“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'” (Mark 1:9-15)
Jesus’ message as He goes forth to minister is that it is time to repent and believe the good news. The good news is that the Kingdom of God is near. Jesus of course meant that the Kingdom of God was about to act in a mighty way that would transform the world. Upon the cross of Calvary He would reconcile the world to God. The preparation for this great event is repentance which means that sinners acknowledge their sinfulness and turn to God for mercy. Unless sinners realize their need for God and His mercy the greatest event in all of human history would be of no avail to them.
Rightly do we read this as our gospel for the First Sunday in Lent in this time of pandemic. Lent in time of COVID reminds us all the more that humanity is in need of the truth of the gospel of faith in Jesus. Human beings, despite their denials and pride need to know the truth, that we are all sinners in need of repentance and faith, grace and mercy. And Jesus has called the Church, that is, we believers, to preach that message. Yet we may feel so attracted and overwhelmed by the allures of the world, the flesh and the devil that we feel we cannot do this. And indeed, we cannot unless we call out for help. We need God’s strength. We need His Spirit and His Word to give us His wisdom so we may be able to discern truth from lies, righteous from sin, love from selfishness. So this Lent let us reach out for these resources that the Lord has given us to carry on His work of freeing the world from the lies of the devil.