So much from so litte: Christology with Eugene Peterson

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."

"Follow me."

The first words we hear from Jesus in Mark's Gospel come rather quickly and we are likely to understate their significance if we do not prayerfully consider what they would mean if Jesus had spoken them to us. The fact is, he has spoken them to us and continues to do so as long as we do not do what he has said.

Characteristic of Mark's fast-paced retelling of the Jesus story, these few words contain more than is immediately apparent.

The one who says, "I am the way" and "follow me" first says that we must "repent" and "believe" because "the kingdom" has come near.

Following Jesus is to step into a new world altogether - with new eyes, new ways, new motivations. Jesus is (or should be) the one who shapes our entire way of being. Our daily life should be made up of rhythms and ways that derive from who Jesus was and still is.

I think if we assume we know what it means to follow Jesus without first contemplating what "the kingdom" looks like then we are certain to miss the full significance of what Jesus was up to.

Our youth council met recently and decided that we would spend most of our energy this semester focusing on what theologians call "Christology." Our theme is "rediscovering Jesus" and - in my own preparation for our journey - I have already hit a snag (or what feels like a snag).

How can we understand who Jesus is apart from the kingdom he sought to inaugurate? Put differently, can we say anything of theological significance about the Jesus we encounter in the Gospels without first understanding the "point" of the incarnation?