Jesus has been born. We have followed him now from Christmas, through his manifestation to the Gentile world (Epiphany and the Three Kings), and saw him baptized. Now, we see the grown Jesus who has begun his ministry. He tells us that the Kingdom of God is near, at hand, and that we should believe the Gospel of God. That means that the Kingdom has come into history. Jesus calls us to live for that Kingdom, to live for him, for he himself is the kingdom. We don’t have all the time in the world, so to speak. The world as we know it will soon come to an end and be transformed. God is in charge of his world.
Jesus tells us the gospel of God. God’s rule as King is beginning. We must now adjust ourselves to God’s time (repent). God’s kingdom has come into history, with both present and future aspects.
Jesus calls these first disciples, who were very, very ordinary guys. They disappoint him again and again, especially noticeable in Mark’s Gospel. Still, Jesus holds onto these same men as his first followers. He gives them everything he has, all that he is. And, Jesus leads them to the kingdom, the kingdom he talks about here. But, Jesus did not stop calling followers with those first 12. He calls us, too. We are here because we were called by God to be here. And, we are the same ordinary men and women Jesus has called to follow him from these early days.
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