I've always been challenged by the words Jesus said- the red letters in the Bible- because they express the truths that he held in his heart. There is much more to the good news of Jesus Christ, no doubt. We could discuss the context in which he lived... and his words can never be separated from his acts. Indeed, it was his acts that gave authority to his words, but for now, we will consider the red letters in the Bible.... beginning with Mark 1:15.
Most scholars believe that Mark was the first Gospel written, and if this is true, the first thing that Jesus said in the Bible is; "The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" In the Greek world of Jesus' day, there was Chronos time, as in ordinary time, and there was Karios time, as in sacred time. There is the ordinary passage of time... and then there is the time when we fell in love, or bought our first house, or got our first promotion. There are ordinary days... and there are sacred days... when our children were born. Transplant patients and AA members celebrate new "birthdays," on which their lives began again. Christians talk about being "born again," and many of them remember the day on which they opened their heart to Jesus Christ. We have Independence Day and Memorial Day. There is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and even the Sabbath (which was always meant to be kairos time).
From the closing of Malachi to the beginning of Mark, nothing seemed to change. Countries rose and fell, people were born and died, rulers came and went, but life remained the same. For centuries, most people on earth worshiped a variety of different gods... and the people, Israel, tried to please the one true God, whom they believed had chosen them for service. They tried to keep the faith, but believing became increasingly difficult as the years passed without a blessing or a sign from God... and to make matters worse, they believed that it was their own fault that they were not being blessed. Skeptics doubted if God would ever act, and believers believed that their own sin kept God from acting. So, each Chronos day passed like the one before it- without hope or promise,
But then, suddenly, John the Baptist, began to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. God was coming and coming soon, he said. Come to the river, he said, and undergo a baptism in which you will die to your old nature, and experience a new birth, based on trust. God is at hand, the Baptist said. Your time has come, he cried. Come to the river now, he pleaded, because this moment may never come again. If you seize the moment, today will be the day of your salvation... but you must seize the moment. No one has ever been saved in the future. Now is the only time you have. So, drop what you're doing. Let nothing stand in your way... and come to the river! Let your old nature go. Let it die... and experience a new birth in God's grace.
John, according to the Jewish historian, Josephus, drew massive crowds. They were big enough to concern Herod and other powerful people, Besides, John often criticized Herod and condemned his life style, which cost John his freedom and then his life. But since John was called to point the way to Jesus, it was fitting that, when he was imprisoned, Jesus uttered his first recorded words, The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" Friends, this is the truth of it- in Christ Jesus, the kingdom of God has come near! He's knocking at the door of our hearts...now. He's speaking to us in a thousand different ways... every day. He show's his face... in our soup lines, business offices, alleyways, and our next door neighbors. He speaks to us in our worries, our dreams, and through our tears. He is inviting us- inviting you- to lay down our burdens and to yoke ourselves to him because his yoke is easy.
It's a story that you can read about in Mark 1, but it's also a life-changing truth that you can experience NOW. Yes, these ancient words are living today... and Jesus is speaking to me and to YOU! Repent, he says. Give up your old ways. Turn your back on your sins and your self-will.. Let them go,,, and trust in the Good News... that whosever believes in Jesus Christ will never, ever die!
No comments:
Post a Comment