I was reading through the opening chapters of the Gospel of Mark recently and I was struck by the words of Jesus. Mark, likely the first of the Biblical Gospels to be written according to scholars, bypasses the lengthy genealogies & family history of Jesus. He begins with a prophecy about John the Baptist and hastily speeds through the baptism & temptation of Jesus. Without explanation, John is then sent to prison and Mark places Jesus in Galilee to begin his ministry. “The time has come,” Jesus proclaims. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). These verses serve as a thesis for the remainder of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus begins his ministry of bold proclamation regarding the kingdom of God. He calls Simon & Andrew with a simple exhortation: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:18). He reproaches the evil spirit in Mark 1:25 by saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” I was struck at the power of the words of Christ. This ain’t your Momma’s VBS flannelboard Jesus. This is a prophetic figure with an ordained mission to proclaim to goodness of God and the coming of His kingdom. And I’m stirred by the power of his words. I want to follow this man, to hear him speak, to feel the passion in his call. As the old song says, is there any way you could say no to this man? Certainly not this Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus, for heralding the kingdom of God. Certainly the time has come for your people to feel the power of the Word, the living Word, enfleshed within and among us. May we as your followers bear the same ministry of proclamation in your honor. May the Kingdom you proclaimed be represented in your people. Guide me to a God-honoring, Kingdom-oriented lifestyle. Maranatha, Jesus.