Daily Bread Mark 1
The Calling of the First Disciples
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him.
19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Observation:
Now that we have mastered the gospel of Matthew (tongue in cheek!), we move on to Mark. It is widely believed that the author is John Mark, who is associated with Peter in early church history. We hear of John Mark in Acts, who traveled with Paul and Barnabbas in their first missionary journey, but then deserted them. Paul was disappointed and refused to bring him on the next journey, but by the end of his letters they became friends again. Many think Mark is a compilation of Peter’s sermons and recollections, as they were passed down to him.
We know a couple of things about Mark. It is has some material that is in Luke and Matthew, but also some of its own unique content. It appears to be the earliest gospel written some time between 60-70 AD, which is very near Jesus’ death in 33 AD. This lends credibility to the gospel, as not much time elapsed between the events and the circulation of this gospel. Those alive could have refuted the writings if these events were fabrications. It is also termed the “power gospel”, because of how the gospel starts with Jesus casting out many demons and healing all sorts of diseases. In fact, out of the 16 healing episodes in all 4 gospels, 10 of them occur consecutively here in the beginning of Mark.
Application:
Mark doesn’t pull any punches and gets right to the heart of Jesus’ calling and ministry, especially with the phrase, “the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news.”
Mark is saying don’t wait around, check out this Jesus while you have the chance. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, as he preaches the above words. He wanted to prepare the people for what they were going to see. To prepare them he told them to make way and straighten out their lives so they could participate in this coming kingdom.
I think this would be the same message to us today. Jesus’ kingdom has come and is still on the move. Until Jesus comes back, God’s kingdom will be already here, but not yet consummated. God continues to look for those who, like the disciples, will drop their nets and be about bringing the kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.
Is this the message that has been given to you in terms of what it means to be a Christian? Often Christianity is seen as boring, untrue or irrelevant. But Jesus and his ministry was anything but boring. These guys went from fishing to being a part of God’s plan for all humankind to be reconciled to God. God’s plans are still not yet finished. There are many who still think Christianity is a buzz-kill. They are looking for those who will introduce them truly to God’s kingdom life, which is filled with the adventure of a lifetime.
Can I be so bold as to say that Jesus says to you today on 2/5/09, “Come Follow Me”! What are we waiting for….
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for introducing us to the life we’ve always wanted. Give us boldness to follow you so that we might bring your Kingdom, Your Good News, to those who have yet to experience the abundant life you bring. As Martin Luther prayed, “May your kingdom come, and may it come through me.” Amen.
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him.
19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Observation:
Now that we have mastered the gospel of Matthew (tongue in cheek!), we move on to Mark. It is widely believed that the author is John Mark, who is associated with Peter in early church history. We hear of John Mark in Acts, who traveled with Paul and Barnabbas in their first missionary journey, but then deserted them. Paul was disappointed and refused to bring him on the next journey, but by the end of his letters they became friends again. Many think Mark is a compilation of Peter’s sermons and recollections, as they were passed down to him.
We know a couple of things about Mark. It is has some material that is in Luke and Matthew, but also some of its own unique content. It appears to be the earliest gospel written some time between 60-70 AD, which is very near Jesus’ death in 33 AD. This lends credibility to the gospel, as not much time elapsed between the events and the circulation of this gospel. Those alive could have refuted the writings if these events were fabrications. It is also termed the “power gospel”, because of how the gospel starts with Jesus casting out many demons and healing all sorts of diseases. In fact, out of the 16 healing episodes in all 4 gospels, 10 of them occur consecutively here in the beginning of Mark.
Application:
Mark doesn’t pull any punches and gets right to the heart of Jesus’ calling and ministry, especially with the phrase, “the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news.”
Mark is saying don’t wait around, check out this Jesus while you have the chance. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, as he preaches the above words. He wanted to prepare the people for what they were going to see. To prepare them he told them to make way and straighten out their lives so they could participate in this coming kingdom.
I think this would be the same message to us today. Jesus’ kingdom has come and is still on the move. Until Jesus comes back, God’s kingdom will be already here, but not yet consummated. God continues to look for those who, like the disciples, will drop their nets and be about bringing the kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.
Is this the message that has been given to you in terms of what it means to be a Christian? Often Christianity is seen as boring, untrue or irrelevant. But Jesus and his ministry was anything but boring. These guys went from fishing to being a part of God’s plan for all humankind to be reconciled to God. God’s plans are still not yet finished. There are many who still think Christianity is a buzz-kill. They are looking for those who will introduce them truly to God’s kingdom life, which is filled with the adventure of a lifetime.
Can I be so bold as to say that Jesus says to you today on 2/5/09, “Come Follow Me”! What are we waiting for….
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for introducing us to the life we’ve always wanted. Give us boldness to follow you so that we might bring your Kingdom, Your Good News, to those who have yet to experience the abundant life you bring. As Martin Luther prayed, “May your kingdom come, and may it come through me.” Amen.
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