The Wait Is Over—But Is This What They Were Waiting For? | Mark 1:14–15
Study Guide: Mark 1:14-15
Waiting is hard enough when you know what you're waiting for. It's even harder when you've built up an idea of what the thing will be like once it finally arrives.
Think about something you saved for, planned for, or dreamed about for years. Maybe it was a new career, retirement, marriage, owning an RV, moving somewhere you've always wanted to live, or finally taking that bucket-list trip. Then the day arrived and you quietly thought, “Huh. I thought this would feel different.”
That can happen spiritually too. Maybe you spent years searching for God. Then you believed in Jesus, became a Christian, and expected everything to change. Instead, Monday still felt like Monday. The bills were still there. Your struggles didn't magically disappear. Maybe most of what you heard afterward was a growing list of things Christians shouldn't do.
You knew what you were supposed to turn away from, but nobody explained what Jesus was inviting you to turn toward.
Israel had been waiting much longer than any of us. Generations had lived and died trusting that God would fulfill His promises, rescue His people, and establish His reign.
Then Jesus walks out of the wilderness and announces something enormous:
The wait is over.
But what God was doing wouldn't look quite like many people expected.
📖 TODAY'S PASSAGE
READ: Mark 1:14-15
I suggest reading the passage in the NLT and one of these "NASB, ESV, CSB"
BIG IDEA
The long-awaited moment has arrived: God’s Kingdom is drawing near through Jesus, and He calls people to respond by turning toward God and trusting the Good News.
👀 WATCH FOR THIS
As you read these two short verses, notice the four parts of Jesus' announcement: something has happened, something has come near, and there are two ways Jesus tells people to respond.
🎥 WATCH THE TEACHING
This study guide goes with our teaching from the Daily Bible Podcast.
You can watch the teaching first and then work through this guide, follow along while you watch, or come back afterward and use the questions to dig deeper.
SETTING THE SCENE
Yesterday Jesus was in the wilderness. The Spirit had compelled Him to go there immediately after His baptism, and for forty days He was tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12–13).
Now Mark moves the story forward with some troubling news: John the Baptist has been arrested.
John had appeared in the wilderness preparing people for Jesus. He announced that Someone far greater was coming (Mark 1:7–8). Now, almost as soon as Jesus' public ministry begins, John is removed from the scene.
Mark won't tell us the details of John's arrest and eventual death until chapter 6. For now, he simply tells us that after John's arrest, Jesus goes into Galilee and begins preaching God's Good News.
John had been saying, essentially, “Someone is coming.”
Jesus arrives saying, “The time has come.”
Preparation is giving way to arrival.
1. THE MESSENGER IS SILENCED—BUT THE MESSAGE ISN’T — Mark 1:14
John's arrest could easily look like bad news for this new movement. The guy preparing everyone for the Messiah has just been taken into custody. If you're watching this unfold in real time, you might wonder whether things are already falling apart.
Instead, Jesus steps forward.
Mark tells us that Jesus went into Galilee, the northern region that will become the setting for much of the first half of this Gospel, and began announcing God's Good News.
There is also a word here that Mark will use again later. The word translated “arrested” in the NLT can carry the idea of being handed over or delivered up. Later, Mark repeatedly uses that same word as Jesus predicts that He too will be handed over (Mark 9:31; 10:33; 14:41).
We shouldn't turn that into a secret code or claim Mark is saying everything about Jesus' future in this one word. But it does begin a pattern we'll see throughout the Gospel: announcing God's Kingdom doesn't guarantee a safe or comfortable road.
John prepared the road.
Now Jesus steps onto it.
And what Jesus announces changes everything.
2. “THE TIME PROMISED BY GOD HAS COME AT LAST!” — Mark 1:15
The NLT translates Jesus' opening announcement, “The time promised by God has come at last!”
The Greek word translated “time” is kairos. It can refer to an appointed or decisive moment rather than simply time passing on a clock.
Jesus isn't saying, “It's finally 9:00. Let's get started.”
He's announcing that God's moment has arrived.
That matters because Jesus isn't appearing out of nowhere with a brand-new religious idea. His announcement reaches backward into the long story of Israel and the promises God had made through the Scriptures.
Isaiah, for example, spoke of Good News connected with God's rescue and reign (Isaiah 40:9; 52:7). God's people had experienced exile, foreign domination, suffering, and generations of waiting for God to set things right.
Now Jesus walks out of the wilderness and announces that the promised time has arrived.
But He doesn't immediately explain everything that means.
Instead, Mark is going to show us.
As Jesus teaches, heals, forgives, confronts evil, welcomes outsiders, goes to the cross, and ultimately rises from the dead, we'll gradually discover what God's promised rescue actually looks like.
The wait is over.
Now we have to watch Jesus.
3. WHAT DOES “THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR” ACTUALLY MEAN? — Mark 1:15
The word kingdom can throw us off because we usually think of a kingdom as a place on a map. We picture borders, castles, territory, and probably a king sitting on a very uncomfortable-looking chair.
But the biblical idea of God's Kingdom is primarily about God's rule or reign.
Jesus is announcing that God is acting as King in a new and decisive way.
That would have been enormous news in first-century Galilee. The Jewish people were living under Roman rule, and many longed for God to restore His people. Jewish expectations weren't all identical, and we shouldn't pretend everyone expected exactly the same thing. But hopes for God's deliverance and reign were very much alive.
Jesus says God's Kingdom really is drawing near.
The surprise will be what that Kingdom looks like.
Mark will show Jesus confronting evil, healing the sick, forgiving sins, welcoming people others rejected, serving instead of demanding to be served, and eventually going to a cross.
God's victory will look very different from simply replacing one earthly ruler with another.
So if you want to understand what Jesus means by the Kingdom of God, don't just reach for a definition.
Keep watching Jesus.
Mark is going to show us what God's reign looks like by showing us the King.
4. THE ANNOUNCEMENT REQUIRES A RESPONSE — Mark 1:15
Jesus doesn't announce the arrival of God's Kingdom as an interesting piece of religious information. He tells people how to respond:
“Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
We've already encountered repentance through John the Baptist. Repentance includes turning away from sin, but it isn't merely feeling terrible about yourself or collecting a longer list of things you're no longer allowed to do. It involves a change of direction.
Jesus then joins repentance with something equally important:
Believe the Good News.
That order matters.
Jesus first announces what God is doing, and then He calls people to respond.
This helps correct a version of Christianity that can sound mostly like, “Believe in Jesus, and here's your new list of things you shouldn't do.”
If that's all someone hears, they may know exactly what Christians are supposed to turn away from without ever discovering what Jesus is inviting them to turn toward.
Jesus offers something much bigger.
God is acting. His reign is drawing near. Something has happened that changes the direction of history, and Jesus calls people to trust this Good News enough to change the direction of their lives.
Repentance and belief belong together.
We turn because we believe the news.
5. THESE FOUR LINES ARE GOING TO EXPLAIN THE REST OF MARK — Mark 1:15
Don't let the short length of Jesus' message fool you. These few words give us a framework for much of what comes next in Mark.
The time has come: God is acting now.
The Kingdom is near: God's reign is drawing near.
Repent: Turn around.
Believe: Trust the Good News.
Mark is about to move immediately from Jesus' announcement to a real-life example of what responding to Him can look like.
In Mark 1:16–20, Jesus encounters Simon, Andrew, James, and John. They're fishermen doing ordinary work when Jesus gives them an extraordinary invitation: “Come, follow me.”
Suddenly “repent and believe” isn't just something to discuss.
If these fishermen believe Jesus' announcement, they'll have to decide whether they trust Him enough to change direction and follow Him.
That brings us right back to the two questions we'll keep asking throughout Mark:
Who is Jesus?
And if He really is who Mark is showing us He is, what does it actually mean to follow Him?
We're about to find out.
🔎 DON’T MISS THIS: GOOD NEWS COMES BEFORE THE COMMAND
It would be easy to read Jesus' words and focus almost entirely on “repent.” After all, that's the command that can feel uncomfortable.
But look at the order.
Jesus doesn't begin by saying, “Get your life cleaned up, and maybe God's Kingdom will come.”
He announces that the time has already come and God's Kingdom has drawn near. Then He says to repent and believe.
That's important.
The word gospel means “Good News.” News is first an announcement that something has happened. Jesus isn't merely giving people religious advice about how to become better human beings. He's announcing what God is doing and calling people to respond.
That keeps repentance from becoming nothing more than behavior modification.
Jesus isn't merely saying, “Stop doing bad things.”
He's saying that God is acting, His Kingdom is drawing near, and because that Good News is true, turn around and trust Him.
The Christian life isn't only about what we're leaving behind.
It's about Who we're turning toward.
THE BIGGER LESSON
These two verses are almost like a doorway into the rest of Mark.
Jesus arrives announcing that something God's people have been waiting for has finally begun. The promised time has arrived. God's Kingdom has drawn near. And somehow, all of it is happening through Jesus.
That means we shouldn't rush past the announcement to get to the miracles and stories that follow. Those stories are going to help us understand what Jesus means here.
WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus isn't merely another messenger telling people that God will do something someday. John prepared people for Someone who was coming. Now Jesus announces that the time has arrived and God's reign has come near.
Mark wants us watching Jesus closely because God's Kingdom is being revealed through what Jesus says and does.
WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN TO FOLLOW HIM?
Jesus calls people to repent and believe. That means following Him involves more than giving up certain behaviors. It's a change of direction built on trust in the Good News.
Tomorrow, that becomes wonderfully concrete.
Jesus is going to look at ordinary people and say:
“Come, follow me.”
👀 LOOK BACK — WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE ACTUALLY SAY?
What happened to John before Jesus began preaching in Galilee?
What are the four main parts of Jesus' announcement in Mark 1:15?
In this passage, what comes first: God's action or the people's response? Why does that order matter?
🪞 LOOK IN — WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE ME?
Have you ever waited a long time for something, finally received it, and discovered it wasn't quite what you expected? What happened?
When you first became a Christian, did you expect yourself or your circumstances to change more quickly than they actually did?
Was Christianity first presented to you mostly in terms of things you needed to stop doing, or did someone also help you understand what Jesus was inviting you toward?
⬆️ LOOK UP — WHAT DOES THIS SHOW ME ABOUT JESUS AND GOD?
What does Jesus' announcement that “the time promised by God has come at last” tell us about God's faithfulness to His promises?
What do we begin learning about Jesus when He connects His arrival with the nearness of God's Kingdom?
How might watching what Jesus does throughout Mark help us better understand what God's reign is actually like?
➡️ LOOK AHEAD — WHAT WILL I DO WITH THIS?
What's one area of your life where repentance might mean changing direction rather than simply feeling guilty?
Identify one thing you're trying to turn away from. What would moving toward Jesus look like in that same area?
What's one specific step you could take this week that would demonstrate that you actually trust the Good News Jesus announced?
💬 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION STARTER
Tell about something you waited a long time for that turned out differently than you expected. Was it better, worse, or simply different from the picture you'd built in your head?
Keep this one light if you want. Vacations, purchases, jobs, retirement, relationships, moves, or even restaurants everybody told you were “life changing” are all fair game.
A NOTE FOR GROUP LEADERS
This question can begin with some laughs and naturally move into deeper conversation about expectations. Don't rush the transition. Listen for the stories people tell and ask simple follow-ups such as, “What had you expected?” or “How did you handle the disappointment?”
You don't need to work through every question in this guide. A meaningful conversation where people feel heard is more valuable than completing a worksheet. Allow silence when the discussion gets deeper; sometimes people need a few seconds to decide whether they feel safe enough to share.
🌱 DISCIPLE-MAKER TIP: HELP PEOPLE SEE WHAT THEY’RE MOVING TOWARD
When helping someone follow Jesus, don't make every conversation about what they need to stop doing.
Sometimes Christians become very good at pointing out what someone should leave behind without helping them discover the life Jesus is inviting them into.
Try asking questions such as, “What do you think following Jesus could look like in this part of your life?” Then explore the answer together in Scripture.
Disciple making isn't behavior policing. We're helping people learn to trust Jesus enough to follow Him.
Sometimes that means helping someone turn away from something harmful. But don't stop there.
Help them see Who they're turning toward.
🤝 DON'T JUST STUDY IT — PRACTICE IT
Think of one thing you're trying to turn away from in your life. Then write down one specific way you can intentionally move toward Jesus instead.
Don't make your goal simply, “I won't do that anymore.”
Give yourself a new direction.
📌 REMEMBER THIS
Jesus doesn't just call us to turn from something. He gives us Someone to turn toward.
📖 NEXT: MARK 1:16–20 — DROP EVERYTHING?
Jesus has announced the Good News and told people to repent and believe.
Now Mark is going to show us what that can look like.
Jesus walks along the Sea of Galilee and encounters four ordinary working men. They're not sitting in a synagogue waiting for a religious teacher. They're fishing, throwing nets, repairing equipment, and making a living.
Then Jesus says:
“Come, follow me.”
And their response is startlingly fast.
Why would fishermen leave their nets to follow a teacher they barely seem to know? What did “follow me” mean in their world—and what does their response teach us about following Jesus in ours?
Sunday, we're going fishing.
📺 KEEP GOING THROUGH MARK
Follow the complete Gospel of Mark Verse-by-Verse Bible Study as we work through the entire Gospel together.
New Daily Bible Podcast teachings and study guides will be added throughout our journey.
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