"Immediately!"

Mark 1:14-20

Those of you were here two weeks ago and took the Mark Quiz, or who found it in our recent newsletter, learned some interesting things about the Gospel of Mark: that it is the shortest of the four Gospels, that it does not include even a hint of the traditional Christmas story, that it was probably the first of the Gospels to be put in written form, and that Matthew and Luke used Mark as the outline for their own Gospels. These are important things to know about Mark’s Gospel; because we will be spending a lot of our time during the next year reading from it on Sunday mornings.

Now, today, I want to add something else about Mark that you may not have noticed before, even if you have read the Gospel multiple times. Mark seems to be in a big hurry! It’s because Mark uses a three letter Greek word over and over again at the start of many, many verses. The word is “kai”. You might translate that word as “and”, a word that you and I use all of the time, too. But you may recall being taught in school never to start a sentence with the word “and”. It would be fine in the middle of a sentence, but not at the start.

The word is not simply translated in the English Bible as “and”. Because it has a sense of urgency about it, the English translation of Mark’s Greek often uses the word “immediately” or the phrase “as soon as” instead of a plain old “and” to move the story along. The word “immediately” appears twice in our reading for today. Verse 18: “Immediately Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus.” And verse 20: “Immediately he called James and John and they left their father Zebedee and followed Jesus”. And it goes on in the same way, as the rest of the story unfolds. Every single one of our verses this morning begins with the word “and”, as if to emphasize that the story is continuous, without a break, without a rest, without a siesta, without a day off, the entire Gospel of Mark moves ahead breathlessly to reach its Easter conclusion.

It reminds me of Sandra, a thirteen year old girl who came to the Presbyterian youth group I ran in Rochester after school. She would burst into the room at 3:05 and then launch into a spirited recitation of all of the drama of the school day. “And then the teacher caught me passing a note. And then the teacher sent me to the office. And then the principal told me to listen to the teacher. And then the principal sent me back to the class. And then the teacher gave me extra homework. And then Margaret made a face at me when the teacher wasn’t looking. And then when I giggled I got sent back to the office a second time. And then the principal called my mother on the phone.” She could go ten minutes like this, without pausing to take a breath. And it is that same breathless quality that I hear in the words of Mark’s Gospel.

Mark is full of those breathless phrases. Not just “and”, but “immediately”. It adds a striking quality to the narrative, a great sense of urgency. It’s not just the speed of the plot, but Mark appears to be seeking an immediate response from you and me, the readers. Jesus saw the fishermen, so he goes up to them, says he will teach them how to fish for people, and then invites them to follow him as disciples. How would you respond? “Let me think about it”. Or “I need to ask my parents or my wife”, or even this more obvious response, “Leave my job?, I don’t even know who you are!” But right there in the text of the story, Mark tells us that the four fishermen left their nets immediately. They left their partners immediately. John and James left their father Zebedee immediately!

Of all the Bible scenes I wish could have a chance to look at as it actually unfolded, you know, an authentic live video from the past of the crossing of the Red Sea, the tumbling walls of Jericho, Sampson pulling down the temple of the Philistines, David standing before Goliath, I think I would most like to see the look on old Zebedee’s face when he sees his two sons walk off from the only job they’ve ever had. “You’re going to do what??!!”

Mark wastes no time in telling how the fishermen respond: immediately. It’s quite a contrast with the way we generally practice our faith. Most things are gradual, incremental, one step at a time, an inch here, and inch there. I have to admit that I often compare the life of faith to a slow journey, where over time we gain experiences, form relationships, and face challenges that slowly shape a mature faith for a complicated world.

Some of you have been asked by the Nominating Committee to serve as an elder, deacon or trustee. How did Pam Kenward approach you. “Think about this, pray about this, and I’ll call you in a day or two to see what you think”, or was it Eric George who confronted you with a demand for an immediate response, “I need to know yes or no, right now! Don’t dawdle, decide!”.

So I admit that the fast pace of Mark’s Gospel is a bit unsettling, and maybe even jarring. I like to slowly digest new ideas, talk them over, test them out, and talk them over some more, before I make a commitment. But the truth is I need to hear Mark’s version more often because too many people of faith would rather turn what Jesus says into something “later”, “eventually”, “down the road”, or “when we get around to it”. We manage to remove all of the urgency, all of the immediacy.

Let’s give some attention to verse 15, the very first words Jesus speaks in the Gospel of Mark: “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of the God, and saying ‘The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news’.” Or in another English translation, “The time is at hand, the kingdom of God has come, turn away from your sins and believe the good news”. What kind of church, what kind of community of faith would we be if we added even a little more immediacy to our ministry. I’m not talking about the tasks of ministry, like paving the parking lot more quickly, or singing the hymns a little faster, or doing the peace greeting in less than two minutes. I’m talking about an attitude, an orientation, a perspective in which what we offer to one another and to the world builds anticipation for the powerful presence of God, rather than patient delay.

What would we be like as a congregation if anticipation for the new things that God is doing was at the front of our thinking rather than at the back? I love how Jesus says that the right time is at hand, not somewhere down the road. I love how people responded to him. I love it when I respond more quickly!

Mark 1:14-20 (SBL Greek New Testament)

14 Καὶ μετὰ τὸ παραδοθῆναι τὸν Ἰωάννην ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ 15 καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ• μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ. 16 Καὶ παράγων παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν Σίμωνα καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ίμωνος ἀμφιβάλλοντας ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ἦσαν γὰρ ἁλιεῖς•17 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς• Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. 18 καὶ εὐθὺς ἀφέντες τὰ δίκτυα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. 19 καὶ προβὰς ὀλίγον εἶδεν Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ καταρτίζοντας τὰ δίκτυα, 20 καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς. καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν Ζεβεδαῖον ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ τῶν μισθωτῶν ἀπῆλθον ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ.