On the Back Porch
The 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
What We Celebrate
The Gospel of Mark begins: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) And then in the following 13 verses, Mark introduces John the Baptist and his ministry in the wilderness “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (vv. 2-8), describes Jesus being baptized (vv.9-11), and then simply describes Jesus being driven by the Spirit into the wilderness (vv. 12-13). Then, in an equally abbreviated style, Mark simply states that John has been imprisoned as he refers in passing to the whole story of John’s denunciation of Herod for immorality, and John’s consequent imprisonment and death (for full account, see 6:14–29). Here, the arrest incident serves as a marker of time as John the Baptist leaves the stage and our attention is redirected. From this moment on the spotlight is on Jesus who begins to proclaim the “good news of God.” (v.14)
What does Jesus first do? He calls disciples to follow.
There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
Image credit: The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, Duccio di Buoninsegna, National Gallery of Art Washington DC PD-US
The Kingdom of God
The exact meaning of the expression “kingdom of God” is nowhere explicitly defined. In modern English we tend to think of “kingdom” as having geographical boundaries with associated royalty. The Greek word used is basileia which can mean kingdom in the same way, but as with its corresponding words in Hebrew and Aramaic, the more common meaning refers to “sovereign authority.” In the Old and New Testaments the Kingdom of God is often referred to in universal terms, but since this earth is the scene of universal rebellion against God, the Kingdom of God is the sphere in which, at any given time, His rule is acknowledged.
In video below, we trace the origins of the word “gospel” and how it ties the story of the Old Testament together with the story of Jesus and his announcement of God’s kingdom. Jesus brought God’s rule and reign to the world in a very upside-down way, which is the best news you could ask for.