Mark 1:14, the first verse of our Gospel Lesson for January 24th, states that Jesus “came into Galilee”, thereby establishing the geographical setting for the first half of the Gospel according to Mark. Jesus came “proclaiming the gospel of God” and did that proclaiming not only with preaching words but also teaching words – and deeds! That’s his ministry.

An introduction to a commentary on Mark’s Gospel that I have, uses twenty-five pages to lay out the meaning of “gospel.” Yet Mark the writer of the Gospel takes just two verses, almost as if he had been challenged to say what Jesus’ message was while standing on one foot! While Mark as a whole presents the gospel about Jesus (Mk 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”), our particular Gospel Lesson for this Sunday - Epiphany 3 (Mk 1:14-20) - summarizes the gospel Jesus preached in these words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

What Jesus preaches is “the gospel of God” (Mk 1:14). The difference between this phrase (“gospel of God”) and the phrase “the gospel of Jesus Christ” (in Mk 1:1) is significant. Mark 1:1 uses “gospel” in the sense that Paul and the earliest Christian tradition (1 Corinthians 15:1-6) did: the good news about Jesus. In Mark 1:14, however, “gospel” is what Jesus preached about the kingdom of God.

We will be utilizing Mark’s remaining first chapter in the next two weeks. As we know, Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the three – he is very brief, yet precise, in what he wrote.