“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O, Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”[1] Amen.
May only God’s word be spoken, and only God’s word be heard.
There was a lady who did a lot of traveling for her business, so naturally she did a lot of flying by plane. Flying made her extremely nervous, so she always took her Bible with her along to read, since it helped relax her on long flights.
One time she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible, he gave a little chuckle, smirked, and went back to what the was doing. You know the kind. After a while he turned to her and asked, “you don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?” The lady replied, “Of course I do. It is the Bible.” He said, “Well, what about the guy that was swallowed by the whale?” She replied, “Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that, it is in the Bible.” He asked, “Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside a whale?” The lady said, “Well, I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him.” “What if he is not in heaven?” The man asked sarcastically. “Then you can ask him,” replied the lady. [2]
While each of the Gospels plays an important role in our understanding of the New Testament, the Gospel According to Saint Mark is no exception. The word “Gospel” literally means the Good News. This Gospel establishes Jesus as the Messiah who was predicted to come. This Gospel proves Jesus to be the sinless son of God that he claims to be, and records his authority over nature, demons, and disease. [3]
The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the synoptic gospels when you compare the original-language word count in each. [4] It is a precise type of story, an oral narrative. It was meant to be watched, experienced, and heard. Not read silently to oneself or read out loud to a group of listeners. It was acted out. In the first century Mediterranean world only about 5 percent of the population could read. Most Christians then could not read or write. So how did they learn about their faith? From others who heard or told them the stories. The Gospel of Mark takes about one hour and one half to perform in Greek, very short in terms of ancient spoken performances. Remember there was no Cable TV, YouTube, Facebook Live, or internet. The entire Gospel would be heard in one time. And it was the GOSPEL taken as a whole, that would have an impression on the audience, and not little bits and pieces – or individual episodes. [5]
Like a modern-day Action movie, this Gospel is packed with ACTION. It was performed like a 1st Century version of a Netflix Original. There seems to be a huge emphasis on miracles – 27 to be exact many more than the other Gospels. Furthermore, it depicts Jesus as the Superhero. The audience would have left the theater inspired to follow him. Things happen right away in Mark, in fact Mark uses the word “immediately” over 40 times in this Gospel – right away this happened then this. Jesus’ power and authority in Mark gives him victory over demons, illness, nature, and even death – a true Superhero – the real Messiah. [6] Who brings us the message of the Good News.
The symbol of the Gospel of Mark is a lion, which reminds me of the Hollywood Film Studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo, the famous MGM lion. Did you know his name was Leo the Lion? Do you remember how Mark begins his gospel?
(The history of the MGM lions | Logo Design Love)
It is from Isaiah; "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" This description reminded the early church of a lion roaring in the desert, and thus the association was born. Do you ever wonder how they recorded Leo the Lion?
(The history of the MGM lions | Logo Design Love)
The gospel of Mark stresses the healing power of Jesus and persecution for following the way of God. Both are right and likewise important. Jesus answered his call and he called others to follow him. This is the start of his ministry. Jesus is announcing that the kingdom of God has arrived, this is the rule of God or the reign of God. This is in a country that has been ruled by foreign empires for the better part of six hundred years. And now the empire of God is at hand.
Whenever a new administration or government enters in – things change. We are experiencing that now. Kudos to Amanda Gorman and her poem – “we are not a broken nation - simply unfinished –– love becomes our legacy.” But here is the key ---- the way that God conducts business in the world is not the same as the way humans do. It is radically different. Therefore, those who want to belong to this new world (the rule of God) must be of a new mind and let go of the world’s values, the world’s ways of being and doing. Instead, they must put their trust in God and practice God’s way of being and doing in the world.
That is exactly what Jesus is asking these four disciples to do as he is walking along the Sea of Galilee. He asks them to give up everything –livelihoods and families - and to follow him. They have been fishermen, but he will teach them to be fishers of men, how to cast their nets for people. Three of these four will become Jesus’ inner circle. [7] But it is also a metaphor for change, what happens when fish are taken out of the water? They Die – but that has been interpreted as dying to the world, which results into a life unto God. [8]
This gospel is a little unsettling, Mark seems to be saying that to be followers of Jesus we must be willing to make small changes and even bigger changes in our lives. But it does means giving things up. Mark seems to suggest that to follow Jesus is not transactional, if you do this, I will do that, but rather, putting one foot in front of the other each and every day and doing the work of Jesus and seeing just where Jesus takes us. Can we do that?
The four disciples who responded to Jesus’ call to “follow him” by saying yes, still had to keep listening to him. Jesus kept calling them to the next thing and then the next and then the next. It is the same with us, we are called to put away whatever is occupying us and be about the business of Jesus instead. Since it is Jesus calling us, we must trust in him and know that he will not lead us off course or abandon us EVER. God has given us the church, including St. Augustine of Canterbury, the gift of the Scriptures, the story of Jesus and the Christian community to form and guide us. God has given us the sacraments and God’s promise to be with us and to nourish us for God’s service in the bread (and the wine) we share together.
God promises that whenever two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, God is with us. We trust the good news that God is acting on earth. All these things make our willingness to follow not just about risk, but about promise as well. These fishermen dropped everything and immediately followed Jesus. They did not ask what it would mean for them, or what they would get out of the deal. They just left their nets (the things that occupied them every day) and followed. However, later in this same Gospel when perhaps they were having second thoughts, Jesus gives them a promise.
“What happens is this: Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30).
Today Jesus says to each of us, “Follow me.”
What do you say?” [9] AMEN.
References:
[1] Oxford University Press. The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments: New
Revised Standard Version (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 646.
[2] Ian Markham and Samantha Gottlich, Lectionary Levity,
the Use of Humor in Preaching, 113
[3] 5 Interesting Facts about the Gospel of Mark | Jesus Film Project
Accessed January 22, 2021.
[4] 5 Interesting Facts about the Gospel of Mark | Jesus Film Project
Accessed January 22, 2021.
[5] Gail R. O’Day and David L. Petersen, Theological Bible Commentary, 312.
[6] 5 Interesting Facts about the Gospel of Mark | Jesus Film Project
Accessed January 22, 2021.
[7] Ted Blakley, A Lector’s Guide & Commentary, 77.
[8] Commentary on Mark 1:14-20 - Working Preacher from Luther Seminary
Accessed January 23, 2021.
[9] https://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermon/how-it-works-epiphany-3-b-january-24-2021/ Accessed January 23, 2021.
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