What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately His name spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

- Mark 1:14-28

In yesterday's reading, we began the Book of Mark. We read of John the Baptist's cry, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!" and of how John baptized all of Judea and Jerusalem who came out to him in the Jordan River. It was a baptism, he proclaimed, of repentance for the remission of sins, but especially in preparation for the "one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized, and there appeared the Father's voice proclaiming His identity as Son, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which descended like a dove on Him, indicating that He is the Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus then was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, where He was tempted by Satan and with the beasts, but also the angels ministered to Him. See The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." John's time of ministry has finished with his being put into prison. John's ministry was that of the "return of Elijah" to proclaim the good news of the advent of the kingdom, and to preach repentance in preparation for the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is preaching in Galilee, a land considered "second-class" by Judean Jews, because of its history of foreign influence, especially Greek. The time is here, the kingdom of God is present (or "has come near" as He will also instruct His disciples to teach). It is in Him and in the things that He will do to bring it into the world. "Repent" in the Greek is a verb that means literally to change one's mind. It is an "about face" -- turning from the things we think we know toward God. It is an opening of the heart, for transformation and change. And the "gospel" is the good news -- the word He proclaims, the announcement that this kingdom is at hand, and all the promise from God to us for what its fulfillment means in us. We "repent" in order to receive this kingdom and the fullness what it bears for us, its promise in its presence in our world.

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. These Galilean fishermen, who already know Jesus, become His first disciples as He begins His ministry. They are "called." My study bible points out that "called suggests discipleship as an invitation issued by Jesus, the emphasis being on His initiative -- the opposite of rabbinic discipleship, where the student took the initiative to follow the leader (rabbi). " "Called" suggests "vocation" and it is in the nature of an illumination of what it is to repent and turn to God for direction in life: we move from the things we think we know, a "worldly" self-oriented perspective (we might call it "ego") to the ways in which God calls us to fulfill who we are in Him, in this Kingdom. Note the relatedness emphasized here: these are kinsmen, friends, and brothers. Relationship will play out through the Gospels in many forms; as my study bible says, "Jesus does not hesitate to include groups of friends and relatives among the disciples." It suggests trust, something inseparable from what we understand of faith or belief.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. What this suggests to us is the authority that is present in Christ, and the Kingdom that He brings. He does not seek authority from others, not from the "praise of men" nor the seal of a famous teacher. My study bible notes, "The scribes speak by virtue of their official role and scholarly education. They 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." It is a sign of the presence of the Kingdom in Him.

Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!" Here we are in a place, this text suggests, where all sorts of influences can abound, and spiritual battle is entered into as Christ comes into our world. "What have we to do with You?" is the cry of this unclean spirit, suggesting that "the Holy One of God" is in a place that's not His, not His kingdom, not the place of His rule, where these demons are free to what they will. It is an illumination for us of the working of this kingdom that is coming into our midst, "breaking through" the hold of the "ruler of this world." My study bible points out that it suggests ignorance in the demons: they know who He is, but they don't understand what is happening -- though they fear what His presence indicates.

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately His name spread throughout all the region around Galilee. Jesus doesn't just speak and teach with authority, He also acts with authority, even over the unclean spirits who resist Him. They have no choice but to obey; His is the greater power -- the power to take out the "strong man" of this world and replace him with a new kingdom, a new order of power.

In yesterday's reading, Jesus' first action, after being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, was to be taken to the wilderness by the Spirit, and to be temped and at the same time ministered to by the angels. This "battle in the wilderness" is a prefiguring of what happens in today's reading, and we can never forget that for the evangelists, the good news means the good news of this kingdom that we turn to, that is replacing the oppressive rule of the "prince of this world" and the isolation from God that these influences mean for human beings. A spiritual battle may not necessarily mean much to many ways of thinking in the modern mind, but if you take a look around at the problems of the world, it may just become a little more clear what the chaos and "unclean influence" means here. Problems that plague our world, of violence and addiction, of corruption of every kind, is nothing new; and neither are the seemingly senseless difficulties we bring to ourselves or one another -- nor the arrogance and pride that often accompanies ignorance of a better way or people who never question themselves. But Christ is here to give us a sense of power in our lives, of something to which we can turn to help us in our struggles, and a great liberation that teaches us that we are not slaves to such parasitical and capricious influences of harm to human beings. Neither are we limited to our own unknowing and ignorance. We have the choice to "turn about" (as in repentance) and to accept this kingdom in our hearts, and He brings us the power to do that. It is an "every day, every moment" choice for change and turnabout, for strength and help out of what we think we know. And for the enlightenment of what He has to teach and to offer to us. It is always a choice to develop a deeper relationship to God, in order to find our true selves there. Will you take it?