Feb. 1, 2009
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany (B)
Mark 1:21-28Jesus has now chosen four men to be His first followers. They were two sets of brothers. Simon Peter and Andrew were casting their net. This is a beautiful picture of what Jesus asked them to do for men. This is the task of the evangelist. The other two brothers were James and John. They were mending their nets.
This is a vivid illustration of the role of the pastor-teacher. Simon and Andrew saw immediate results of their labor. James and John were working at the basics of maintaining and repairing their nets so the work could go forward. With less than a dozen words, Jesus changed their lives. Four fishermen left a vocation to answer a call. Jesus was preparing to invade the world not with soldiers but with evangelists, pastors and teachers.
I. The PresenceThe first time Jesus was in the temple at the age of 12 the Scriptures tell us, “...he was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (
Luke 2:46, God’s Word translation). Eighteen years later Jesus was the pastor-teacher. Rather than asking questions, He was expounding the ancient writings in such a way that cut through the
Halacoth, the
Mishna, the
Gemara, the
Midrashim and the
Hagada.
Jesus captured the attention of everyone on that Sabbath day in the synagogue. He taught in the language of the common man. He broke it down in such a way that their minds, hearts and wills were drawn to Him. They left the synagogue that day saying, “We’ve never heard a sermon like that before.”
Jesus was not only the author of what He was teaching; He was the incarnation of His teaching. What a service this must have been. The Word teaching the Word and living the Word right in front of them was more than they could grasp.
II. The ProclamationExactly what Jesus taught that day we are not certain. Based on other recorded teachings and sermons, He must have expounded about the kingdom that had come, the Law that was being fulfilled even as He spoke, and the need for regeneration. Whatever Jesus preached and taught that day, the people of Capernaum were astonished but not converted.
It wasn’t that they were hostile toward Jesus; they were indifferent. Having heard the Word, they rejected the Word. The result was judgment on the citizens of Capernaum rather than mercy. In
Matthew 11:23-24 (NKJV) Jesus declared their destiny by saying, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” There is a high price to be paid for rejecting both the teaching and the Teacher, the preaching and the Pastor.
