2018 – Third
Sunday of Ordinary Time
First Reading: Jonah
3:1–5, 10, Psalm 25:4–9, Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29–31
Gospel: Mark
1:14–20
In this Sunday’s
Gospel we find Jesus beginning his public ministry with these words, “The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the
gospel.” (Mark 1:15) This is the very heart of our Lord’s preaching, so we need
to pay close attention to what he says. There are three parts to this
proclamation that are important for us to understand. First, what does Jesus
mean by, “the time is fulfilled”? Just what time is he speaking about? Then how
does the “kingdom of God” fit into this special time? Lastly what do the
actions “repenting and believing” have to do with the previous two statements?
Let us first look
at the “time” Jesus speaks of? How has it been fulfilled? This is the time that
God is acting in the world to do what he has always promised that he would do. The
promised occasion that God would came and redeem his people, those who were
trapped in a cycle of sin and perpetual idolatry. The Psalmist sought for this
time when he prayed, “Remember us, Lord, with the favor you show to your
people, visit us with your salvation.” (Psalm 106:4) Jesus becomes this action
of God in person. He is the bringer of salvation that the people of Israel
desired so long for. Now God himself was in their very midst, he is not far
off, but was present right there with them.
Ok, if this is the
time that God is acting, then what does the “kingdom” have to do with it? How
was it then, “at hand”? There are three ways that the “kingdom of God” is
normally explained. First that Jesus himself is the “kingdom”. Where he is,
there is the “kingdom of God”. As Jesus says in Luke’s Gospel, “But if it is by
the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon
you.” (Luke 11:20) Ok, yes that makes sense. What about the second approach,
how does it work? It says that when Jesus is at work in us, when we allow
ourselves to become his disciples, then we become the kingdom in person. The
kingdom wells up inside of us and we show it forth through our actions. Ok,
that approach has some truth to it as well. Now, how about the third way? Here
the Church itself as the “body of Christ” becomes the presence of God’s kingdom
on earth. So, when you come to Mass or the other Sacraments are celebrated,
then you enter the kingdom. So, which one is it? I would have to say all three.
They all work together to form a complete picture of the “kingdom of God” at work
in creation. Jesus himself and his actions are at the center of them all, if
you remove him, then any of the three views fall apart.
This then helps us
along our journey to understand Jesus’ preaching more clearly, he is telling us
that God is acting to give life to the world and that he is the center of that
work. But he is not going to do this alone. He needs true disciples, members of
his body, his Church, to make the kingdom manifest and present at all times.
This leads to the third part of Jesus proclamation, “repent and believe”,
meaning that you cannot live a life contrary to the world’s Lord and King, who
is Jesus, and be a part of his kingdom. This word “repent” is more the just
confessing your sins. There is more to it than to say yes God, “I know I am a
sinner.” It a complete change of direction in one’s life to become Jesus’ faithful
disciple. It is the action of giving up our past life and whatever is keeping
us away from God, and leaving it all behind, in order to follow Jesus.
Look at how this
works out in today’s Gospel. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, are going about
their ordinary lives as fisherman. When Jesus sees them, they are “mending
their nets” meaning, they are about the business of the world. Only concerned
with what lies before them. We can all hear them say to each other, “How are we
ever going to get these nets right, so we can fish again?” Like many of us
worried about the many things that trap us in our daily lives, those things
that keep us from hearing the call of Jesus. Whatever fears or anxieties that
we may have, they all lead to the same end, a boat full of torn nets that never
seem to get fixed. We too, have to do what the first called did, “they
immediately left their nets and followed Jesus.” This is the response that our
Lord seeks from each one of us. It is a response that requires us to act, not
just to think about it. You see its only when we get out of our old boats, our
old lives, that we will find the true “way” in life. Life in the “kingdom of God”. We do not find
this life, through a government, a political party, or some hokey spiritual
life, but in an active relationship with the living and true God, our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
This is the same
story that we find in the first reading from the Book of Jonah. The Lord comes
to Jonah and he does not want to go and tell the people in Nineveh to “repent”
and follow the living and true God, instead of lifeless false pagan idols. Why?
Because it was a massive city that was steeped it sin. So, Jonah must have said
to himself, “there is no way that I can convert those people, they will not
listen to little old me.” He does as many of us do today, he short changes the
power and action that God is willing to take. When God’s grace and mercy at
work in the world, not matter if it’s one person or a whole nation, there are
no limits or boundaries to what can happen. When Jonah does finally listen to
God, after spending time in the belly of a whale, he does give the people of
Nineveh the message to repent and like the first disciple hearing Jesus call,
that is just what they do. From the king all the way down to the last person in
the city street. They put off their old ways and turn to God. They all change
directions to serve him, and him alone. This was not just something they
thought about, but they did it in action. As we are told, God saw what they did
and how they turned from their evil ways, and he was pleased by it. See instead
of Jonah being a Book of 4 Chapters, it could have only been one, if Jonah
would have trusted and believed God from the start. But then again, the Book
would not be nearly as interesting without the whale in it and Jonah not nearly
as famous. Even so, think how much easier and less chaotic our own lives would
be, if we simply listened and acted upon God’s plans for us, instead of our own.
Practicing listening to God every day through prayer, instead of seeking him
only when we are in crises mode.
We also find the
story of “repentance and believing” in the life of the greatest preacher and
spreader of the Gospel the Church has ever seen, St. Paul the Apostle. Before
his encounter with the risen Jesus, he leads a very different life, as he says
himself, “I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it”.
(Gal 1:13) He was so far away from the truth of Jesus Christ and had so much
zeal for his old way of life, that he was killing Christians. But when he
looked upon the face of the risen Jesus, he saw the truth that God and man had
come together in the person Jesus. That this crucified and resurrected man was
indeed the promised Messiah, to redeem Israel. He saw that in the Church and
her actions, the presence of God’s kingdom was made manifest. He realized that the
faithful Christians, he was persecuting, where indeed the disciples of the one
God who has revealed himself in and through Jesus. You think his world was
turned upside down by hearing and answering Jesus call? You bet it was. St.
Paul had to radically change his direction in life, in order to follow Jesus fully
and completely. He explains this realization for us when he says, “But whatever
gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count
everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord.” (Php 3:7-8) St. Paul steps out of the boat and perceives fully what it
means to follow Jesus. He then takes it to the next level, believing that
Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is as work in those who give
themselves to God. We do not simply walk with Jesus, but he comes to dwell
within us, lighting our path, by leading and guiding us through this often dark
and confusing world we live in. Therefore he can tell us, “I have been
crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me;
and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faithfulness of the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 3:20) This is just another way
of saying what Jesus tells us today, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” St. Paul is describing the
personal love that God has for each of us and the love that Christ has for his
Church. It’s the story of the faithful God at work in the world. It’s the story
of the faithful disciple with Christ at work in him. It’s the story of someone
who has gotten out of his boat full of turn nets to follow the one true Lord Jesus.
It should be our story also.
We are all called
to make this transformation. To leave our old selves behind in the boat and
follow Jesus. To leave behind hate and follow Jesus in love. To leave behind
fear and trouble and follow Jesus with confidence and security. To leave behind
anger and division and join Jesus in happiness and unity. To leave behind lies
and join the truth. To leave behind darkness and join the light. To leave
behind death and join life. To leave behind despair and find the joy of Christ.
To leave behind worldly cares and welcome the king of all. To leave behind
Republican and Democrat and join Jesus in the kingdom of God where only he is
Lord. To leave behind black and white and join the one family of God. This is
what happens when we get out of the boat and follow Jesus. I challenge us all
this week, look in the mirror at yourselves, look down at the nets that around
your feet, think about what is keeping you from following Christ. What is stopping
you from being the husband or wife that God wants you to be? What is stopping
you from being the mother or father that God wants you to be? What is stopping
you from being the kind business man or woman that God wants you to be? What is
stopping you from being the priest or deacon that God wants you to be? Listen
to the Lord, “repent and believe”, leave your nets behind, and follow Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment