Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men

 
 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, according to St. Mark.  As it is written in the Prophets:  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 comments that Mark's written emphasis on John being 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, my study Bible says, is to do a total "about-face."  In Greek, the word translated as repentance (μετανοια/metanoia) means literally to "change one's mind."  My study Bible adds that repentance is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart.  That is, a complete reorientation to a life centered in Christ.  This is a lifetime endeavor, not a one-time choice.  

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 comments that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist and were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  Although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion (as opposed to the leadership in the temple), these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to the be the 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.   My study Bible tells us that the word immediately occurs nearly forty times in Mark's Gospel, nearly all of these occurrences before our Lord's entrance into Jerusalem.  It says that 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 all four Gospels.

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 observes Christ's command to the unclean spirit to be quiet.  It explains that our Lord's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  It gives the following reasons for secrecy:  First, there is the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; second, the people misunderstand the Messiah as an earthly, political leader.  Finally, our Lord's desire is to evoke genuine faith which is not based solely on marvelous signs. 

Christ's casting out of the unclean demon is a sign of the spiritual warfare that is always going on unseen by us on worldly terms.  But this is yet another expression of an idea we explored in yesterday's reading, in which Christ's temptation in the wilderness served as a picture of the world.  Yesterday, we quoted from my study Bible, which noted that the wilderness (into which Christ was "thrown" by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan) is a battleground, an image of the world, both the dwelling place of demons and a source of divine tranquility and victory.  Here, Christ's first bold public act is the casting out of a demon, an exorcism.  We should note that the demon knows full well who Christ truly is, "the Holy One of God!"  It gives us a clue about the demonic, that demons do not act out of ignorance, as human beings so often do, and it gives us a clue about judgment, and the time that we human beings are given in this world for repentance.  In essence, right from the beginning, Christ's Incarnation, and of course His public ministry, is all about revelation, exposing or uncovering the spiritual reality of the kingdom of heaven in our midst, but also of the demonic at work.  So, we should not be surprised that as persons and communities we so often find ourselves torn between these choices that can't really reconcile with one another.  So often we seek a compromise in our lives, but when challenges to our faith arise there are times when we simply cannot cross that line.  Thus the history of Christianity is filled with martyrs and confessors, those who have suffered for their faith.  When Jesus teaches (as we shall read) with such drastic sayings such as, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it" (Mark 8:35), or "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37), He's talking about the times when we must make such choices.  Perhaps He puts it into clear context when He says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).  The demons have chosen one way, a rebellion against God, and they have done so within an entirely different context than straying human beings, for they are not human.  We, on the other hand, as human beings are born into a world where we must make choices often as steps to learn, one way or the other, from our mistakes and failures, but also from the joy that comes from serving the Lord, and the peace we may find therein.  We must pause to reflect that in the Greek, the word for "disciple" literally means "learner," and this greatly differentiates us from the demons.  Time is an important concept of our identities as human beings, for it is this living in time, moment to moment, which gives us the sense in which life is a journey, but in spiritual terms for us, it is a journey of the capacity for repentance, to change, to change our minds, to grow.  In this understanding is the mission of Christ:  He brings His light into the world in order for us, and for our world on so many levels, to be transfigured, to become more like Him, to find His "way" for us.  In today's reading, Jesus tells the fishermen, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  Here in Christ's words we find a great illustration of what it means to be transfigured into the people Christ calls us to be:  they are fishermen, but He will make them become fishers of men, of people.  His light will transfigure their lives, change them, and they will become something richer and deeper, who they are called to be in His name.  We live in a world of perplexing choices, complicated chances, strange coincidences, and one that demands of us faith.  But we must know ourselves enough to understand that as human beings, we are made for worship, and so we must choose carefully Who and what that is, what we will serve and what we put first.  It is Christ who calls us by our true name, who gives us true meaning.  Who will you follow? 


 
 

Monday, January 13, 2025

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God

 
 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.
 
- Mark 1:1-13 
 
  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The word gospel is an English word which at its root means "good news" (from Old English godspel, "good news" or "good story").  It is a translation for the Greek word ευαγγελιον/evangelion which also literally means "good news" or "good tidings."  This Greek word was frequently in use for missives or announcements by the Emperor in the Roman Empire.  My study Bible says that "gospel" here refers not to Mark's writings per se, but rather to the story of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; it is the good news of our salvation.  Beginning, it says, points to the opening events of Christ's public ministry, and in particular here, the preparation by the one who we call Christ's forerunner, St. John the Baptist, and Christ's encounter with him. 

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.'"  Here St. Mark quotes from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.  When reading quotations from the Old Testament in the New, it's important to remember that they come from the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible; therefore translations may vary somewhat.

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."  My study Bible notes here that John is clothed in a manner which bears resemblance to Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), significant in that John fulfills the prophecy of the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6), as we read clearly in Matthew 17:12-13.

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.   My study Bible asks us to note that the Spirit of God hovered over the water at the first creation (Genesis 1:2).  Here, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  Jesus does not become the Son of God on this day; but rather He is revealed to all as the Son of God, upon whom the Spirit has always rested.  The feast day of Epiphany (meaning manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (meaning a manifestation of God), celebrated in the East on January 6th, commemorates this day and points to the age to come.  In the early Church, and to the present day in the Armenian Apostolic Church, Christ's Nativity (Christmas) and Epiphany (Baptism) were celebrated together on January 6th.

Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7, "You are My Son,/Today I have begotten You."   This event is often called Theophany, as it is a revelation of the Trinity:  the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Incarnate Son is baptized. 

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.  My study Bible notes that to be tempted is to be tested in fundamental areas of faith.  Note the powerful action of the Spirit, He is driven into the wilderness.  In the Greek, this word translated as drove is perhaps more accurately translated as "throws."  Jesus is "thrown" into the wilderness to be tested by a struggle with Satan, the devil.  My study Bible comments that we who are baptized in Christ need not be defeated by temptations because we also are aided by the Holy Spirit.  It says that the wilderness is a battleground, an image of the world, both the dwelling place of demons and a source of divine tranquility and victory. 

These last words from my study Bible are very intriguing:  that the world we live in is both the dwelling place of demons and a source of divine tranquility and victory.  Perhaps for many people, these days it seems like this contrast grows stronger and deeper.  We're challenged by yet new circumstances and seemingly bigger crises:  wars in various places and concerning powers with fearsome technological weapons, even massive fires we're witnessing today in Los Angeles which devastate beautiful and highly upscale historical neighborhoods and places cherished by people such as schools and churches, and cultural decadence which seems to strike hard at the heart of traditional Christian values with contempt.  But my study Bible is true to its words, the world yet remains also a place of divine tranquility and victory, regardless of how we're tempted to think about it.  There remains yet Christ present to us, and the Holy Spirit in our midst, and the kingdom of God within us (Luke 17:21).  We are created, as humans always were, to be worshipers and lovers of God, in communion with God, and that redemption of the soul -- to realize we are created as good -- is always there with us as possibility, right here and right now, no matter where we are and no matter our circumstances.  Christ has made sure of that in His Incarnation, and all that He Himself suffered and even in how He Himself was tempted by Satan.  One can read the details of those temptations, essentially seeking to get Him to abandon His faith in and obedience to the Father, His identity as Son of God, at Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.  Today, of course, we all face the same kinds of temptations, things that seek to deter us from understanding and taking our place as children of God, those who are obedient to God in loving communion.  So often the distractions of the world, and its evil, seem to serve as false identity, taking us away from what we're created to become in relationship to God.  But if we are tempted to say that things are so bad that we don't find the place for divine tranquility and victory, we need to go back and read our Bibles a bit better again.  For Jesus was not just tempted by Satan, but tried at every turn, and we know how He died on the Cross.  Even in the midst of such a horrific event, nevertheless, Resurrection also took place, and for all of us.  In Psalm 110:2 we read, "The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!"  That "rule in the midst of Your enemies" is a sign that it was always understood that God was present, even in a world beset by evil.  Christ was born into world with ruthless values of Empire and conquest, long before His influence curbed things which were common and accepted in the pagan world like infanticide and slavery.   Today, whatever we think we might see or encounter, these circumstances essentially remain the same for us.  We have Christ in our midst where two or three of us are gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20), and even through our prayers, we may find, as the Psalm says, that God prepares a table before us even in the presence of our enemies, even if we walk through "the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23).  We must remember that Christ is always our option in life.  Whatever happens to our world, whatever we think we see happening around ourselves, He is always there waiting for us to pray and listen, and we, too, have the Holy Spirit indwelling (as my study Bible says), and angels who minister.  Let Christ, as always, be our example, and live as He did.  Perhaps for today's reading we should make John the Baptist the front and center of our focus, for he fulfilled his identity in being Christ's forerunner, playing his own part in the story of our salvation, in this beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  For like John the Baptist, and the Prophets before him, we are each called to play our own role in this yet unfolding story, and therein we find our joy.