Come Follow Me

Reflections on the Markan Jesus

Mathews

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781532605185
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

The message of Jesus Christ is timeless, and has never been more relevant than in our own day. Jesus' life, ministry, and teachings have inspired billions of people throughout the ages to follow him. The Gospel of Mark was the first gospel written, and presents the story of Jesus in a way that is dynamic, exciting, and profound. In thirty-one brief, accessible chapters, pastor and theologian S. H. Mathews reflects on the most significant passages in Mark's gospel. Whether used as a month-long daily devotional or as a guide to reading Mark's gospel, this book will be a trusted companion for those who seek to follow Jesus, or to understand his life and message more clearly.

1

Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him

Mark 1:16–20

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

The first passage we will study together finds Jesus beginning his ministry in his home region of Galilee. Most of Jesus’ ministry took place in the quiet setting of the villages and hills around the Sea of Galilee. As Jesus walked along the shore, he saw two sets of brothers, and called them to follow him. There is more meaning in this call than often meets the eye.

First, notice that Jesus found them fishing. They were busy at their family business. Simon and Andrew were fishing, while James and John were just about to start. Jesus didn’t find idle men who followed him because they had nothing better to do. He called his early disciples away from an active, productive life of providing for themselves and their families. Discipleship carries a cost. Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned against “cheap grace” and urged us to count the cost of discipleship. We would do well to consider this. As the Gospel of Mark unfolds before us, we find that the call of Jesus is a call to full and total commitment.

Next, stop and think about what Jesus really meant when he said he would send them out to fish for people. These men were fishermen who ate and sold fish. What kind of fish? Dead ones, of course! Being caught in a fisherman’s net was a death sentence for a fish. No catch-and-release fishing in Galilee! Even as Jesus called them to follow him, he indicated the nature of their ministry—they would call people to lay down their lives in the service of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus calls us to follow him, he does not call us simply to be religious do-gooders, but to give—and to call others to give—full commitment to Christ.

Take a look at whom Jesus calls here: two sets of brothers fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Two sets of rivals. Each day when they went out to fish, they competed for the catch. The rivalry between Peter and John is actually pretty well documented in the gospels. For example, in John 20:2–4, the two men were running to the empty tomb after hearing that Jesus had risen from the dead. John makes sure to tell his readers that he, not Peter, got to the tomb first! Peter and John had probably known each other from boyhood, and were (like most young Jewish men of their time), fiercely competitive. Yet Jesus called them both as equals. The call of Christ places us under subordination to him, and compels us to put aside human differences.

Finally, notice the emphasis Mark has placed on these men leaving their nets, families, and hired men. They are not taking a break from their work—they are quitting and walking away. Our own world is much more forgiving of this kind of behavior than first-century Galilee. In their world, everyone knew his or her place, and could measure how his or her status compared to someone else’s. One’s station in life was established by his or her birth, profession, tribe, gender, or some other factor over which each person had no control.

Jesus called these men to leave the familiar, the comfortable, and the acceptable to follow him. He called them to think of themselves differently than they ever had before, and to see themselves differently than others saw them. Jesus called them to take on a new identity.

There is much more to the call of Christ than meets the eye. Let’s think about how the call to follow Jesus might apply to your life.

First, let’s think of the cost of discipleship. Is there something that God is asking of you that you are holding back? Is there a price you don’t want to pay? Are you trying to keep your day job of fishing while being a part time follower of Jesus Christ?

This leads us to a second question, about being caught like a fish. In Mark 8:34, Jesus said that if anyone wants to follow him, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and come after him. The call of Jesus is a call to give ourselves up in radical obedience to God. Have you laid down your life, your desires at the feet of Christ? Are you willing to die to self and live for Christ?

Think about the rivalry between Peter and John. They competed with each other, and for all we know they may not have liked each other very much, but Jesus called them both to follow him. Is there someone with whom you can’t get along? As a follower of Jesus, how can you work to put aside your own conflicts and follow Jesus together?

One more thing: think about the call of Jesus to these men to walk away from their roles in society, from the way they saw themselves. Jesus called them to think about themselves in a new way. Are you thinking of yourself in a way that hinders you from following Christ’s call? Do you see yourself as too weak, too sinful, too shy, too uneducated, or too insignificant to pursue the call of Christ? Do your past actions, addictions, and relationships still define you? What about the way other people see you? Do you cling so tightly to the opinion of others about your place in the world that you can’t just put down the nets and walk away? What will it take for you to change the way you see yourself and answer Christ’s call?

As you read over this passage, pray for God to reveal his call to you. If you are already a follower of Jesus, then perhaps he is calling you to a specific ministry. Ask God to show you his call clearly, and to give you the strength to accept it. If you are not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, this call is for you. Acts 17:30 says that God is calling “all people everywhere to repent.” That means that just as Jesus called these men by the Sea of Galilee to follow him, he is calling you to follow him as well. Our subsequent reflections on Mark’s gospel will reveal much more about what it means to follow Jesus. Will you leave your nets behind and come after him?

2

Jesus Trades Places With Us

Mark 1:40–45

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Word had spread about Jesus’ ministry of healing and deliverance, so a leper came to him and asked for healing. He confessed faith in Jesus’ ability to heal him, but he could never have expected Jesus to respond the way he did. Jesus loved him, touched him, then traded places with him! Let’s take a closer look.

The man came to Jesus on his knees, believing that Jesus could heal him of his leprosy. Leprosy, known today as Hansen’s Disease, was a particularly cruel affliction. It is a chronic bacterial infection which causes open sores on the skin, nerve damage, and muscle wasting. It is highly contagious. The Hebrew term for leprosy means “the scourge.”1 As the disease progressed, the victim would often lose fingers and teeth, along with large patches of skin. Leprosy could be a slow, painful death. Because it was so contagious, lepers were immediately quarantined outside of villages and cities, as Moses commanded in Leviticus 13:45–46. A diagnosis of leprosy was one of the most terrifying experiences of the ancient world. It often ruined entire families. If the husband and father contracted leprosy, he could not earn a living. It is no wonder that when word got out that Jesus was able heal diseases that this man came to seek his help. He did not simply want to be cured of a disease—he wanted his life back!

Notice Jesus’ response—the New International Version of the Bible says he was indignant. Some other versions say “moved with compassion”. Clearly, Jesus was upset, but why? Based on the way the leper approached him with humility and faith, Jesus was not indignant at the leper. In fact, he showed his compassion to the leper. So why was he indignant? I think Jesus was indignant at the sight of the man’s suffering. This man was made in the image of God, loved by God, and was now suffering a terrible disease. Sin had so corrupted the universe that people suffered and died from cruel diseases. Though sometimes God feels far away, our suffering matters to Him.

The leper could never have guessed what would happen next. Jesus touched him! He touched a leper! How long had it been since this leper had felt the friendly touch of another person? He was unclean, and no one would touch him for fear of contracting his disease. But Jesus touched him. That’s the deep love of Jesus. He did not simply heal this leper of his disease. He treated him like a person worthy of love and affection. To Jesus, no one is untouchable.

We might puzzle over what Jesus did next, until we see it in light of his great love and compassion. He told the leper not to tell anyone what he had done, but to go and show himself to the priest. The Law of Moses commanded that a person healed from leprosy show himself to the priest for confirmation. When the priest confirmed the healin...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him
• Chapter 2: Jesus Trades Places With Us
• Chapter 3: Jesus Values the Soul Above the Body
• Chapter 4: Jesus Changes Everything
• Chapter 5: Why was Jesus Angry?
• Chapter 6: Jesus Can Pardon all Sins but One
• Chapter 7: Cultivation of the Heart
• Chapter 8: Jesus Calms the Sea
• Chapter 9: Jesus Sends His First Missionary
• Chapter 10: Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
• Chapter 11: Jesus Walks on the Water
• Chapter 12: Jesus Teaches about True Purity
• Chapter 13: Jesus Rewards Improbable Faith
• Chapter 14: Jesus Warns Against Spiritual Arrogance
• Chapter 15: Jesus is the Messiah: Peter’s Great Confession
• Chapter 16: Jesus Reveals His Glory
• Chapter 17: Jesus Helps Our Unbelief
• Chapter 18: Jesus Blesses Little Children
• Chapter 19: Jesus the “Good Teacher”
• Chapter 20: Jesus Enters the Temple
• Chapter 21: If you do not forgive . . .
• Chapter 22: Render Unto Caesar
• Chapter 23: Jesus Teaches the Greatest Commandment
• Chapter 24: Jesus Will Return for his Elect
• Chapter 25: No One Knows the Hour
• Chapter 26: Calculation vs. Devotion
• Chapter 27: Jesus Institutes a New Covenant
• Chapter 28: Jesus, King of the Jews
• Chapter 29: Jesus Forsaken
• Chapter 30: And Peter
• Chapter 31: Jesus’ Disciples Continue His Work
• Bibliography