Daily Bible Verse - 11/15/2007 - Matthew 4:17

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 4:17

Commentary
From that time Jesus began to preach. This marks the beginning of His public ministry. Note that His message was an exact echo of what John the Baptist preached.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.See note on 3:2. The opening word of this first sermon sets the tone for Jesus' entire earthly ministry (cf. Luke 5:32). Repentance was a constant motif in all His public preaching. And in His closing charge to the apostles, He commanded them to preach repentance as well (Luke 24:47).

MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Mt 4:17). Nashville: Word Pub.

Did you know?
The phrase from that time Jesus began occurs twice in Matthew (16:21), and both mark a crucial direction in the book. The one in 4:17 looks to the beginning of His earthly ministry, while 16:21 anticipates His crucifixion and resurrection.

Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary (Mt 4:17). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.