The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel

 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

In yesterday's reading, we started reading 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 beats; 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 says that Mark's emphasis on John first being put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant, which was to prepare the people for Christ, had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  The time of preparation, therefore, is fulfilled.   To repent, it says, is to do a total "about-face."  As discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary, to repent is to do a complete "about-face."  In Greek, the word for repent literally means to "change one's mind."  Repentance, my study bible says, 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.  Mark's is the earliest and briefest of the four Gospels.  What is not in the text is that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and were prepared to accept and to follow Christ immediately.  Although they are illiterate and unlearned in religion, my study bible says that these "people of the land" who are called by Jesus will be revealed at Pentecost to be wisest of all.

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 notes that the word immediately occurs nearly forty times in Mark's Gospel, and nearly all of them before Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.  The sense of urgency and purpose permeates Mark's Gospel as Jesus 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 the four Gospels.  To teach as one having authority is to teach from one's own knowledge and wisdom, rather than the scribes who would quote from famous rabbis.  But Christ's authority, as noted by the people, extends further -- even commanding the unclean spirits, and they obey.

Mark's Gospel moves along quickly.  We're given events due to their importance to the early Church, and most likely the ministry of Peter in Rome during a time of persecution of Christians under Nero.  The urgency present in the Gospel perhaps reflects the time of persecution, and a time when war was looming over Jerusalem and its outcome unsure -- but the Church had Jesus' warnings.  There is a sense of things moving quickly, and a cosmic influence present in those events giving them an even greater importance than one might assume of the great events of the world, its rulers, and wars of empires.  In this context of urgency we hear the repeated use of the word immediately.  Things happened quickly for the early Church.  The Twelve Apostles (with the exception of Judas, of course) traveled the known world spreading the message of Christ.  If already by Nero's time Christians were significantly enough in the vision of the emperor to result in persecution, then we can simply imagine the immediacy of the growth of the Church.   War in Jerusalem meant that even apocalyptic events were happening for the Church, of the greatest significance to the whole history of the Jews and the ministry of Christ, the suffering Messiah.  Such times presented to the early Church the greatest uncertainty.  Within that context, Mark sets out the stories important for the community that was itself facing suffering and persecution as did Christ.  Jesus is different from all the teachers of the synagogue the people know.  He acts decisively, He speaks with authority, and He astonishes the people because even the demons are subject to His commands and obey Him.  He commands His disciples to "Follow Me," and they do so immediately.  All of these things reflect the urgency and fast pace of shifting times of great import for all of history.  They reflect the need for discipleship, strength, courage, and commitment in His followers who must be like Him, and take up their own crosses for the sake of the Kingdom.  In this context, these words, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel" take on potent significance for each believer.  It was a time of choices, decisive change in which a world was to disappear forever, and new history take shape.  The whole community centered at Jerusalem would have to be uprooted in haste, and the Church itself become one of diaspora.  For the early Christians, it was a time to be aware of what was happening, to be alert to events in ways others could not perceive.  What Mark's Gospel seems to hold for us is a reminder that time does not stand still; that the moments of our lives and the choices we make are also important and have consequences.  There are all kinds of things that may take time -- and the journey of faith is a lifetime -- but right now there is always the decisive action of faith just before us, the choice to follow Christ immediately.