By: Darren Dias, OP
Jesus’ first words in Mark’s Gospel account: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the Gospel.”
A lection of firsts: Jesus’ first words, his first disciples, a first day on the job (we will hear more about this day in the weeks to comes when Jesus, on his Capernaum tour, cleanses an unclean spirit, heals, preaches and prays: word and action). An action packed first day: God in action in Jesus Christ.
John’s arrest becomes the occasion for Jesus to begin his ministry. As fr. Gustave pointed out a few weeks ago, when a prophet is silenced his or her message doesn’t die, but is often amplified. Like John, Jesus preaches “repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” but Jesus adds that, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near.” The nearness of the Kingdom of God, though a future reality, is so close in the presence of Jesus that it demands a reorientation of one’s life. Like the sudden and radical re-orientation of the people of Nineveh through their encounter with God’s word.
Jesus’ first day on the job has him at his new workplace: the seashore. He doesn’t go to Jerusalem, to the Temple or to the rabbinic schools, or to the Roman elite living in the area or to Herod’s court. He doesn’t even go to the local synagogue where he will go 3 times in Mark’s Gospel account. Instead he stands on the shore of the sea: a marginal place between land and sea, a place open to the world across the sea. Jesus would have been able to see fishing communities, roman legions, urban centers scattered around the sea of Galilee. The Kingdom of God can be found anywhere and everywhere.
The response of the first four followers of Jesus seems to be a model of enthusiastic commitment: Simon, Andrew, James and John literally left what they were doing to follow Jesus immediately. What does this episode tell us about Christian discipleship?
Response of the four: Fishing is a major industry around the Galilee. Galilee is a very Jewish area but also very cosmopolitan because of the presence of Roman army, trade and building project (like at Zephoris). Simon and Andrew, and James and John were business owners as they had both their own nets and hired men. They enjoyed security in a subsistence economy, where people easily go hungry; in a place where there is no health care or social services save the security of one’s family and friends. To leave is a great risk that makes one vulnerable, like those with no income or social network.
But Jesus also takes a risk and reveals his own vulnerability in calling the first disciples. Normally a Jewish teacher would have students approach him and attach themselves to the distinguished teacher. It would have seemed unseemly for any teacher worth his salt to invite students to follow him. This is equally a risk: Jesus puts himself out there. What would happen if the those first four followers rejected Jesus’ overtures?
Discipleship doesn’t begin by taking the road of certainty. Jesus’ call is an invitation to become vulnerable (as the first disciples did) and the performance of vulnerability in Jesus’ issuing the invitation to following him. Discipleship means embarking on a road to vulnerability, exposing one’s self as one is, without the definitions of job or family or place. Discipleship in Mark’s account is risking a relationship.
Discipleship is also about living in the moment. There is an immediacy, a nearness of something that we are invited to catch hold of. The first disciples were able to seize that. How much harder is living the moment today when we are so scheduled and planned. How much harder is it to think about living the moment in the context of the pandemic when, ironically, we are forced to schedule every type of meet and yet not to make too many plans for the future is uncertain. Instead we are invited to experience the nearness of the Kingdom anywhere and everywhere, even in the midst of what we are living.
In moment we will celebrate God’s nearness to us in the prayers around the altar when we remember what Jesus did at his most vulnerable moment: he gave himself generously to his disciples saying take and eat, take and drink, this is my body, this is my blood given for you.
