Gospel of Mark Day 1 ~ Mark 1:1-20

So, obviously, keeping up with this blog has not been a strength for me, or for any of us who started out together.  And now all of our study groups here at FRPC are going in different directions with their studies: Thursdays' Women is returning to Timothy and Titus; the Wednesday night Bible Study is returning to Revelation; and the Sunday sermons are going to delve into 6 Presbyterian Beliefs (after finishing the Apostle's Creed this week).  But for those of you who have been trying to follow the blog or those who would now like to read along, the Women on Wednesday are going to study the Gospel of Mark over the next 6 weeks.  I will take this opportunity to share scenes and thoughts from my pilgrimage to Israel last year and how that pilgrimage has brought particular Gospel stories to life for me as we read through the Gospel of Mark.

Mark, of course, starts out by just jumping right in.  He doesn't start with Jesus birth or even with his lineage, but rather with his forerunner, John the Baptist.  In fact, he starts before then - he starts with Isaiah's pointing to the forerunner.  He starts with Jewish history and Scripture, because that is precisely where the story starts.  Well, if you ask John, it begins before the beginning, but you know what I mean.  Our Christian faith is rooted in God's saving history in, with, for, among His chosen people, Israel.

John was baptizing folks in the Jordan River.  And it was to the Jordan that Jesus came to be baptized.  I have to confess I was disappointed somewhat at seeing the Jordan River.  It has been commercialized and the more natural parts are, to say the least, off limits.  In fact, in about 20 languages they are "off limits."  But none-the-less, people to this day come there to be baptized (as you can see) and there is something sacred to sticking your feet in the very water in which Jesus himself was baptized.

It struck me as I read this morning and as the WOW group has previously discussed that it is the very same Spirit, the Spirit of God, that descends on Jesus at his baptism, that also sends him out into the desert.  Interesting how the Spirit sometimes leads through and into places which we DO NOT want to go.  And yet, while Jesus was in the wilderness with the wild animals, angels were sent to minister to him. He was not alone.

So, then, Jesus goes to the Sea of Galilee... otherwise known by the locals as the lake.  It is a lake, really.  And a beautiful one at that!  Although, I suppose I'm biased having spent a week in a nice hotel with awesome food overlooking the "lake."  *sigh*



Jesus goes and calls Peter, Andrew, James and John who are all fishermen.  That's their livelihood; their family's livelihood - fishing.  Probably not so much like the two guys fishing on the lake at sunrise that I caught on film, but rather, they used big nets thrown from what we would consider small fishing boats.  In fact, the picture to the right is a first century fishing boat that was dredged up from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee.  Cool, eh?

And Jesus says to these fishermen: "follow me."  And what do they do?  Hem and haw and waiver?  Plant their feet in the dirt, crossing their arms and turning away?  Keep on working like they don't hear?  NO!  They immediately drop their nets and follow Jesus.  Hmmm...  Wonder if I'm really as much like these four disciples as I should be or could be?  Doubtful.  But Praise the Lord!  God's not finished with me yet.