THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Saturday, May 22. Mark 1:14-20
to their own proper business when Jesus called them (v. 19) and thejr, too, unhesi tatingly obeyed; they not only left their boats and nets but their father as well (cf. Matt. 10:37).
The imprisonment of John led Jesus to forsake Judea for Galilee (v. 14 cf._Matt. 4:12). It was an act of prudence on His part. He began with the same message with which John had begun (v. IS cf. Matt. 4:17; 3:2). Part of His cry, “Repent ye,” was the same as that of the Old Testament prophets (Is. 55:7; Jer. 3:22; Ezek. 14:6; 18:30; 33:11). But there was an addition, “Believe the "glad tidings.” The kingdom of God was at hand because the King Him self was at hand. If the Jews had received Jesus, He would have set up the kingdom of God then and there. As He was rejected and crucified, the outward establishment of the kingdom was postponed. Simon and Andrew were attending to their own proper business when Jesus called them into His work (v. 16 cf. Ex. 3:1-4; 1 Kings 19:19-21; Matt. 9:9).-Jesus called them into a work of the same character as that they were al ready doing : hitherto they had been fishing for fish, now they were to fish for men. The ordinary fisher catches fish to kill and eat them; the Gospel fisherman catches men to make them alive and feed them. Jesus gave a commandment, “Come ye after me,” and a promise, “I will make you fishers of men.” Commandments and promises al ways go hand in hand in the teachings of Jesus. The day came when Jesus’ promise to Peter was so wonderfully fulfilled that, Peter caught more men at a single haul than he did fish on this day (Acts 2:14-44). The one great condition of success in fishing for men is “following Jesus” and anyone who is not a fisher of men is not a follower of Jesus. Simon and Andrew showed that they had believed Jesus and appreciated His call by leaving all and following Him (cf. Luke 5:11). The one who would follow Him must forsake all (Matt. 16:24; Luke 14:33). Forsaking all for Jesus pays well; for those who forsake all gain all for time and eternity (Matt. 19:27-29). There is no hesitation in their obedience, “straight way.” James and John were also attending
Sunday, May 23. m Mark 1:21-28.
The word translated “astonished” in verse 22 is a very strong word, and this was fre* quently the result of Jesus’ teaching (Matt. 7:28; 13:54; John 7:46). That which as tonished them was that He was not a mere commentator on what ancient men of God had said, but “He taught them as one that had authority,” i. e., as one who had Him self been directly taught from God. They recognized that a God-sent man with a God-sent message w^s speaking. Jesus, in deed, claimed authority above that of ¡Moses and all the ancient men who spoke from God (Matt. 5:21, 22, 33, 34; Luke 11:32; John 3:3; Heb. 1:1, 2). We, too, ought to teach “with authority,” but we can only do it when we “speak as the oracles of God” -(1 Pet. 4:11). There was one man in the synagogue who especially needed help, a man who had come under the power of an unseen but real person, “an unclean spirit.” Demoniacal possession is quite common to day in China and other heathen lands and is not unknown in our own lands in certain kinds of lunacy and some forms of clair voyance and spiritualism. The presence of Jesus filled the demon with terror. He recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God” and he knew his own doom would soon come and he feared that the hour had al ready come. “Art thou come to destroy us?” he shrieks in terror. The presence of Jesus always stirs up the Devil and his minions. It is not a bad sign to have the Devil rage jn a community or a church. The terror of this demon at the approach of Jesus may suggest to us how evil men will feel when He comes again. The Devil and every form of evil always asks to be “let alone,” but Christ will not let them alone (1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14). This demon had the most correct and accurate knowledge
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