Mark 1:14-19 -- Intentional Followers of Jesus

In an intentional gospel, timing is crucial.
After John is removed from the scene, with his calling completed and his time coming to a close, Jesus now picks up not only his own mission from God, but Johns message of repentance as well. "The time has come" he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus came to call all humanity to a new and different way of living and experiencing God. In a "kingdom of God".

The notion of God having a kingdom, or that it was part of God's 'good news' was a new phenomenon. Encountering this kingdom required an intentional activity on the part of each hearer - "repent and believe". He called each person to a new way of living life - He completely changes the direction of your life, based on your faith.

From the beginning, Jesus was calling people to follow him. In first century Jewish culture, for a young man to follow a rabbi was a great privilege. To be a disciple of traveling teacher was a highly sought after opportunity. Often a young man would approach a rabbi and ASK to be one of his disciples. The rabbi might ask the young person to recite for him the Torah (the first 5 books of our Bible). This was to be memorized by every Jewish young person. Assuming the young protege could recite this to the rabbis satisfaction, then the rabbi might ask him to recite sections of the writings of different prophets. Then he might pose the question "Why should I let you be my trusted disciple?

For a rabbi would pour his own life into his disciples, they would travel, eat, and be with the rabbi closely to learn not only what the rabbi taught, but what they thought, how they were influenced, how they lived. The disciple was to become "like" the rabbi in every way to be a good follower.

Often, the rabbi might reply to a prospective student "you are a fine student, and you will make a very good farmer..." The young person did not make the cut, either based on what he didn't know, or his response, or sometimes based on his family connections, or status in the community, a rabbi would not accept the young man.

Now Jesus comes along. He is not waiting for people to want to follow him, but rather calling them to an immediate life change. (consider 10:17-22) He is not looking for disciples with a standard of intellectual or social or charismatic abilities based on what the person knew or had accomplished, but rather the responsiveness of their hearts. He was not calling them to be like Him, but to be themselves (fishermen) with a new purpose - his purpose - to call people to His Fathers kingdom, for he knew that the people in His Fathers kingdom would be like him, in the ways that they needed to be.

The intentionality of following layed with Simon, Andrew, James and John. Jesus was not like other rabbi's to accept or reject them, but they - themselves - determined their own acceptance - will they follow Jesus? Do they have the propensity to lay down their lives? They passed their first test "At once they left their nets and followed him"

What about you? Does your heart have the intentionality to follow Jesus? Would you have laid your nets aside and immediately followed Him? How would you prove that today?
Reply to me and let me know how you would show your intentionality to follow Jesus today.