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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 began reading the Gospel according to Mark: 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. Repent, and believe in the gospel." My study bible emphasizes here that Mark's written statement that John is put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant -- to prepare the people for Christ - had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5). Once Christ came, the time of preparation was fulfilled. To repent, as my study bible puts it, is to do a total "about-face." It says, "The word in Greek literally means to 'change one's mind.' Repentance is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart -- a complete reorientation to a life centered in Christ."
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. We note the use of the word "immediately," which will be commented on in the next verses following. These disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist and so were prepared to accept Christ "immediately." My study bible suggests that although they are illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be wisest of all. We note that they are pairs of brothers; the relationship that already is here is transformed into that if brothers in the work of God. Each one as dynamic individual will make his distinctive mark as saint. The important thing here is that they are ready for the work of the kingdom.
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. My study bible points out here that the word immediately (which we have read several times in today's reading) occurs almost forty times in Mark's Gospel, nearly all of them before our Lord's entrance into Jerusalem. It says, "The sense of urgency and purpose as Christ journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world helps make Mark's account not only the shortest but also the most direct of the four Gospels."
One thing we do notice in this very direct of the Gospels is how Jesus proceeds to advance into His ministry. The very first duty, after the baptism by John in the Jordan, and the temptation in the wilderness, is the choosing of disciples. Jesus' is not a solitary movement, but this is a mission to bring the kingdom of God into the world, and it happens through human beings. Everything is meant to be carried through relationship, everything works through relationship in this kingdom of God who is love. After this task is done, Jesus immediately begins the job of teaching in the synagogue. This mission is very much a continuance of what has come before, and Jesus' works are those that "fulfill all righteousness," as He has said of His baptism in the Jordan. But Jesus is also bringing something new, a revelation of the Kingdom, and in His "immediate" actions is an urgency that reflects a deeper, closer, more "immediate" presence of the Kingdom among us and with us. The encounter with the unclean spirit in the synagogue is a kind of unwitting testimony to that presence. What we understand is that where this powerful presence of the Kingdom goes, there will be a response from "the prince of this world." There will be a response from a spiritual realm that rejects the Kingdom and fears its power and judgment. All of this is "immediate" in its representation here, and all of it works as a kind of "immediate" revelation about Jesus and His work. He teaches in an astonishing way, as One with authority, a complete confidence. This is not a person who studiously quotes from learned rabbis and earlier sources of scholarship, but Jesus carries within Himself a power and authority that is also unmistakable, up close, "immediate." And so everything becomes a revelation in Jesus' work and His ministry. All of it is startling, not gradual. It is a light coming into the world that brings sudden light to our eyes in many ways, and the story of the gospel, the "good news" is a story with immediacy, with power and urgency, just as in our lives there is never a time when we don't need that illumination and its presence within us and with us. It is here, now, "God with us." And yet so many fail to enter or understand the need for what He brings.
