Mark 1:14-20
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.

Things are moving along at a good clip already in this gospel. We're at chapter 1, verse 14, and Jesus is a grown man, beginning his ministry, calling his disciples. Luke and Matthew detail the birth of Jesus, Mark jumps right into his adult life.

Mark's style and language, such as "immediately" and "at once" that was mentioned in yesterday's post, give us the sense of urgency of Jesus' message. Jesus was never in a hurry--but his message was and is timely and urgent. Jesus took three years to train his disciples, who (11 of them) would change the world. Jesus followed God's timing. He didn't wait, he didn't hurry, but he was purposeful. And the disciples he called sensed that they needed to respond right away to Jesus call. Verse 18 says "at once they left their nets and followed him." Verse 20 says "without delay he called them."

When I started this blog, it was mostly to create a method for me to get some Bible study done in the morning, before the responsilibities of the day crowd into my life. For some reason, it's easier to sit at a keyboard than make the time to open my Bible. I guess I'm more easily distracted by other Scriptures or notes or maps when I have my the pages of the Bible open, or it's too easy to look up and see what else needs to be done around the house. The computer screen and a particular passage I can look up online somehow keep me focused.

So, this way I am hopefully putting the important things first. I need the reminder of verse 15: "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

The time may be short. God, please help me to live each minute of every day, reflecting your glory. Amen.

- posted by Suzi @ 7:30 AM