Bishop Eric Menees
This week, we continue to
examine the scriptures and witness how the person and character of Jesus is
made manifest. Over the past two weeks, we've been with Jesus at the
waters of baptism, when God the Father declared: "You are my beloved
son; with you I am well pleased." (Mark 1:11) And we have
witnessed the call of Philip and Nathanael, in which Philip modeled the
evangelistic zeal that all of us should have when he proclaimed to his friend
Nathanael: “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets
wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:46) This Sunday's gospel lesson, from Mark,
reveals more about Jesus through his call to repentance and his invitation to
follow him.
"The time is
fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the
gospel." (Mark 1: 15) Jesus'
declaration of the presence of the Kingdom of God is not metaphorical, but
physical - the Kingdom of God is present in the person of Jesus. What is
the appropriate response upon coming into Jesus' presence? Repentance!
Because we fear his judgment or wrath? NO! Rather, because we
recognize who he is in relation to who we are!
The gospel lesson
continues with the call of the sons of John and the sons of Zebedee, who I
refer to as the "Big Four" (Andrew and Simon Peter, James and John).
When we see this described in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Luke,
Jesus meets the fishermen and gets into the boat with them. Jesus tells
them to cast their nets into the sea, even though they had been unsuccessfully
toiling all night. Soon, their nets are filled to overflowing and when
they bring the heavy laden net into the boat, Simon Peter recognizes that he
is, indeed, in the presence of the Kingdom of God. Peter falls on his
knees, lifting his anguished voice to Jesus: "Depart from me, for I
am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8) This is the proper
response when coming into the presence of Jesus - this is what Jesus meant when
he said, "Repent and believe in the gospel."
How amazing and wonderful
it is that Jesus follows Simon Peter's declaration with an invitation - the
same invitation that he makes to you and to me today, and every day. "Follow
me and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:17)
Jesus, the Messiah, didn't come to condemn us or to leave us in sin.
He came to redeem us and transform our lives. And we participate
that transformation by following Jesus and spreading his message of salvation
to all people! He makes himself manifest to us, and we make him manifest
to others! That is what the Season of Epiphany is all about. And to
that I say... AMEN!
I pray you all a truly
blessed week!
Catechism Questions 64 - 66
64. What does
the Creed mean when it affirms that Jesus rose again from the dead?
It means that Jesus was not simply
resuscitated; God restored him physically from death to life in his perfected
and glorious body, never to die again. His tomb was empty; Jesus had risen
bodily from the dead. The risen Jesus was seen by his apostles and hundreds of
other witnesses. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
65. What kind of
earthly life did Jesus have after he rose from the dead?
Following his resurrection, Jesus
spent forty days visiting and teaching his followers. He appeared to his
disciples, spoke to them, invited them to touch him and see his scars, and ate
with them. (John 20:19-23; Luke 24:13-49; Acts 1:3)
66. How should you
understand Jesus’ ascension into heaven?
Jesus was taken up out of human
sight, and returned in his humanity to the glory he had shared with the Father
before his incarnation. There he intercedes for his people and receives into
heavenly life all who have faith in him. Though absent in body, Jesus is always
with me by his Spirit and hears me when I pray. (John 17:5; Acts 1:1-11)
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