Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 1:14-20. He said that Jesus walks to you so you will walk with him. Lector: Kristen McGee
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 1:14-20. He said that Jesus walks to you so you will walk with him.
Lector: Kristen McGee
Last week, we learned that Mark is a story that begins with the end
We were told explicitly what this story is about...but it wasn't explained.
Let me recap, recall what Mark 1:1 says:
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God
-Mark 1:1
"The beginning"...this is like Genesis all over again. This is a story of new creation
"Good news"...no cliffhanger. Yes, twists and turns, but this is fundamentally good news that the war is over.
Specifically, this is good news about Jesus.
He is the Messiah: God's chosen one, the fulfiller of promises,
He is the Son of God: Light from light, true God from true God.
We learned about John the Baptist and his message that God was coming near.
We have to keep coming back to this or we'll get distracted and confused
Our text finished last week with Jesus tempted by Satan and cared for by angels
But that temptation, that angelic ministry, is not what Mark is here to talk about
He's here to talk about good news about promises coming true.
So he says NOTHING about what happened there. That's not what this story is about
Look how our text begins today:
Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee...
-Mark 1:14
We want to know what happened to John. Why was he arrested?
How does this fit into John's plans?
Have you ever noticed how easily we can be distracted in life?
Have you ever missed a precious moment because of that phone in your hands?
There are many things in life to be interested about. Many things asking for attention
But Mark is a man on fire. He has something very specific to say to us. Something that demands our focused attention, because what he has to say to us is both GOOD NEWS...and unexpected.
So what's so important here that we can't know anything about John?
Jesus went to Galilee...
And preached God's Good News...
Mark 1:14
Notice the subtle shift here? Mark tells us we have good news about Jesus...
and Jesus tells us we have Good News ABOUT GOD
Subtle emphasis here that Jesus is God himself
Remember, John preached "turn around go towards God because God is coming towards you"
This is something worthy of our utmost attention.
What comes to mind when you hear "God is on his way to you?"
What do you imagine that means? How does that make you feel?
Perhaps your immediate reaction to that is fear...what will he say to you?
Perhaps guilt...because your many failures remain at the forefront of your mind
Perhaps shame...you know you are not as you should be
When you hear "God is coming to you"...does that sound like good news?
Jesus' sermon goes even further than John's:
The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!"
-Mark 1:15
Jesus does not say God is coming. He says God is here.
The Kingdom of God is at hand. It's near. It is here.
Here is another great opportunity for distraction.
Jesus was not preaching here to people like me and you.
He was preaching to people who had waited for this promise for thousands of years
Something very specific came to mind when they heard "the Kingdom of God"
Remember, Jewish people in Jesus' day were living under Roman oppression
An occupying force was living in their town, patrolling their streets, standing outside their church services, stopping their children at the grocery store
Parents had to explain to their children how to talk to Roman soldiers, where it was safe to walk or not walk, keep your eyes down, mind your own business, stay out of trouble.
Can you imagine? But in dark corners, whispers of a chosen one were uttered
Over dark dinner tables, father's told their children about a Kingdom that was promised
And over time, these stories about a descendant of the great kingdom David took on a life of their own.
They imagined the Kingdom of God like an oppressed people would...
They imagined soldiers and swords. They imagined a King on a throne, walled cities and safe streets protected by their own soldiers, God's own soldiers.
Today, for many of us, the idea of God coming to town is a fearful thing
In Jesus' day, the idea of God coming to town meant liberation and war...
And when they heard that it was "GOOD NEWS", remember, that's that old word gospel, and that was a word that meant the war was over.
They heard Jesus saying God is here, the war is over before it's even begun.
But...the Jewish people were wrong. The imaginations distracted them from reality
If the idea of God coming near to you sounds fearful or shameful...I want you to know that you are wrong, too. Your imagination has distracted you from reality.
And I want you to know that it's understandable why you might feel that way, just like it is understandable that the Jewish people felt that way, too.
Life has a way of making us see what we want to see, have you noticed?
If you want to see evidence that the world is ending, you'll probably find it.
If you want to find evidence the democrats or republicans are evil, you'll find it.
If you want to find evidence you are awful and no one loves you, all you do is fail, you'll never be enough...you'll find it.
And so we must fight to see Jesus as Mark presents him, not as our imaginations might twist him to be.
What does your imagination tell you expect after this sermon of Jesus'?
God is here...therefore what?
Jewish people likely expected trumpets, horses, soldiers, volume and violence.
If God showed up to you in the parking lot after church...what would you expect him to say?
Jesus said this was good news, but our minds, twisted by sin and suffering, often miss the good news right in front of us.
It's understandable why you might not be able to see it...but let's see if God might open our eyes to something new. Jesus preaches this message...and then goes on a walk
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore ...
-Mark 1:16
Jesus is not in a hurry. He moves at a walking pace.
This is good news for those of us who feel behind or like we've missed out.
Perhaps that feeling of being behind in life makes you doubt God would walk towards someone like you at all. Hear some more good news:
He saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.
-Mark 1:16
I'm struck by how normal this scene is. Jesus walking, these men are simply at work.
They are not looking for God's chosen one. They are not listening to John preach.
They are not praying, they are not doing anything spiritual or special.
They are at work. Boring, mundane, work. Fishing!
Ordinary, unspiritual men doing ordinary, unspiritual work.
And yet...Jesus comes walking to them.
You do not have to be special for God to walk to you. You do not have to be doing anything special. Your everyday, ordinary life as your everyday, ordinary you is everything God is looking for.
Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once and followed him.
-Mark 1:17
Jesus comes in an ordinary way: walking
He comes to ordinary people: two men at work
He comes to people doing ordinary work: blue collar fishermen
And he comes with an unexpected invitation: follow me.
Notice the strange familiarity of what Jesus says: follow me, a stranger, and I will teach you how to do what you're already doing...but in an entirely different way.
Perhaps strangest of all, these men followed him. No 2 weeks notice.
They just dropped their nets and followed Jesus.
Might you have been tempted towards distraction here?
We have work to do...can we meet after hours? How will I pay my bills?
There's no time for those questions when Jesus makes an invitation
And please notice the lack of urgency here: Jesus' emphasis is on coming to him, not the work they have to do.
Come to me. Stay here. Look at me. The KoG is at hand. What will you choose?
In verses 19-20, the same thing happens again. Two more men, two more fishermen.
They leave their dad on the boat alongside all their coworkers.
What must this Jesus and his kingdom be like?
There is much more to say about this, but we have the rest of Mark for that.
For now, I want to soak for a few moments in this good news.
This is what the Kingdom of God will look like:
A walking-paced life with God himself.
He comes to you, not in a hurry, because he wants to be near you.
He has work for you, Yes, but we're not quite sure what that means yet, are we?
Fishing...for men? But we have an invitation that is not ambiguous at all: follow me.
Jesus walks to you so you will walk with him.
The Kingdom of God is never obvious or impressive. Not at first.
But neither are relationships, are they?
Jesus walks to you so you will walk with him, and who knows what might happen next.
The KoG is like a mustard seed. It produces a mustard seed kind of life.
Not soldiers, but fishermen
Not swords, but slow walks
Not invasions, but invitations
This is the good news of Jesus: the kingdom of God is at hand.
He walks to you so you will walk with him. Receive his invitation. Turn around and go to him, follow him, and see what might happen next.
Let's pray