The stage has now been set by Mark for the ministry of Jesus. John as been the herald of his coming. His Father and his Spirit had also heralded his identity as the long-promised Messiah. He had faced his inaugural conflict with the kingdom of darkness. Now John the Baptist has been imprisoned. It was time for Jesus to begin his ministry in word and action. These verses record a summary of the message Jesus preached, and the impact he made upon people as he summoned them to respond to it.