Having worked through Mark’s prologue (v. 1-13), we have been given all the information needed to understand who Jesus is. Before Mark begins the account of His ministry, he gives the readers the answer to the question everyone in the book grapples with. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is the Messiah, anointed with the Spirit. The sinless Lamb has identified Himself with sinners through a baptism of repentance and stood in their place through testing in the wilderness. Through this extended introduction, Mark has demonstrated that Jesus bears the authority and divinity of almighty God. He is God in the flesh. So, when Jesus comes declaring, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel,” we hear the unequivocal voice of God calling us to Himself. Jesus is bringing the Kingdom of God to pass.
On the heels of this declaration, Mark gives a condensed version of Jesus’ authoritative call to four fishermen. The command He gives is simple and to the point...Follow me. Mark shows us a definitive picture of what repenting and believing look like. Sunday, we will examine Jesus’ call to follow Him and the promise embedded in that call. Likewise, these four men will radically respond to Jesus’ call. Today, Jesus still calls sinners to leave their old lives and follow Him. Later in Mark 8:34-35, Jesus will tell the crowd the same thing. "34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ’If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.’" Sunday, we will examine the calling of these fishermen who would eventually turn the world upside down. Although it doesn’t seem initially evident, when we compare the timeline between Mark 1:16-20 with John 1:35-40, we see just how applicable this call is for us today.
I. The Content Of Jesus’ Call (16-17)
II. The Promise Within Jesus’ Call (17)
III. The Response To Jesus’ Call (18-20)
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