Mark 1:1-8: I Was Wrong, I Am Wrong, But Jesus Got Me

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” - Mark 1:1-8

The key part of John's message was confessing their sins and being baptized. Really, a big part of the gospel is realizing that we don't get it right and we won't get it right without Jesus' assistance. I think it is still as big a problem for Jesus' disciples 10 years into their walk as it is in the beginning. Something inside us wants to shout, "I am right!" For a person to stand up in front of a crowd and say, "I got it wrong and I keep getting it wrong but Jesus got me" is a humbling experience. After that, our self will try to claw its way back to "being right" over and over again because humility is not a posture that we naturally take. Sometimes it takes new forms, like "I got this one point better than that other person" or "I have found the best way of X. Why is it taking you so long?" but these forms are not about humility or even righteousness, they are about attempting to establish that we are or were right.

So that's why, in preparation for Jesus, John had to bring people to that "I am wrong" moment, not just enough for them to feel guilty (inside) but for them to feel ashamed (outside).

Matthew 4:17-22: Jobs, Family and the Call of Jesus

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. - Matthew 4:17-22

Jesus had a moment when he knew the time for him to start his public ministry was at hand: he had been tested in the wilderness by the devil and then he heard that his cousin John was in prison. He starts with a simple message and calls the first of his disciples (it is interesting to me that he "called" them but the word apostle means "sent one")

The reaction of his disciples always strikes me, because each decision to follow Jesus was also a decision to not follow something else and some of those seem like really hard choices: Peter, Andrew, James and John give up their fishing job, and with it, the support of their families. We know Peter was married (Mark 1:30). We knew that James and John left their father with just the hired help (Mark 1:20) It points out just how compelling Jesus and his message were. He often spoke about family as being the first ones to bear the cost of discipleship because of the strain that this new relationship placed on old, important ties. It is also important to remember that the mother of Peter was saved by Jesus' miracle, the mother of James and John traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and Jesus' brother James and mother Mary were important in helping the early church. Jesus' importance must surpass job and family, but he helps us live worthy lives for both.