B: 3rd Sun of OrdTime (21 Jan 2018) - "IMMEDIATELY"- Mk 1:14-20

A week after we read the calling of the first disciples in the Gospel of John, we hear today of a similar calling but from the account of Mark. Whereas the Johannine narrative allows some delaying circumstances, dialogue, or interventions prior to the following, the Markan version eliminates any sign of resistance or second-thoughts to the call. When Jesus invited Simon and Andrew to be fishers of men, “immediately they left their nets and followed him” (v. 18). Similarly, when he enjoined James and John, they instantaneously left their father and co-workers behind—this event Mark qualifies as happening “immediately” (v. 20).

The suddenness motif is present all throughout the Gospel of Mark. The Greek adverb “euthus” (“immediately”) occurs 41x therein as opposed to the 9x it appears in the other gospels: 5x in Matthew, once in Luke, and 3x in John. This is so because biblical commentators adjudge that the historical context behind Mark’s composition—most probably between 66-70 CE—is the persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero of Rome. It is then understandable why there is a sense of rush in the storytelling. It was written in accord to the contextual fear that at any point, the Markan community/audience may be martyred.

Yet, this quick pace refers only to the following of the Lord in response to Jesus’ first preaching: “The kingdom of God is at hand” (v. 15). But in terms of comprehending that Jesus is the Messiah, the opposite happens: it is such a slow pace in the Markan text to the point that Jesus reprimands his disciples often because of their lack of faith. In fact, even at the very end, before he ascended into heaven, Jesus “upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen” (Mk 16:14). What Mark points out is that the disciples’ initial immediate commitment to follow Jesus is indeed admirable, but it remains half-baked and needs to be formed fully. Unfortunately, they have failed to do this themselves… so true of the maxim “haste makes waste”.

The Duterte Philippine Administration is characterized by its suddenness. In the blink of an eye, we just wake up seeing that the bloody War on Drugs is operative, that political enemies are either imprisoned or under litigation, that the controversial Ferdinand Marcos is buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, that Martial Law is (re)declared in Mindanao, that China and Russia are now our main allies, that the New People’s Army is public-enemy-number-one, that the tax reform (read as price-increase-in-basic-commodities) is passed into law, and now, that the administration-critical Rappler is out of public circulation in journalism. This abruptness marks a decisive, result-oriented, and passionate government. However, obeying and understanding what one obeys are two different things. Both are equally truly important. But our present government seems to brush off the existence of the latter.

In Mark, the disciples were indeed quick to follow Jesus, but the question is: Did they understand also that quickly Jesus’ true mission? The same is true with us Filipinos, most will just say, “Why not simply obey quickly the administration’s reform orders and give it a chance to prove its worth?” Our analytical rejoinder is that we also need to understand what we are obeying so that we can check if we are on the right track and if we are performing morally sound decisions. It is because we need to own collectively any planned changes ourselves. Otherwise, we end up like the disciples, who in their haste remains faithless at the end.

- Rex Fortes, CM