The kingdom of God has come near

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

- Mark 1:14-28

The events of the gospel of Mark move very swiftly. A great deal of time has elapsed between Jesus' forty days in the wilderness (see yesterday's reading) and the events of today's reading.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ A note in my study bible reads, "To repent denotes an about-face in life, a necessary part of faith and the experience of the Kingdom as a present reality. The Kingdom is yet to come, but it is also at hand, already here. It is inaugurated but not fulfilled." We know from other gospels that this phrase, "the kingdom of God has come near," is what Jesus will teach his apostles to preach as they are sent out. The kingdom is present in the world like the leaven in Jesus' parables, sprinkled into the flour - that changes the nature of the flour altogether. This is how it acts in us.

It is time to choose apostles. Jesus passes along the Sea of Galilee, and chooses two sets of brothers: Simon and Andrew, and James and John Zebedee. He calls them out of their profession, out of their family life, to follow him. "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." They are fishermen, not worldly and not social pillars of accepted wisdom. My study bible notes that this is not the first time Jesus has met these men; they know one another and are possibly related. Their families know each other. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. My study bible also notes that the word "called" indicates discipleship: the initiative begins with Christ. It notes that this is the opposite of rabbinic discipleship, where the student takes the initiative to follow the leader (rabbi). Jesus does not hesitate to include in that call groups of friends and relatives among his disciples.

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. This passage gives us new depth of understanding of the phrase, "the kingdom of God has come near." In Jesus' presence, in his person, is the authority. There is something powerful here, perceived by his audience. He is not qualified with a degree or, as my study bible puts it, like the scribes, by virtue of an official role and scholarly education. "The scribes quote others, usually earlier, well-known teachers, at times they must be boring. Jesus speaks and acts by an inner, divine authority. He needs no credentials nor the renown of others to back Him up." In his person is the presence of the kingdom, immediately accessible to those who hear him.

But it's not just his listeners in the synagogue at Capernaum who perceive this authority. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ Mark's gospel is interesting in this sense, that we are given what seems like a juxtaposition of the demons and disciples in some places. They are like counterparts to one another: Jesus calls disciples, then out comes a hidden force, something being defeated by this action of the kingdom and its extension to disciples. This takes place in the context of healing, something important for us to note about the nature of this kingdom. The demons know who Jesus is, they recognize him more clearly than his perplexed audience, who can only marvel at Jesus' authority. On a spiritual level, there is a deeper reality here.

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. The demon, the "unclean spirit" is without power in this presence of Christ, he has command over the spirits. So we are to understand his spiritual power, and his authority and its nature. The kingdom is at work on many levels, but powerfully hidden in the mystery of spiritual life. It is that mystery that we feel, that impacts us within our world in the life of the kingdom. It is also that which heals ailments whose cause we may not know, as clearly this mysterious spiritual world is also a part of us in our depths. We are not told of the ailment here, but we can assume this is an act of healing. All acts of salvation and transformation, reconciliation and restoration of relationship are ultimately acts of healing.

They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ The immediate impact on Jesus' audience in the synagogue is in his authority. There is immediate power here, even in the spirit world. The impact is clear. This is something new in the world, not seen before. Who is he? At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.