This morning’s Gospel reading is Mark 1:12–15:
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Scheduling note: Jazz is on vacation this week, so I pushed this to the first article of the day.
What does it mean to be “fulfilled”?
Today’s brief Gospel reading has a literal meaning to it, of course. The Israelites had yearned for centuries for a Messiah, the Anointed of the Lord that would lead them into a new and permanent Davidic kingdom. All of the prophets had at least alluded to it; Isaiah had explicitly prophesied it, at length and in detail. John the Baptist had prepared…
