Scripture Readings for January 13, 2025

Hebrews 1:1-6, Psalm 97:1, 2, 6-7, 9, Mark 1:14-20

          After I spent some time reading and thinking about what is said in today’s two readings I came to the conclusion they are trying to tell us about the time of fulfillment. Hebrews is written to people who are having doubts about whether they should continue to follow Jesus or go back to following the Jewish law. In Mark, we hear about the very beginnings of Jesus’ ministry after John the Baptist was arrested.

The introduction to the letter to the Hebrews is establishing who Jesus is because the author is going to say that because Jesus is the Son of God what comes from him is more important than any other source of information about God. For me, what is important is that Hebrews says Jesus has arrived therefore we are in the last days. Now we are in the final era when God no longer speaks in partial ways but shows us the complete picture through His Son.

This fits quite nicely with Mark’s Gospel because there Jesus says explicitly, “This is the time of fulfillment.” My question is, if both Hebrews and Mark say that Jesus’ arrival signals the time of fulfillment, what does that mean for us? What’s different from what existed before Jesus? Especially since we’re now two thousand years into this fulfillment and I’m not sure how fulfilled we all feel.

The easy part of the answer is to say that Jesus is God’s final word. That’s what Hebrews is saying to readers and it’s what all the Gospel’s tell us, especially John’s Gospel which talks about Jesus as the Word of God. It’s why the Church often talks about having the truth. Meaning that if you look at Jesus you have God’s ultimate message to us. Don’t go anywhere else. The person of Jesus is the expression of God, the truth about God, the truth about the universe. The problem, of course, is that different people see different things in Jesus. So it’s usually not self-evident what the truth really is.

But for the moment let’s put aside those conflicts and see what the beginning of Mark’s gospel has to say about Jesus and fulfillment. The first thing I see is that Jesus is out gathering disciples. Now in New Testament times teachers never go recruiting students, students go looking for teachers and ask to study with them. Jesus is reversing that custom. If we accept that Jesus is the expression of God then this behavior suggests that God is out seeking us. We ought to expect that God wants us to be part of what God is trying to do. We shouldn’t have to be searching afar for life’s meaning. Rather God’s presence in life is trying to call us to what is meaningful and important.

In other words, this story about the calling of Andrew, Peter, John and James is not just about calling people to ministry in the Church. It’s not just for those who think about being priests or nuns or humanitarians. It’s about how God operates.

The other part of this story is how it affects the four brothers. Without hesitation they leave family and the security of the family business which owned boats, nets and had employees. For me this suggests that when we hear God’s call it changes our lives. It changes our lives in a way that needs little or no explanation or evaluation. The brothers take off and go with Jesus without hesitation. When we hear God’s call it may take us from what is familiar and secure but it’s likely to be clear to us that it fits who we are. Notice Jesus calls fishermen to become fishers of men. The path they are asked to follow is analogous to what they are currently doing. So I think God’s call is consistent and affirming of who we are. God’s call takes us to where we become our best selves. You might say, to hear God’s call, is to be called to fulfillment. I think that’s the fulfillment Jesus and Hebrews is talking about, a fulfilled life. The only question remaining is, are we paying enough attention to life and therefore listening so we can hear our call?