Please read the passage before the commentary.
Jesus was first called to follow John the Baptist. Like John, Jesus proclaimed repentance because the Kingdom of God was at hand. John, however, was arrested and ultimately killed by Herod. At first Jesus, continued the work of John in Galilee, proclaiming repentance or the forgiveness of sins.
In today’s passage, Jesus seems to have moved John’s message of repentance. Today, he is touring Galilee, seemingly silent, except for healing the sick. Perhaps the stress of Jesus is not so much repentance as it is faith/trust in God.
Are we, then, to go out healing others instead of calling them to repentance? The emphasis is different. To preach repentance is to have people acknowledge their sins; to proclaiming healing is to acknowledge the good already present in the weak. Jesus did both and we must do both, but we must do at any particular time, the message God gives us for that time.
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