Now is the time

 “…Immediately he called them” (Mark 1:20)

Jonah 3:1-10

Psalm 62:5-12

1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

Mark 1:14-20

 (Year B: Third Sunday after the Epiphany, 24^rd January 2021)

Throughout the Gospel of St Mark there is an immediacy and urgency about the message of Jesus. The time is said to have come. It is time to repent and believe now and to follow the Saviour.  When called, the disciples leave what they are doing and who they are with immediately. ‘Without delay’, Jesus calls them and they respond without delay.

In life, our natural tendency is to wait and see, to evaluate and consider, to consult and reflect and to postpone a decision until later. Sometimes this is good to do; others time not: we need to know the difference.  When God calls we are bid to follow with clarity and courage leaving behind doubts and obstacles. We must trust that God will show us the way and enable us to follow there.

The secret in following is in the now. Answering a lifetime’s call is made in a series of steps beginning with a simple step now. Giving a full yes here and now is the only reality we can embrace. The past is a given and the future has not yet arrived. We can only live in the here and now. Nothing else is real as far as action and will are concerned.

The Gospel of Mark, which we read over most Sundays for the remainder of this year, is a very concise account of the life of Jesus Christ. The first chapter reads, in many respects, as a type of ‘executive summary’ of this entire Gospel and all four canonical Gospels. This week’s passage from the first chapter of the gospel of St Mark may be summarised in five key points:

To repent of our sins (v 15).

To believe in Jesus (v 15).

To be healed by Jesus (v 34).

To follow Jesus (v 17).

To be sent by Jesus (v 17).

As in other callings, we have here a call addressed both to individuals and to groups or pairs of individuals. We never walk alone – at least not entirely.

We would do well to take Mark in hand today and let the words and their meaning sink in. As with the rest of the gospels, the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark is worth reading slowly and prayerfully. It holds the key to the entire Good News story about Jesus. When a sentence or a phrase strikes we can just stop there and linger awhile in silence and quiet. A quiet spot and a regular time of day, if at all possible, is a great idea for this type of exercise. It takes practice and discipline. It bears fruit. In that way we can ‘prepare a way’ in the desert of our lives. And we will be overtaken by surprise – surprise that God loves us more than we ever imagined possible.

(words above = 462)

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Notes and commentary on the Gospel reading

14:  It all starts in Galilee

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God

The ministry and first calling of the disciples originated in an obscure corner of an obscure country in the Roman Empire.  It did not start on the floor of the Temple or in the Holiest of Holies in Jerusalem. Neither did it start in Rome – the centre of political power at the time. It didn’t start in some pre-existing religious community such as the Essenes in Qumran.  It didn’t start in the halls of some institution of human learning and skill. And it didn’t start in the continent of Europe as we know it today.

15:        The waiting is over

and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

The time of waiting (‘kairos’) is over. This is the acceptable and necessary time to turn (‘repent’) and to experience the good news of God’s saving work. To repent is not to sink further into guilt, shame and retribution. Rather, to repent is to be set free not because we deserve it but because God loves us unconditionally and waits for our free response in love. This is what repentance is about.

16-17:  A new way of life for those called to be ‘fishers’

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ 

From the natural occupation of fishing on a large lake (The Sea of Galilee which is probably about twice the size of Dublin Bay), Jesus sees that these fishermen will have a purpose and a trade of a different kind. The analogy of fishing for people will not be lost on Peter and Andrew. I wonder what their families thought when the brothers went off to follow Jesus? Peter was, after all, married and the evidence from 1 Corinthians 9:5 (and see, also, Mark 1:29-31) is that his wife was alive and not dead at the time of his calling and subsequent ministry. We may note that, at this point, the emphasis in Mark is on the preaching of the Word of God. Miracles accompanying this preaching would follow very soon. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see Peter along with the other apostles or disciples preaching, healing, calling and sowing the seeds of a new reality and kingdom. It all began on the shores of a lake in a far off place. Peter and Andrew must have had little idea where this would all lead when this amazing Rabbi/Teacher said to them abruptly one day: ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people’ (v. 17).

18:  Answering the call without delay

 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 

There is no evidence that they hesitated. They ‘immediately left their nets and followed him’ (v. 18).

19-20:  Immediacy

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.

And again, the disciples called did not delay but dropped their nets and left their families and fellow-workers behind.  The sons of Zebedee would have inherited a family fishing business for mention was made of ‘hired men’.  The sons did not leave their father without help in those who were hired and stayed behind.