“Immediately They Left Their Nets And Followed Him”

Mark 1:16-20

     It was God’s purpose that Jesus gather disciples to carry on the work after his ascension to the Father’s side. Here we see some of these disciples being called to accompany the Lord in his work. His work would become their work and they would receive training from the master teacher on how to carry it out. At first glance it may seem odd that these four men simply dropped everything to follow Jesus. As is typical of Mark he offers just enough information to get us from point A to point B. He did not feel the need to inform us that Peter and Andrew knew Jesus from at least one previous meeting and were disciples of John (John 1:35-42). Neither does Mark deem it necessary to tell us that these two sets of brothers were business partners (Luke 5:1-11). This further information gleaned from two other gospel writers helps to flesh out the very abrupt account as recorded by Mark.

     Understanding that these brothers knew Jesus keeps us from imagining that they simply walked off with a complete stranger. However, it does not make what they did any less noteworthy. In fact, I believe quite the opposite is true. Clearly Andrew and Simon had not forgotten their previous meeting with Jesus. John’s testimony, Behold, the Lamb of God!, had left an incredible impact upon Andrew. So moved was he that he hurried to Peter and excitedly exclaimed, We have found the Messiah (John 1:36, 41). We can only guess at the excited conversations between the two brothers following that event. Imagine how animated and enthusiastic such discussions must have become when James and John, the “sons of thunder”, entered the discussion!

     Jesus was the One they had been waiting for. These blue-color working-class men were not scholars, yet they clearly knew the Holy Scriptures. More than simply knowing them, they gave serious thought to what was contained therein. How striking that these men, without any “higher education”, were able to recognize Jesus for who and what he was while so many of much higher achievement failed entirely!

     Of course, at this early stage, their understanding of the Lord’s identity was  infantile. Yet it was enough to move them to drop everything and follow him. Make no mistake: this was not a call to follow Jesus for a day or two and then return to the family business. This was a call to change careers. Where they had been fishing for fish, now they were to dedicate the remainder of their lives to fishing for men. This was a call to leave everything they knew behind, to walk away from the comfortable and the routine, and to commit to something infinitely greater. To follow Jesus was to commit to the unknown and the frightening. It was to choose a life of persecution and conflict. It was to commit to being the one thing man seems to fear being above all else—different. And they did it immediately.

     Someone might ask how they could have done this? A better question is how they could have done anything less? They believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They believed him to be the Savior of the world. They did not understand everything involved in that, but they understood enough to know that when he called they were determined to answer immediately.

     Immediacy. That word carries so much meaning for the Christian life. The prophets and early disciples longed to have what we have now (Matthew 13:17; 1 Peter 1:10-12). We have the completed revelation of God in which we can see the entire picture of His plan to redeem man worked out. Simon, Andrew, James, and John dropped everything to immediately follow the Messiah, understanding initially so little of what it meant. We have it spelled out for us clearly, though a lifetime will be spent in seeking to grasp it in all of its significance. However, we know so much more than they knew simply because it has been revealed. As a result the immediacy of those four men in following Christ ought to characterize our entire lives in service to our Lord.

     William A. Ogden wrote, “Sweet are the promises, kind is the word; dearer far than any message man ever heard; pure was the mind of Christ, sinless I see; He the great example is and pattern for me. Where he leads I’ll follow, follow all the way, follow Jesus every day.” Christians have cherished the words to that beautiful song for more than a century and that’s a good thing. However, an even better thing is to heed those words, particularly the chorus. Are you willing to follow wherever he leads? Even more, are you willing to do it with the immediacy of Simon, Andrew, James, and John?  

“Jesus Came…Proclaiming The Gospel Of God”

Mark 1:14-15

     Mark tells us that Jesus came preaching the gospel of God after John was arrested. For Mark, John has served his purpose and is removed from the account until his death in the sixth chapter. From this point forward Mark focuses exclusively upon Jesus himself. Having overcome Satan during an intense period of temptation in the wilderness (verses 12-13), Jesus came into Galilee to proclaim the gospel of God (Mark does not speak of our Lord’s visit to Jerusalem or his journey through Samaria to reach Galilee. See John 2:13-4:42 for the events that occurred during those days). It was clearly easier for Jesus to begin his ministry in earnest in Galilee than it would have been in and around Jerusalem. Because of this it is sometimes thought that Galilee was a quiet backwater without much going on. The following statement from Stuart Blanch may help us better understand the climate of Galilee at the time.

     Galilee was the center of a humming political and commercial life. It stood at the crossroads of the nations of the ancient world, through which the armies and the traders and the diplomats passed. There some of the greatest battles of the world had been fought…Galilee was the home of a thoroughly cosmopolitan population: Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic would all be heard in the markets; Syrian, Jew, Roman, and Parthian mixed freely. It was a land of passing excitements and dangerous fashions, of a barbarous dialect and offensive manners.

     Our Lord’s proclamation of the gospel contained two declarations and two commands. The declarations were, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. The commands were, Repent and believe in the gospel. Let’s consider each of these for the remainder of this article.

     The time is fulfilled. Not all moments in time are created equal, nor is their importance determined by mere chronology. The day I began my first job pales in comparison to the day I said my marriage vows. The moment I purchased my first car does not even rate in comparison to the moments of the birth of my children. Even the days of my marriage and the birth of my children are not as important as the day I committed myself to Jesus Christ. Some days and times are simply more important than others. Since creation itself, no period of time had been more important than that which began the moment our Lord opened his mouth to start his ministry. That was because of the message contained within our Lord’s proclamation.

     The kingdom of God is at hand. The experts in ancient language tell us that the Aramaic term behind the Greek word for “kingdom” means “kingly rule, sovereignty, or reign.” They tell us that it deals with the fact of reign rather than the location of it. It was always God’s plan to set His king upon Zion, His holy hill (Psalm 2:6-12). In chapter 4 Mark will more clearly define this reign for us in a series of parables. There we will see the rule of heaven portrayed as God’s reign in the hearts of men by the gospel.

     While there is no doubt that the rule of God is the primary emphasis in our Lord’s teaching, I cannot help but think that we see a reference to the church here as well. After all, those who willingly submit to the rule of God are called “the church” in Acts and the epistles. Sometimes (though not always) the terms kingdom and church are used interchangeably (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 5:9-10).

     With the coming of Jesus the kingdom of God was very much at hand. It began its approaching with the work of John (Matthew 3:1-2), and accelerated with the ministry of Jesus. So much contained within the Old Testament pointed specifically to this period in history. How extraordinary it must have been to live in those days, to have gazed upon the face of Jesus Christ and heard the words coming from his lips! There could only be one proper response to such an incredible message.

     Repent and believe in the gospel. No definition of repentance is satisfactory unless it contains within it reformation of a sinful life. It is for this reason that John’s message, which was all about repentance, required very specific changes in the conduct of the people (Luke 3:7-14). Repentance (changed mind and life) was essential for the people to receive the rule of heaven. Of course, repentance is caused by genuine belief, or faith, in the gospel.

     Our Lord’s rule continues today. Repentance and belief in the gospel are just as important now as they were then. The message that began in Galilee so long ago is the message that continues to sound forth today. How will you respond?  

Sermons For Sunday (January 11, 2015)

The morning sermon is entitled, "Grace And A Robber." Have you ever considered how extraordinary it is that Jesus saved a criminal on the cross? We will examine this event to learn about the nature of grace, faith, and our Lord's powerful desire to save.

The evening sermon is entitled, "Faithful Noah." The account of the flood is perhaps the most popular account in all of Scripture. However, familiarity must never cause us to fail to think deeply on the subject. The lessons learned from Noah in the account are timeless. We will endeavor to bring them out in a clear and practical way.

I hope to see you tomorrow!

Who At My Door Is Standing?

The title of this post is also the title of a beloved song written by Mary Slade and Asa Everett all the way back in 1876. Many hymnals place Revelation 3:20 just below the title and just above the lyrics. That passage comes at the end of our Lord’s message to our lukewarm brethren in Laodicea. He tells them, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. That this message was to Christians reminds us of the need for continual faithfulness. Where Jesus is concerned, our hearts need to be operating on a constant “open door” policy.

However, there is something else lurking just outside the door of our hearts. More often than not it is unwilling to stand out in the open and knock, preferring rather to conceal itself until the opportune moment and then pounce, very much like a lion hiding in ambush. God warned Cain of this lurker in Genesis 4:7. If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.

Sin is crouching at the door of our hearts constantly. It’s hiding in the bushes, peering through the windows, pressing an eye to the key hole, and doing everything it can to find a way in. It’s waiting for those unguarded moments to strike. When that rude driver cuts us off, perhaps even treating us to a certain hand signal in the process, sin is ready to pounce with a curse word or a retaliatory gesture. When we learn that a classmate or coworker has been gossiping about us, sin is ready to strike with some slanderous gossip of its own. When a brother or sister in Christ walks past without offering any greeting at all, sin is ready to swoop in and think the absolute worst about them without giving any thought to a possible trial or hardship weighing heavily on their minds. When kingdom work needs to be done or time needs to be given to spiritual improvement, sin is quick to cast his incredibly wide net “omission” to keep us content with status quo and our effort for the Lord to less than maximum.

            I put a challenge to us all. Let’s take just a single day and count the number of times and ways sin makes an effort to ambush us. I believe that if we’re really paying attention we’ll come away not just surprised, but with much great awareness of our adversary and his methods (2 Corinthians 2:11). Let us never forget that Jesus is not the only one seeking entrance into our hearts. Where he knocks, sin crouches in ambush. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23)