition. Christ as the object of faith, is the basis on which faith rests. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
7. With the preposition εἰς into Matthew 18:6; John 2:11; Acts 19:4; Romans 10:14; Galatians 2:16; Philemon 1:29, etc. The preposition conveys the idea of the absolute transference of trust from one's self to another. Literally the phrase means to believe into. See on John 1:12; see on John 2:23; see on John 9:35; see on John 12:44.Is counted for righteousness ( λογίζεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην )Rev., is reckoned. See on Romans 4:3. The preposition εἰς has the force of as, not the telic meaning with a view to, or in order that he may be (righteous); nor strictly, in the place of righteousness. Faith is not a substitute for righteousness, since righteousness is involved in faith. When a man is reckoned righteous through faith, it is not a legal fiction. He is not indeed a perfect man, but God does not reckon something which has no real existence. Faith is the germ of righteousness, of life in God. God recognizes no true life apart from holiness, and “he that believeth on the Son hath life.” He is not merely regarded in the law's eye as living. God accepts the germ, not in place of the fruit, but as containing the fruit. “Abraham believed God … . No soul comes into such a relation of trust without having God's investment upon it; and whatever there may be in God's righteousness - love, truth, sacrifice - will be rightfully imputed or counted to be in it, because, being united to Him, it will have them coming over derivatively from Him” (Bushnell). The idea of logical sequence is inherent in λογίζεται isreckoned - the sequence of character upon faith. Where there is faith there is, logically, righteousness, and the righteousness is from faith unto faith (Romans 1:17). Nevertheless, in the highest development of the righteousness of faith, it will remain true that the man is justified, not by the works of righteousness, which are the fruit of faith, but by the faith which, in making him a partaker of the life and righteousness of God, generates and inspires the works. Observe that the believer's own faith is reckoned as righteousness. “In no passage in Paul's writings or in other parts of the New Testament, where the phrase to reckon for or the verb to reckon alone is used, is there a declaration that anything belonging to one person is imputed, accounted, or reckoned to another, or a formal statement that Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers” (President Dwight, “Notes on Meyer”). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

Ephesians 1:10 Unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times [εις οικονομιαν του πληρωματος των καιρων]
See note on Colossians 1:25 for οικονομιαν — oikonomian In Galatians 4:4 “the fulness of the time” Cf. Mark 1:15; Hebrews 1:1. On πληρωμα — plērōma see also Romans 11:26; Ephesians 3:19; Ephesians 4:13. [source]
1 Thessalonians 1:5 Our gospel [το ευαγγελιον ημων]
The gospel (see Matthew 4:23; note on Mark 1:1 and Mark 1:15 for ευαγγελιον — euaggelion) which we preach, Paul‘s phrase also in 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:3; Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8. Paul had a definite, clear-cut message of grace that he preached everywhere including Thessalonica. This message is to be interpreted in the light of Paul‘s own sermons in Acts and Epistles, not by reading backward into them the later perversions of Gnostics and sacramentarians. This very word was later applied to the books about Jesus, but Paul is not so using the term here or anywhere else. In its origin Paul‘s gospel is of God (1 Thessalonians 2:2, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:9), in its substance it is Christ‘s (1 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:8), and Paul is only the bearer of it (1 Thessalonians 2:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:14) as Milligan points out. Paul and his associates have been entrusted with this gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:4) and preach it (Galatians 2:2). Elsewhere Paul calls it God‘s gospel (2 Corinthians 11:7; Romans 1:1; Romans 15:16) or Christ‘s (1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 9:13; 2 Corinthians 10:14; Galatians 1:7; Romans 15:19; Philemon 1:27). In both instances it is the subjective genitive. Came unto you (εγενητη εις υμας — egenēthē eis humās). First aorist passive indicative of γινομαι — ginomai in practically same sense as εγενετο — egeneto (second aorist middle indicative as in the late Greek generally). So also εις υμας — eis humās like the Koiné{[28928]}š is little more than the dative υμιν — humin (Robertson, Grammar, p. 594). Not only - but also Sharp contrast, negatively and positively. The contrast between δυναμις — logos (word) and εν πνευματι αγιωι και πληροποριαι πολληι — dunamis (power) is seen also in 1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Corinthians 4:20. Paul does not refer to miracles by εν — dunamis In the Holy Spirit and much assurance (λογωι δυναμει — en pneumati hagiōi kai plērophoriāi pollēi). Preposition πληροποριαι — en repeated with πληροπορεω — logōiκατως οιδατε — dunamei but only once here thus uniting closely Holy Spirit and much assurance. No article with either word. The word οιοι εγενητημεν υμιν — plērophoriāi is not found in ancient Greek or the lxx. It appears once in Clement of Rome and one broken papyrus example. For the verb οιοι — plērophoreō see note on Luke 1:1. The substantive in the N.T. only here and Colossians 2:2; Hebrews 6:11; Hebrews 10:22. It means the full confidence which comes from the Holy Spirit. Even as ye know (υμιν — kathōs oidate). Paul appeals to the Thessalonians themselves as witnesses to the character of his preaching and life among them. What manner of men we showed ourselves toward you Literally, What sort of men we became to you. Qualitative relative ημετα — hoioi and dative δι υμας — humin and first aorist passive indicative egenēthēmen (not ēmetha we were). An epexegetical comment with for your sake (di' humās) added. It was all in their interest and for their advantage, however it may have seemed otherwise at the time. [source]
2 Thessalonians 1:8 Vengeance [εκδικησιν]
Late word from εκδικεω — ekdikeō to vindicate, in Polybius and lxx. To them that know not God (τοις μη ειδοσιν τεον — tois mē eidosin theon). Dative plural of perfect active participle ειδως — eidōs Apparently chiefly Gentiles in mind (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Galatians 4:8; Romans 1:28; Ephesians 2:12), though Jews are also guilty of wilful ignorance of God (Romans 2:14). And to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Repetition of the article looks like another class and so Jews (Romans 10:16). Both Jews as instigators and Gentiles as officials Note the use of “gospel” here as in Mark 1:15 “believe in the gospel.” [source]
2 Thessalonians 1:8 And to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus [και τοις μη υπακουουσιν τωι ευαγγελιωι του κυριου ημων Ιησου]
Repetition of the article looks like another class and so Jews (Romans 10:16). Both Jews as instigators and Gentiles as officials Note the use of “gospel” here as in Mark 1:15 “believe in the gospel.” [source]
Hebrews 6:1 Wherefore [διο]
Because of the argument already made about the difficulty of the subject and the dulness of the readers. Let us cease to speak Second aorist active participle of απιημι — aphiēmi to leave off or behind. Of the first principles of Christ Objective genitive Χριστου — Christou (about Christ). “Leaving behind the discussion of the beginning about Christ,” another way of saying again τα στοιχεια της αρχης των λογιων του τεου — ta stoicheia tēs archēs tōn logiōn tou theou of Hebrews 5:12. And press on Volitive present subjunctive passive, “Let us be borne on” (both the writer and the readers). The Pythagorean Schools use περωμετα — pherōmetha in precisely this sense of being borne on to a higher stage of instruction. Bleek quotes several instances of Greek writers using together as here of απεντες περωμετα — aphentes pherōmetha (Eurip., Androm. 393, for instance). Unto perfection Old word from τελειος — teleios mature, adults as in Hebrews 5:14. Only twice in N.T. (here and Colossians 3:14). Let us go on to the stage of adults, not babes, able to masticate solid spiritual food. The writer will assume that the readers are adults in his discussion of the topic. Not laying again the foundation The regular idiom for laying down the foundation of a building The metaphor is common (1 Corinthians 3:11) and the foundation is important, but one cannot be laying the foundation always if he is to build the house. There are six items mentioned here as part of the “foundation,” though the accusative διδαχην — didachēn in apposition with τεμελιον — themelion may mean that there are only four included in the τεμελιον — themelion Two are qualitative genitives after τεμελιον — themelion What is meant by “dead works” There are frequent allusions to the deadening power of sin (James 2:17, James 2:26; John 7:25; Romans 6:1, Romans 6:11; Romans 7:8; Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 2:5). The use of repentance and faith together occurs also elsewhere (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21; 1 Thessalonians 1:9). [source]
1 Peter 4:7 Is at hand [ἤγγικεν]
Lit., has come near. The word constantly used of the coming of Christ and his kingdom. See Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:15; Luke 10:9; Hebrews 10:25. [source]
Revelation 12:12 Time [καιρὸν]
See on Matthew 12:1; see on Mark 1:15; see on Acts 1:7. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 1:15 mean?

and saying - Has been fulfilled the time has drawn near the kingdom - of God repent believe in the gospel
καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται καιρὸς ἤγγικεν βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ μετανοεῖτε πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ

λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Πεπλήρωται  Has  been  fulfilled 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: πληρόω  
Sense: to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full.
καιρὸς  time 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καιρός  
Sense: due measure.
ἤγγικεν  has  drawn  near 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐγγίζω  
Sense: to bring near, to join one thing to another.
βασιλεία  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: βασιλεία  
Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
μετανοεῖτε  repent 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: μετανοέω  
Sense: to change one’s mind, i.
πιστεύετε  believe 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: πιστεύω  
Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
εὐαγγελίῳ  gospel 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Singular
Root: εὐαγγέλιον  
Sense: a reward for good tidings.