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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time B
January 22, 2012
Reading I: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Responsorial Psalm: 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20
At the start of the gospel according to Mark, we have a tightly worded summary of the whole book. Most translations keep to the familiar phrases:
In the Greek original this summary amounts to 33 words, every one loaded with significance. We need to look carefully at each phrase.
"After John was arrested": John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament preachers, calling their people to repentance. Only when he left the stage would the new start be made.
"Jesus came to Galilee": As far away from the temple as he could go, Jesus began to teach among the practical-minded country people.
"Proclaiming the good news of God": Not just announcing, or publishing, or even preaching, but proclaiming. The word refers to an official declaration that makes something happen. Laws are proclaimed, as are public holidays. Even nations are brought into being by a proclamation.
"Good news of God": Our English word 'gospel' - God's Spell or message - fits well here, but we need to focus on the content of the story which follows. It is not a history but a mystery.
The Greek word εὐαγγέλιον originally meant a reward for good news given to the messenger (εὔ = "good", ἀγγέλλω = "I bring a message"; the word angel is of the same root) and later "good news".The verb form of euangelion, euangelizo (transliterated "evangelism"), was used rarely in Greek literature outside the New Testament, making its meaning more difficult to ascertain. Parallel texts of the Gospels of Luke and Mark reveal a synonymous relationship between the verb euangelizo and a Greek verb "kerusso" which means "to proclaim".[1] (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelism)
"The time is fulfilled": Perhaps we have not paid enough attention to this. Mark and the other gospels declare that this is the beginning of a new era, a new creation. John even uses the words of Genesis, "In the beginning..." All that has gone before is seen as leading to this moment. I find myself surprised that we can still hold debates over the meaning of the first creation, yet take it for granted that we understand this second start for humankind.
"The kingdom of God has come near" - or "is close at hand". Again we puzzle over the expression "kingdom of God" and so readily imagine it involves a superficial change when the implication of the gospel is that it is a fundamental new structure, a radical new start. It would be interesting to see how many different metaphors we could find for this new start. In terms of evolution it might be seen as a major genetic mutation; in geological terms it is the start of a new era; in sociological terms it means revolution; in politics a 'new deal'; in education an about face, a turning upsidedown of basic principles, and in human terms an enlightenment.
"Repent": Everything hinges on this word metanoia which means a change of mind. It is much more than moral reform, more even than renewal (with its inbuilt hermeneutic of continuity). This message from God proclaims a 180 degree turn-around, and not even a U-turn that would send us back the way we came. It is a new perspective, a new insight, a new panorama that we see. It is as if we had been in a darkroom under ultra-violet light, and now the sun shines in to reveal what we had never known.
Even today there is no simple equivalent word for metanoia. What for me is certain is that the gospel is not about repentance as John preached it, as if it were telling us that looking back we should be ashamed to see the wrong we have done, and resolve to do better. This kind of conversion is far too limited to satisfy the mystery that Mark will present us with. What keeps us chained is not our lack of effort to live better, cleaner, holier lives, but our lack of vision as to the mystery that is embodied in Jesus.
"Believe the good news": Again we argue about words and produce formulas of faith to which we are supposed to give intellectual assent. What is called for here is trust, a commitment of total surrender to this new creation, with complete trust in the spirit which overshadowed Jesus. By the end of this book we are going to be challenged to accept that it is possible to walk on water, to move mountains, even to rise from the dead, but if we are going take this journey with Jesus we must have trust. Trust that this is God's work, that the Spirit is active in this mystery we call Jesus and will be active in us too.
I have found this commentary most difficult to write, and the reason is easy to see. How can I write about what I do not believe? How can I express in words what I do not see in my head and feel in my heart? A question has occurred as I've worked through this text: Have I ever in my life met one who did comprehend these 33 words and live totally in their spirit and depth? If so, I can't put my finger on who it was. I have lived a whole life among religious men and women in the churches and out of the churches; I have followed people of vision, I have worked with people dedicated to giving every ounce of their energy, of themselves to the cause of right, but have I ever met one who entrusted their whole self to the Mystery that is Jesus? We glimpse the Mystery as in a mirror, darkly. That is our situation, and why should anyone be surprised that our grip on the Mystery is tenuous.
As we begin to follow the story Mark presents, the essential gospel, may we not presume too much. The story will tell of these disciples, so ready to leave their nets and boats and follow Jesus at the start, that they were still floundering at the end. History will tell that the way the Mystery was embodied in our experience down the ages was anything but true to the ideal. Today we are no nearer its realisation than were those four on that first day. Is this to say that the "kingdom of God" has not come nearer in 2000 years? I don't know, but I would say that our journey has to start afresh every day and come to the same point in the end. To follow Jesus is to be involved in Mystery.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news." [New Revised Version]
proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news." [New Revised Version]
In the Greek original this summary amounts to 33 words, every one loaded with significance. We need to look carefully at each phrase.
"After John was arrested": John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament preachers, calling their people to repentance. Only when he left the stage would the new start be made.
"Jesus came to Galilee": As far away from the temple as he could go, Jesus began to teach among the practical-minded country people.
"Proclaiming the good news of God": Not just announcing, or publishing, or even preaching, but proclaiming. The word refers to an official declaration that makes something happen. Laws are proclaimed, as are public holidays. Even nations are brought into being by a proclamation.
"Good news of God": Our English word 'gospel' - God's Spell or message - fits well here, but we need to focus on the content of the story which follows. It is not a history but a mystery.
The Greek word εὐαγγέλιον originally meant a reward for good news given to the messenger (εὔ = "good", ἀγγέλλω = "I bring a message"; the word angel is of the same root) and later "good news".The verb form of euangelion, euangelizo (transliterated "evangelism"), was used rarely in Greek literature outside the New Testament, making its meaning more difficult to ascertain. Parallel texts of the Gospels of Luke and Mark reveal a synonymous relationship between the verb euangelizo and a Greek verb "kerusso" which means "to proclaim".[1] (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelism)
"The time is fulfilled": Perhaps we have not paid enough attention to this. Mark and the other gospels declare that this is the beginning of a new era, a new creation. John even uses the words of Genesis, "In the beginning..." All that has gone before is seen as leading to this moment. I find myself surprised that we can still hold debates over the meaning of the first creation, yet take it for granted that we understand this second start for humankind.
"The kingdom of God has come near" - or "is close at hand". Again we puzzle over the expression "kingdom of God" and so readily imagine it involves a superficial change when the implication of the gospel is that it is a fundamental new structure, a radical new start. It would be interesting to see how many different metaphors we could find for this new start. In terms of evolution it might be seen as a major genetic mutation; in geological terms it is the start of a new era; in sociological terms it means revolution; in politics a 'new deal'; in education an about face, a turning upsidedown of basic principles, and in human terms an enlightenment.
"Repent": Everything hinges on this word metanoia which means a change of mind. It is much more than moral reform, more even than renewal (with its inbuilt hermeneutic of continuity). This message from God proclaims a 180 degree turn-around, and not even a U-turn that would send us back the way we came. It is a new perspective, a new insight, a new panorama that we see. It is as if we had been in a darkroom under ultra-violet light, and now the sun shines in to reveal what we had never known.
Even today there is no simple equivalent word for metanoia. What for me is certain is that the gospel is not about repentance as John preached it, as if it were telling us that looking back we should be ashamed to see the wrong we have done, and resolve to do better. This kind of conversion is far too limited to satisfy the mystery that Mark will present us with. What keeps us chained is not our lack of effort to live better, cleaner, holier lives, but our lack of vision as to the mystery that is embodied in Jesus.
"Believe the good news": Again we argue about words and produce formulas of faith to which we are supposed to give intellectual assent. What is called for here is trust, a commitment of total surrender to this new creation, with complete trust in the spirit which overshadowed Jesus. By the end of this book we are going to be challenged to accept that it is possible to walk on water, to move mountains, even to rise from the dead, but if we are going take this journey with Jesus we must have trust. Trust that this is God's work, that the Spirit is active in this mystery we call Jesus and will be active in us too.
I have found this commentary most difficult to write, and the reason is easy to see. How can I write about what I do not believe? How can I express in words what I do not see in my head and feel in my heart? A question has occurred as I've worked through this text: Have I ever in my life met one who did comprehend these 33 words and live totally in their spirit and depth? If so, I can't put my finger on who it was. I have lived a whole life among religious men and women in the churches and out of the churches; I have followed people of vision, I have worked with people dedicated to giving every ounce of their energy, of themselves to the cause of right, but have I ever met one who entrusted their whole self to the Mystery that is Jesus? We glimpse the Mystery as in a mirror, darkly. That is our situation, and why should anyone be surprised that our grip on the Mystery is tenuous.
As we begin to follow the story Mark presents, the essential gospel, may we not presume too much. The story will tell of these disciples, so ready to leave their nets and boats and follow Jesus at the start, that they were still floundering at the end. History will tell that the way the Mystery was embodied in our experience down the ages was anything but true to the ideal. Today we are no nearer its realisation than were those four on that first day. Is this to say that the "kingdom of God" has not come nearer in 2000 years? I don't know, but I would say that our journey has to start afresh every day and come to the same point in the end. To follow Jesus is to be involved in Mystery.