Year B, Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 21, 2024
Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Psalm 62:6-14, 1 Corinthians 7:29-3, Mark 1:14-20
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“Hebrew Prophecies Realized: Believe in the Good News”
The Very Rev. Kathleen Murray, Rector
Historic Beckford Parish, Mt. Jackson & Woodstock
Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B
January 21, 2024
This week’s gospel passage represents the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. And it’s only Chapter 1. Mark starts succinctly with the “beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.”[1] In twelve verses we move from that proclamation through John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness to John’s arrest and Jesus’ public ministry.
Are we surprised that John was arrested? Probably not. John wasn’t exactly preaching a cozy message. He was out in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But that wasn’t the genesis of Mark’s arrest. Later in the Gospel of Mark, we learn that John’s imprisonment and subsequent execution were directly related to his outspoken criticism of Herod Antipas’ marriage to Herodias, his brother’s former wife, which John condemned as unlawful.[2]
So, now we have Jesus, coming after John, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”[3] It’s also going to get Jesus killed.
This announcement is the cornerstone of Jesus’ ministry in Mark’s Gospel. The phrase “the time is fulfilled” signals the inauguration of a new era in salvation history. It implies that the long-awaited moment prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures is now realized in Jesus. The Kingdom of God, a central theme in Jesus’ teaching, is not a distant reality but an imminent and present truth demanding an immediate response. God’s kingdom was near, so people had to prepare for it by repenting and believing in the good news.
The call to “repent and believe in the good news [the Gospel] is pivotal. Repentance in Mark is not merely moral reform; it is a radical reorientation of one’s life and priorities in light of the Kingdom’s arrival. Belief in the gospel, or the “good news,” is an invitation to embrace this new reality. It’s also a call to understand the underlying power dynamics of the world around them.
Indeed, in the passage from Mark, a noticeable shift in power dynamics is crucial to understanding the context of Jesus’ ministry. We see John the Baptist, an influential yet unconventional figure, clashing with the established political power, leading to his arrest. This tension between prophetic truth-telling and political authority sets the stage for Jesus’ emergence. Jesus’ ministry begins as we heard post-John the Baptist’s arrest – a direct consequence of John’s challenge of Herodian authority. The contrast between worldly power, as represented by Herod, and spiritual power, embodied by Jesus and John, is particularly striking. In Jesus, we see power is not about domination or control but service, sacrifice, and transformation.
Perhaps some of you watch “The Gilded Age,” the TV series created and written by Julian Fellowes, who is also known for his work on “Downton Abbey.” The show is set during the Gilded Age era in American history[4], an era that covers roughly the 1870s through 1900. It seems to provide an apt context for the themes in the Gospel of Mark, particularly power dynamics, societal transformation, and the challenge of new ideas against established norms.
The era saw rapid economic growth, immense wealth, and stark social contrasts. The show portrays the lives of the old aristocracy and the newly rich, highlighting the tension between traditional values and the emerging modern world. This era, marked by its opulence and grandeur, also grappled with social inequality, corruption, and the ethical implications of wealth and power. It sounds much like we could be talking about 2024.
Relating this to the Gospel of Mark, we see parallels in how societal structures are challenged. Just as Jesus’ arrival marked a new era in spiritual understanding, challenging his time’s established religious and social order, “The Gilded Age” shows characters who confront and sometimes upend the rigid social structures of their day.
For instance, the character of Bertha Russell, a newcomer to the elite circle, challenges the norms of New York’s high society with her new money and different views, much like Jesus, who brought a fresh perspective that was unsettling to the religious authorities of his time. Bertha’s struggle to be accepted by the old aristocracy mirrors Jesus’ challenges in being accepted by the religious elites.
I’m not equating the character of Bertha Russell with Jesus in terms of her character or mission, but Bertha illustrates the broader theme of challenging established norms. Bertha as an outsider to the established elite disrupts the status quo with her new perspectives and actions. Jesus, in his time, brought a radically new and transformative message that unsettled the established religious and political structures. Both figures, in their respective narratives, represent agents of change, challenging their contemporaries to rethink their values and beliefs.
Moreover, the Gospel’s emphasis on spiritual power over worldly authority can be compared to the show’s depiction of characters, like Marian, who is portrayed as a young, innocent woman from rural Pennsylvania, who after the death of her father, moves to New York City to live with her wealthy aunts. She and one of her aunts, Aunt Ada, seek meaningful lives beyond the material wealth and social status that define the gilded age. Their quest for deeper values amidst a society obsessed with surface appearances and wealth echoes Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God being a realm of spiritual truth and transformation rather than earthly power and prestige.
In both narratives, there’s a call for a reorientation of values and priorities. “The Gilded Age” dramatizes the tension between the old and the new, the ethical dilemmas of wealth and progress, while the Gospel of Mark presents the tension between the established religious order and the new era ushered in by Jesus’ ministry.
In Mark’s gospel, we witness the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a ministry not of accumulating wealth or seeking earthly power but of bringing about a kingdom characterized by love, justice, and mercy. Just as Jesus called to the fishermen, Simon and Andrew, saying, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fish for people,’[5] Jesus calls us to a life of service and purpose, transcending the worldly pursuits that so often entangle us.
In this passage, Jesus doesn’t just call the fishermen to a new job; He invites them into a new way of life. It’s a profound shift in power dynamics – calling ordinary fishermen as disciples in the kingdom of God.
This invitation by Jesus is a call to transformation, to leave behind the old ways of living for something far more significant. The fishermen’s immediate response, leaving their nets and following Jesus, exemplifies the decisive action that faith in Christ demands. It starkly contrasts with the era of the Gilded Age, where material pursuit often overshadowed spiritual awakening.
As we consider our response to Jesus’ call, let us be mindful of the distractions and temptations of our time.
Discipleship comes with a cost. It means we might have to give up a comfortable, safe life. It means we might have to turn away from the allure of success to a deeper call to discipleship. No matter our age, education, economic status, or insecurities – Jesus asks us to be ‘fishers of people’ and use our God-given gifts and abilities in God’s service.
Like Simon and Andrew, James and John, may we have the courage to leave behind our nets.
I invite each of you to consider: How does the message of Jesus challenge your own ‘established norms’? In what ways is God calling you to be a ‘fisher of people’ in your own context? How can you, like the disciples, leave behind your nets—those comforts, habits, and familiar patterns—to embrace a life of deeper meaning and service?
This week, I encourage you to take a moment each day to reflect on these questions. Seek ways, no matter how small, to live out the values of the Kingdom of God in your daily interactions—values of love, justice, and mercy.
The call to follow Christ is a call to a life of purpose and service, transcending the worldly pursuits that so often entangle us. As you step into this new week, open your heart to the possibilities that God has in store for you. Embrace the opportunity to be a beacon of God’s love in a world in need. Remember the good news begins with Jesus and with Jesus’ disciples – those who carry the word forth.
The door is open, and God’s hand is extended. Will you follow?
Amen.
[1] Mark 1:1, New Revised Standard Version (“NRSV”)
[2] Mark 6:17-18, NRSV
[3] Mark 1:14, NRSV
[4] “The Gilded Age,” as a historical term, was coined by Mark Twain in his 1873 novel “The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today,” which satirized an era of serious social problems masked by a thin gold gilding.
[5] Mark 1:17, NRSV