When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee where he began to preach. Today's Gospel reading recounts the beginning of Jesus' public ministry which took place following the arrest of John Baptist. The ministry of John the Baptist had served to lay the foundation upon which Jesus was to build his own, and although Jesus’ ministry appeared as a continuation of John’s, it was more of a fulfillment than a continuation. While it is true that both the Baptist and Jesus preached repentance, the two ministries had different end goals. The Baptist's preaching of repentance was for the remission of sins. In order to welcome the kingdom of God (personified in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ) the people had to turn away from attitudes that broke the bonds that tied them to one another and to God (sin). It was a repentance that looked to the past while focusing on the present in order to prepare for the coming of the kingdom of God (which was to be ushered by Jesus Christ). 
When Jesus began his ministry, he too proclaimed repentance, but not like that of the Baptist. Jesus’ preaching urged the people to turn away from their sins in order to recognize the kingdom of God that was already in their midst. The repentance preached by Jesus was not focused on the past but rather on the present. It wasn’t focused solely on what had been done or not done (sorrow for sins committed), but also on what needed to be done. In other words, Jesus' call to repentance was proactive rather than a reactive one. It was a call to a way of life. The people had to live in a way that pointed to the presence of the kingdom in their midst. It is in living such a life that, like Jesus, they would be able to cure illnesses, release those oppressed, feed the hungry, and raise the dead. In other words, a life of repentance is one that promotes the fullness of life. It is such a life that endeared many people to Jesus. They recognized Jesus as a promoter of life. And it is such a life that would endear many to Jesus’ disciples.