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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, saying, "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? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.
- Mark 1:14-28
Yesterday, we read the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You." "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "There comes 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." It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
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." My study bible tells us that "Jesus preaches the gospel of the kingdom of God: the Good News of the royal reign of God revealed decisively through the Person, words and works of Jesus, the fullness of the faith of Christ."
"Repent, and believe in the gospel." A note explains here that to repent is 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 yet fulfilled."
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. My study bible explains that time has elapsed here and many events have occurred between the temptation of Jesus and the call of the first disciples. But this brevity is the hallmark of Mark's Gospel, written in simple and direct language. What we note here is that Jesus chooses simple fishermen as messengers of the divine gospel. My study bible says that this is not the first meeting of these men with Christ (see John 1:40-41). They obey and immediately leave their nets because He has already established a relationship with them, and they trust Him. That they are called suggests a discipleship that is an invitation issued by Jesus, with the emphasis on His initiative. This is the opposite of rabbinic discipleship, my study bible points out, where the student took the initiative to follow the leader or rabbi. Jesus doesn't hesitate to include groups of friends and relatives among His disciples: here are two sets of brothers, and the two families are friends, perhaps even relatives. We note that their father, Zebedee, is left in the boat to carry on with the servants; Jesus' call asks the disciples to make a choice.
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. My study bible points out here that "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."
Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, "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? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. A note says, "Jesus demonstrates His authority not only by His teaching, but by dealing powerfully with this unclean spirit. Not one demon ever successfully resists His commands." Here a spirit tries to command Jesus: Let us alone. It doesn't work, and Jesus responds with two commands. The first is to be quiet and the second to come out. "The unclean spirit has no choice but to obey Jesus because God has authority over these spirits. The demons recognize Jesus as God without having full understanding of what this means. But they do rightly fear that, with the coming of the Holy One, the time of their confinement has come."
Mark's Gospel has repeatedly given us the word gospel as used to denote the good news of the Kingdom. Jesus' preaching begins with this good news for the congregation. It is His kingdom, and He's preaching about its immediacy here, its presence. It is "at hand." Repentance is the process of turning to face it and to embrace it, and all that we need to do to take on that task. When Jesus calls to "Follow Me," the disciples respond. It's a continuous movement or action, something that flows from one state to another. When Jesus begins to preach at the synagogue, we note His authority. It astonishes the people. But there are those who stand up to Him, and it is the demons, those who parasitically use human beings. This is about the leader of a Kingdom, who comes to claim His territory, to proclaim His authority, in the good news of this gospel. The demon protests. It recognizes the authority and power of Jesus in a spiritual reality, and also the command that it must go. This healing action becomes the profound basis for our understanding of Jesus' power: He is here to set right, to heal, to free us from what hinders and hampers us, the things that act as a curse in our lives, and perhaps in ourselves. It's important to understand that the overall direction of Christ's action is toward our healing, to set the world right, to free us from what ails us and grips us. If you think about it, regardless of what one thinks or believes about demons or the demonic, there are things in life that we can see all around us that plague us and act like demons. Whether it is problems with addiction, or endless attacks of self-hatred or self-loathing, anxieties that cripple us, or the great affliction of violence and destruction that plagues our world, the cruelty that human beings afflict one another with -- it really doesn't matter. Christ's power is here to help us to alleviate our suffering through His help. This is the claim He makes for His kingdom. All of these things that ail us can act like demons. But we call on Him to help lift our burdens, no matter what they are. And so, proclaiming the Kingdom becomes synonymous with healing, His first act as He begins to preach in the synagogue. So, today, on this day of Lent, it's a good idea to think of the things that ail us, that may "plague" us, and pray about them. Give them to Christ, and pray that His Kingdom come and rule and take reign in our lives and our hearts. This may involve a great deal of work, as we give up the things we may cling to that aren't really good for us, a series of changes in our thinking perhaps, even in attitude toward the things we cling to, the familiar. He will ask us to make a choice, as well. Let us always remember this is a relationship of love, as His love draws us out from what may be all-too-familiar, so that we can turn again and be healed.
