Mark 1:14-20
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 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. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
For the next four devotions, Pastor Margo will offer two perspectives on Mark 1:14-20 to prepare for Nick Wallwork’s upcoming sermon on this text.
Mark 1:14-20
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 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. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
For the next two devotions, Pastor Margo will offer a perspective on Mark 1:14-20 from Ismael Ruiz-Millan, director of the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School, to prepare for Nick Wallwork’s upcoming sermon on this text. https://www.christiancentury.org/article/living-word/january-21-epiphany-3b-mark-114-20
Repent! Believe! In front of his audience in Galilee, Jesus gives a clearly stated call for action. There is a sense of prophetic urgency in his statement, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near”—perhaps because John the Baptist is in prison now. The one who prepared the way for Jesus and baptized him is in jail, and Jesus knows that his own time is near. He wants his audience to know it as well, and to faithfully respond to the reality of the kingdom he came to establish. Driven to communicate such an urgent message to all people, Jesus keeps walking, searching. He finds two fishermen, and later two more. Perhaps he says it again—The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent! Believe!—before extending the invitation: “Follow me.”
So many seminarians, pastors, and leaders at large want to be prophets. And our world needs prophetic voices, people who can speak up and confront the oppressive powers of our world. We need people willing to say, “Here I am, Lord! Send me!” But we often get so excited about the the idea of being a prophet, so immersed in it, that we forget that being prophetic comes with a cost. We want to be prophets, but we do not want to pay the price. John the Baptist paid the price. He went to jail, and then he was killed. Prophetic ministry is a lifelong ministry, and it comes with a high cost.
Today it seems that being a prophet is often about being a trending topic, the one who makes the news. Or about being the most popular—about the likes or unfriends we get as a result of our prophetic voice.
Jesus isn’t popular. The passage from Mark points to a shift: now that John is in jail, the prophetic ministry is passed on to Jesus. We see Jesus’ prophetic ministry when he goes to unpopular places and people. We see him becoming less popular as he moves forward in his mission to declare the good news. Prophetic ministry is not about being the most popular; it’s about being willing to become unpopular. This text also reminds us that prophetic ministry is about timing. If we are honest, we might admit that our own prophetic practice is not necessarily about God’s timing but instead about what is comfortable and convenient for our schedules.