MARK 1:14-20 MEDITATION - Part 1
Here we have the beginning of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee. The timing is perfect; Jesus begins it at precisely the time chosen by the Father, right on schedule. The purpose of his ministry is made clear, the proclamation of the good news. The message itself is made known: the kingdom of God is near and people are called to respond to that message. The choice of his co-workers, the first disciples and their role in the spreading the message is highlighted.
God’s Plan in Action
Sometimes we can be short-sighted and forgetful when we read a passage of Scripture. Perhaps even now, when reading this short text, we see merely a string of events in history: the prophecies of Malachi and Isaiah, the coming of John the Baptist, the crowds, the baptism of Jesus, the supernatural intervention of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father, the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.
Do we still remember those words in v. 2 “I am sending”? As we proceed in our reading we sometimes tend to lose sight of what we have read earlier. v. 2 gives direction and meaning to all of these events; it mentions the will of God, the unstoppable universal plan of God in action. It is he who wills, it is he who sends. It is he who accomplishes his will on earth through Jesus Christ, through the first disciples Simon, Andrew, James, John and today he still works in the very same way through you and I.
The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works (John 14:10).
His plan is unswerving, unchanging, the one stable factor in a world of instability and change. Happy is he who sees his own instability, his own changing nature, his own thoughts, actions and life in this eternal perspective. He becomes undaunting because like Paul he, too, can say
I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him (2 Timothy 1:12)
Do we see our lives merely as a series of events, one after another with no direction, no plan, no purpose? When reading this text and when ‘reading’ the events and circumstances of our lives we tend to forget what gives meaning to them and reassurance to us: the promises of God, the faithfulness of God, the power of God that lies behind those events and behind the people that cross our path. God has brought together all these events and people in our lives, guiding them on a specific course and towards decisive, crucial, specific and defining moments meaningful in the overall plan that God has not only for humanity, but also for each one of us as we live out our daily lives, often unaware of what is going on. We are called to recognise the signs of God’s activity in the world and in our lives and respond to his call just as the crowd responded to the call of John the Baptist and as the first disciples responded to the call of Jesus to follow him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee
Everything has been working up to this ‘now’. Not the ‘now’ of the first disciples, not even Jesus’ ‘now’ but the ‘now’ of the Father whose will Jesus had come to do. It is a specific ‘now’ established since the beginning of time. It was “now after the arrest of John the Baptist”. Not a moment too early, not a moment too late. There is no rivalry here, no unspiritual competition that we sometimes see in our Christian communities. Jesus began his public work or mission when John ended his, neither ahead of the will of the Father, nor delaying the appointed time. The result is order, harmony and completeness, which is precisely what we would expect when God and not self is in charge.
By constantly living in the presence of God the Holy Spirit leads us to accomplish the will of the Father at the precise moment, in the precise manner and in the precise situation that has been established for our wellbeing, spiritual, emotional and physical.
We have seen the remote historical preparation way back in time in the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi. Then we saw the more immediate preparation, on a local level, with John the Baptist, the crowds and the beginning of individual and personal preparation in the form of the call to repentance. Both place and time are specific. There is a shortening of time and a heightening of expectation and dramatic tension as everything draws nearer to that ‘now’ which opens up this new phase. So it is in our lives as we experience the presence of God when our ‘fullness of time’ comes, bringing direction, meaning and intense fullness of life. When the Kingdom of God approaches we certainly know it for: “the kingdom of God is within you”, “the kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17: 21). When the vital encounter takes place we understand that the kingdom is not an observable, objective reality subject to change and instability
the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
Peace and joy not in circumstances or people but in the Holy Spirit. It is when I am immersed in the Kingdom that I can say with the psalmist
I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure (Psalm 16:8, 9).
The coming of the Kingdom to each one of us in this life brings complete wellbeing not only of spirit and soul but also physical wellbeing. The Kingdom of God is the best fitness centre available!
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Part 2 > > > Mark 1:14-20 Meditation continue to read > > >
Mark 1:14-20 Text and Questions
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