February 11, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ” (Matthew 4.17)

“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. He went teaching in synagogues along the way. Everyone praised Him. News about Him spread through the whole countryside. He even went so far as Nazareth, where He had been brought up.” (Luke 4.14-16a)

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.” (Mark 1.14)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Never alone. If we follow the course of Jesus following His baptism, we are introduced to the concept of “community.” Biblical scholars will remind of us a singular word which propels the gospel ministry of Jesus. That word is “immediately.” The immediacy of Mark’s gospel, the recollections of Peter as he preached the gospel in the turbulent years, reflects the urgency which Peter felt. How many times have we started a project without urgency? Not long after the beginning, we plateau in our effort and our desire. We say to ourselves, “Oh, it can wait. I have plenty of time. I’ll come back later and finish it.” It is the “gospel” of most every student from their first year until their last year (whenever that last year may be!) I have heard school dropouts, graduating high school seniors facing college, college students facing challenging life situations and those who put career before all else. Only after the fact, do I hear, “I wish I had….” We know of success stories of those who in their later years went back to get their high school diplomas or college degrees. We have some experience with that sense of urgency, nearly a state of emergency, where time was irrelevant and the task of self-importance was prioritized before all else. I don’t think this was the case for the Apostle Peter. I believe he was compelled to share the gospel with the urgency of “when Jesus returns.” The Book of the Acts of the Apostles (specifically Peter and Paul), written by Luke for Theophilus, is urged by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus in the Upper Room fifty days after Jesus was raised from the dead and ten days after He ascended into Heaven. Matthew captures the impetus with “the great commission.” We hear the immediacy of Peter’s desire to preach the gospel that very day in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit covered them with an anointing of a holy fire. The Spirit of God descended on Jesus at His baptism like a dove and voice of acclamation. The Spirit of Christ descended on the disciples like tongues of fire confirming what Jesus had said they must do in response to His request to “wait for a sign.” Peter went out to the rooftop and down the outside steps. He began a journey to the nearby Temple court preaching as one “on fire” for the sake of the gospel. He was accompanied by the other ten disciples, and perhaps those who were also in the upper room, who spoke in the languages of the Jews of the Diaspora. Ultimately, the consummation of that preaching resulted in the addition of three thousand believers. They stood in stark contrast to the Chief High Priest Caiaphas who led the Pentecost sacrifice to bless the “first fruits.” While the smoke of the sacrificial fire rose to Heaven and filled the sky overhead, the echo of the gospel filled the plaza. There was no time to waste for Peter and the rest. It was a call to the immediate need of sharing the gospel to all the world. In the words of Luke, “…from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth (notice not the world.)” (Acts 1.8)

It was the time to preach and teach. It was not the time to create a record of all that Jesus had said and done. Who had the time to write when there was an entire globe to cover with the word of God purified by the fire of His Holy Spirit. There would be time later to write, if it was needed. Why would it not be needed? A written record was not necessary if Jesus returned from Heaven to claim His holy Bride in the immediate future. Then, nearly forty years later, Jesus had not yet returned. The “story” of Jesus had gotten out into the world. More importantly, the threat of the gospel had made its inroads into Jewish and Gentile circles, specifically the talk of a mighty King of kings and Lord of lords who would rule heaven and earth in contrast to the Roman Empire, Rome itself and Caesar. The two apostolic heroes of Luke’s “Acts of the Apostles,” Peter and Paul, were facing certain death as martyrs for the cause of Christ who gave His life for the cause of humanity. The impetus of “immediacy” to get a secure record of their ministries is surely reflected in Mark’s gospel of Jesus as the Christ as presented by the teachings of Peter. There was little time to waste. There was no sense of “Eat, drink and make merry for tomorrow we may die…or still have time to get around to it when everything else is done.” Was there a similar feeling for the other gospel writers? Was Luke reeling in the death of his sometime ministry companion Paul a decade later and feeling the impetus of defending against heretical gospels and to affirm Paul’s legacy as an apostle though not one of the original twelve plus one? Was Matthew sensing the growing negative sentiment of Judaizers in both Jerusalem and in Galilee and, in light of Luke’s “gentile” gospel, felt the need to affirm the Messianic Jewish Christian testimony? And was John, as the suggested last apostle standing, then compelled to present the completed work of the gospel and the “final” Revelation before his passing? All of these present a sense of urgency and immediacy; but none like we are able to feel in Mark’s gospel. In it we are driven from Jesus’ baptism and subsequent “testing” back into Galilee from whence He first came with the beginning of the gospel ministry. It was always “on its way” to Jerusalem where the final conflict and greatest decision was to be known and confirmed with His crucifixion and resurrection.

Where does this lead us as we read this gospel and feel its literal move? I believe it asks of each of us what is the impetus of our gospel rendering? Are we bound by a sense of urgency and even emergency as we are experiencing eschatological and apocryphal glimpses into a limited number of tomorrows? Are we not compelled as we see those around us at home, work, leisure or more importantly at worship equally not convinced nor compelled to the true work of the gospel which is to declare salvation for all believers and a certain disaster for those who are not? We might consider the following as a true sign of this time:

X (that is Christ, in Greek) marks the spot! The X is on us as our onus.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.