Mark: The Lord Preaching
[Index] [Introduction]
Thursday, March 6, 2003
1. Additional Scriptural readings suggested: Isaiah 56:1; Mark 1:29-34
2. A short reading:
|
"The reason why so many religious people believe they cannot
meditate is that they think meditation consists in having religious
emotions, thoughts, or affections [feelings] of which one is, oneself,
acutely aware. As soon as they start to meditate, they begin to look
into the psychological conscience to find out if they are experiencing
anything worthwhile. They find little or nothing. They either strain
themselves to produce some interior experience, or else they give up
in disgust." (Merton, No Man is an Island. 32)
|
3. Text for meditation in Italics):
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized
by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on
him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased." 12 And the Spirit immediately drove him
out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted
by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
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."
4. Reflections: John is arrested (handed over--a technical term regarding custody
by police) and then Jesus initiates His ministry. The work of God begins in earnest in Galilee.
The Lord came to His native territory with "the good news of God." And what was that
"good news?" It is the news that has God as its author. The good news of the kingdom
was wonderful to people who were in pain during Jesus' day. It is still wonderful news to
people for whom life has taken a desperate turn. This good news also incorporates the
message of the prophets that God has not forgotten His people! As John Wesley said
while dying, "The best of all is. God is with us."
While it is true that John the Baptist preached repentance, it is the message of Jesus
that signals the dawning of the new age. He comes as the fullness of the good news,
not just its messenger, as was John and as will be the disciples. The preaching of Jesus,
and His whole mission, is the highpoint of the ages. The prophets looked forward to Him
and we look back to Him. Jesus is the apex of history! "The hopes and fears of all the
years are met in him"--then and now. Some think our Lord is best understood in the role
of prophet. Certainly He fits that description here (see Isaiah 56:1; Ezekiel 7:3, 12). The
"time" has been fulfilled" the kingdom is "near" (has arrived). Sensing the spiritual truth
of this message of the Lord, the early church rejoiced and endured much opposition to the
glory of God.
What did the Lord say? Repent and believe! Turn from your sins and embrace
the new reality coming to you! This message is not just good advice; it is life instead of
death. Jesus calls us to lay hold on Him by faith. He is here by virtue of His resurrection
and ascension. Now we can believe and rest in that belief. Nothing is said here about
emotions or feelings. We may indeed feel relieved or happy because He is here with us
but we do not rely on the shaky nature of feelings as either a witness to or an anchor for
our faith.
5. Questions raised today for personal reflection.
Where is the kingdom today? It is instructive that Jesus announced (as a herald)
the coming of the kingdom. It probably wasn't all that obvious to the average man in the
street then, nor is it so obvious today. If you are "in Christ," the kingdom is "in you,"
even though you still look for the kingdom that is to come. We are still carrying on the
work of the early church, announcing that the kingdom may be entered right now by repentance
and faith, and that the fairness of the kingdom is ahead.
Why are we to repent? Simply put, we repent because we have not kept faith with
God. We have sinned. Many people love their own ways--and their sins--more than the
fear of judgement and the frown of God. But to taste the bitterness of repentance (because
true repentance means we admit who we really are-sinners) can be also the good
taste of eternal life. Jerome, in his Commentary on the Gospels, 5th century AD, says by
way of metaphor, "The hope of gain makes pleasant the perils of the sea. The expectation of
health mitigates the nauseousness of medicine." (ACC, 18)
6. Suggestions for prayer: Lord, look with mercy upon all people, especially Your
church. Many things seem to block out Your message to the world. May Your church not
fail in its task of bearing witness to You before all peoples. We should pray that people
will be convicted of their sins and turn to God with honest hearts. We should also look to
our own hearts and live lives of confession, both of sin and of faith in Christ.
|
