A sermon on Mark 1:14-20 by Nathan Nettleton

Many people think that the call to follow Jesus is a call to commit yourself to something that is utterly irrelevant to life as it’s lived in the modern world. I’m one of those people, because that’s exactly what it is. If you want to be one of the somebodies in the modern world, do not follow Jesus. If your first priority is to be relevant, successful, respected and influential in the new millennium, give Jesus a very wide berth.

As we’ve just heard in the gospel reading, when you condense the message of Jesus’s preaching down to a sentence it is, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.” “And if you want to see what that means, follow me.”

So right here at the beginning of his preaching ministry, Jesus is quite up front about the fact that he is not saying, “Follow me and I’ll show you how to be relevant and successful in modern society and to get out of life the things you’ve always aspired to.” He’s saying “Repent” which means quite literally “Turn around, turn your back on the life you were pursuing and go completely another way.” And why? Because time’s up and the dominion of God has come near. That is to say that life as we have always known it has run its course and achieved the best it is capable of and now an alternative life, a previously unknown dimension – the realm of God – has come near enough to us that it’s possible to change sides, to jump across from the life we’ve known to a life unknown. “And this,” says Jesus, “is good news to believe in.”

Well is it? What’s so good about it? The beginning of the reading said that John the Baptiser had just been arrested and Jesus has already identified himself with John’s activity, and we know that not only does John get beheaded, but by the end of the story Jesus gets arrested too and nailed to death. So this supposed good news is not looking too promising. What’s so good about it that we’d consider turning our backs on all that this life promises to jump on such a dangerous looking bandwagon?

We’ve got to ask these questions from time to time because even though we might have made that leap at some point, often we get to another stage of life where the issues look different again and we need to ask ourselves again whether this is still a decision we want to live by, whether the news still looks good enough to justify the jump. And it is an especially pertinent question tonight, because in a few minutes, Tim, who made that jump a long time ago is intending confirm that decision again as he joins himself to this particular group of people whose common identity is found in that same decision. And reminded by Tim’s action of the significance of the decision, all of us who have been baptised into this alternative life will have the chance to reaffirm our shared decision. So we need to pause and ask ourselves again why we have crossed over. What’s so good about the news Jesus proclaims that we would choose to immerse ourselves in his life and turn our backs on everything that seems relevant and promising in the life of the modern world?

Well the answers to these questions all depend on where you stand and how you’ve experienced life.

If the world is fulfilling all its promises for you and all your deepest hopes and dreams are being fulfilled; if you’re finding that the TV commercials portray life as you really find it – that you really can have it all – that everything is attainable and that each new acquisition, experience or affiliation really does make life richer and deeper and more meaningful, then there is no point opting out. The message of Jesus will not be good news for you.

If your share of the world’s goodies is growing and they are indeed enabling you to find peace and contentment and you are not haunted by a fear that high walls and security systems might not be able to hold back the desperate masses whose share has been shrinking, then there is no point turning around. The message of Jesus will not be good news for you.

If you’re finding that the singular pursuit of pleasure and excitement and the corresponding avoidance of all pain or discomfort are actually realising for you lasting joy and freedom and integrity without causing any undesirable side effects, then you’d best stick with it. The message of Jesus will not be good news for you.

But if that’s not you then perhaps you could do with some good news. If you’re sick of following the gurus and the marketers who just keep turning up the pace on the treadmill; if you can’t stand any longer the anxiety of profiting from an economic boom built on the rape of the planet and the plundering of the poor; or if you’ve left no thrill unchased and each new high has just left you feeling sicker and lonelier and more desperate in the morning; then maybe being relevant and successful and “with it” is not all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe the news that the dominion of God has come close enough that you can jump across is good news after all.

Now it would be easy for me to stand here and pretend that it’s all that simple and to make out that having once made that choice life was all beer and skittles, but I’m not going to insult your intelligence by doing so. Every now and again things will be completely clear cut and the reasons for the choice we made will be obvious to us and easy to celebrate. But as you well know, nine times out of ten it feels more like giving up some pretty good things to risk everything on something we hope will be better. And quite often it doesn’t even feel like it’s paid off, especially in the short term.

But as was clearly the case for Simon and Andrew and James and John in the story we heard read, once you’ve actually met Jesus, no matter how much of a long shot it might seem, that call to take the plunge becomes nigh on irresistible. And for me, and I imagine for some of you too, the reason I’ll be standing by Tim and reaffirming my baptismal vows tonight is that despite all the discomfort and tension of living a life at odds with the dominant culture that surrounds me, there is an irresistibility about every taste of the living Christ that keeps me coming back for more, and even when the road is toughest and the pain of separation from the old ways most acute, the side effects of this struggle are a step by step growth in integrity, in resilience, and in ability to love. And that beats the hell out of the side effects of most of the dreams I’ve seen people chasing.