"Immediately"

May 18

Read: Mark 1

“Immediately”

The ministry of Jesus was fast paced… at least that is what it seems like when you are reading the gospel of Mark. Have you noticed that? In the entire gospel this word will occur 40 times… and 12 of the 40 come in chapter one alone. This term “immediately” puts the focus on the ACTIONS of Christ in some ways more than his words. This does two powerful things for us: 1.) It helps us to understand how we should act - Jesus was a person of action. 2.) It adds weight in Mark to the words Jesus does say. Just look at this short section in Chapter 1:

And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove (v.10)

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. (v.12)

And immediately (Simon and Andrew) left their nets and followed him. (v.18)

And immediately (Jesus) called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (v.20)

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. (v.21)

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. (v.23)

And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. (v.29,30)

And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. (v.42)

It doesn’t seem like life in Christ involves a lot of twiddling your thumbs and waiting around. When the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus it was like life went into over-drive! Jesus was “immediately” into the think of it… seeing the heavens, hearing the Father, led by the Spirit into the wilderness, temptation, calling people, people responding, going to the synagogue and teaching, healing the sick and casting out demons! All of this … happening back to back. This is what life is like anyways… isn’t it? “Life comes at you fast!” We can and will be worshiping and listening to a sermon at one point, then dealing with sickness, then changing jobs… whatever it is. Life is happening to us “immediately” - this is why Jesus works this way in US!

I am not trying to make life more “fast paced” than God is calling it to be. I am not trying to “speed up” modern life… The Lord knows it is already too hectic. But what I want us to see is that Jesus is INTENTIONAL and he is a MAN OF ACTION. I want us to see how Jesus is defined by WHAT HE DOES as much as what he SAYS. I think sometimes we function at a snails pace in the church… and could use a little more “Euthus” (Grk. “Immediatley”) in our lives. The goal: When Jesus calls us… we respond “immediately. When we face adversity (sickness or demons as an example) we do not cower in fear but boldly come to the Lord… come quickly to the Lord. This is one of the reasons I love Mark. Jesus is not a messiah who is sitting around in a room talking about spiritual stuff (he does pray and teach… no doubt) but rather he is one who is “immediately” at work in the mess of life around him. What do we need to do “immediately” today? My hunch is there is something that he Spirit is leading you in. Today is the day… no more waiting. Trust God and MOVE! Take action! Love you guys. - JDP