Third Sunday after the Epiphany
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Scripture |
Mark 1:14-20 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee , proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
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Devotional |
The purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to make faithful readers into faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. The quality of discipleship is found in how we obey the invitation, “Follow Me.” “Follow Me” confronts us all with a decision that lies deeper than the question of earning a living. His call to discipleship focuses on the question of life’s ultimate loyalty, a question more basic than that of vocational choice. It speaks to Christians whose lives are humdrum, whose discipleship has degenerated into a preoccupation with things like nets and boats and hired hands. It is easy to become preoccupied with boats, nets, and hired servants. What social class the followers represent, what happened to their families, how they knew Jesus are questions we struggle with. Does preoccupation with such questions keep us from hearing the actual challenge to follow Jesus? Rueben Job shares this story: There was a light drizzle in the air as I walked along a darkening road, hands in my pockets, head down, thinking of a task I was to do and quite oblivious of the world around me. Suddenly a voice called my name. My head came up, I looked around, and there spotted a friend who was driving by and had stopped his car to greet me. We were several thousand miles from my home and a hundred miles for his. I suspect much of my life has been like that, preoccupied with personal issues and oblivious to the voice of God calling to me every day and in every circumstance. Preoccupied with personal issues or unimportant details makes us oblivious to the voice of God calling us. It does not take much to distract us from God. This is not just a story of four fishermen two thousand years ago but it is about us today. Just as those fishermen turned their backs on the past and followed Jesus into a new experience of God’s kingdom. At the present time, Jesus calls us to turn our backs on the past and follow him to a new and exciting relationship with God. This becomes an urgent message. After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the message of God: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message. The Message Do we accept the urgency of this message? Lamar Williamson, Jr. Mark, Interpretation. Louisville : John Knox Press, 1983. p.47 |