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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 H 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 of 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." Mark's emphasis is on the passing of the Old to the New: John is put in prison before Jesus begins preaching. My study bible suggests a key purpose here is in revealing that the old covenant prepared the people for the new, for the coming of Christ, and the old has now been completed (see Galatians 4:1-5). Now that Christ has come, the time of preparation is fulfilled. My study tells us, "To repent is to do a total 'about-face.'" The word in Greek means literally to "change one's mind." That indicates a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart; in other words, a complete reorientation to a life that is 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. These first disciples had also been followers of John the Baptist, and in their calling by Jesus we see evidence of this preparation by John. My study bible says that this is why they were prepared to accept Christ immediately. We note that they leave everything behind to "Follow Him." My study bible says that these men are illiterate and unlearned in religion, but these "people of the land" who are called by Christ will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.
Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. My study bible points out here that the word immediately occurs almost forty times in the Gospel of Mark, nearly every one of them before the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem. There is a sense of urgency and purpose in His ministry, as He journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world; it makes Mark's account not only the shortest but also the most direct of all four Gospels.
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. We are "immediately" given a taste of Christ's ministry: He teaches in a way that is astonishing, as one having authority. He doesn't teach like the scribes who will quote from famous rabbis or earlier scholars, but on His own authority. And immediately also there are signs of power, and the battle that results from the appearance of this power: the unclean spirits react. Jesus' power and authority are something beyond whatever else exists or is known and understood. And Jesus' fame "immediately" spreads throughout the region around Galilee.
We do get this sense of immediacy not only in the quickness with which this new gospel takes its shape and spreads among the people, but also in its astonishing nature. The people immediately ask, "What new doctrine is this?" They know that something "immediate" and powerful has come among them, something unlike anything before, unlike anything they already know. It's exactly as if this great conquering King has come from elsewhere into their midst, and taken them unaware with a power unlike anyone has seen before. The unclean spirits react as such as well, "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!" They are also taken by surprise. They don't know why He's here, present, in this world, and before the day of the Judgment. This mission is one that has come upon all of them -- everyone -- in a way no one expects. There was John the Baptist to prepare the way, and to teach his own disciples about this One who was baptized in the Jordan. But Jesus doesn't come in the way the Messiah was expected to come. He doesn't come with a conquering army, He comes with a different kind of power, and one we must come to know and to accept if we are to be His followers. His Kingdom "is not of this world." But we can be of His Kingdom even in this world if we live by His teachings and in His faith. In all the Gospels, when Jesus speaks of His return to the world, He always refers to it as coming at a day when none of us knows; we are only to be watchful, and pray, and remain prepared for a day that will come "as a thief in a night." And we can watch for the signs of the "seasons" that indicate the time may be near. But Mark's Gospel brings Jesus into the world as a force immediately present, to be reckoned with, boldly new, fully powerful, making its impact. Three short years of ministry will change the whole world for millennia. This word for immediately in the Gospel comes from the Greek root that also means direct, as in directly, straightaway -- indicating a hidden root of truth. Are we prepared for His impact in our lives? What immediate effects does His presence have for you today?
