Gospel in Art: Follow me

God Summons Noah and His Family into the Ark, by Joseph von Führich, 1827 © Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 12 January 2026
Mark 1:14-20

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.'

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'

And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little further, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Reflection on the Old Master Drawing

Christmas and New Year's joy may still linger in our hearts after the past two weeks of celebrations, yet the Church is already sending us on the road again, into Ordinary Time. Today is Monday of Week 1 Ordinary time. But there is nothing "ordinary" about what unfolds now. In these first days of this new season, we walk with Jesus as he steps into public ministry. Saint Mark wastes no time: no infancy stories, no long introductions... suddenly Jesus appears, and suddenly everything changes.

There are two elements to the way Jesus begins his public ministry in our gospel reading: there is an announcement and a summons. His first words are not gentle warming-up remarks; he start with an announcement that shakes history: "The kingdom of God is near!" God has drawn close, not as a distant ruler watching from afar, but as a humble King who walks into our world. If that is true, then every single day we wake up surrounded by astonishing news: that God is in our midst.

But Jesus does not leave this announcement hanging in the air. A summons follows. If God is drawing near, then this has consequences for the way we live our lives. The call is urgent and personal: "Follow me." In other words: Do not sleepwalk through life any longer. Something new has begun; respond to it. Let go of what binds you. Step away from the shadows. Allow Christ's nearness to redirect your choices. The kingdom is not an abstract theory; it is breaking into the world right now, it is real.

Throughout Scripture, God summoned calls his people: Moses at the burning bush, Samuel in the night, Isaiah in the temple, and when Jesus calls the first disciples with a simple yet radical invitation: "Follow me." A summons from God is not a mere suggestion; it is a personal call to leave behind what we are comfortable with and walk towards a new life in him. In our drawing by Joseph von Führich God summons Noah and His Family into the Ark. It was a summons of God for Noah and his family, requiring their trust in God and believing what Gos was asking of them. The summons of Jesus is even more radical and more personal: each of us are invited to turn, to trust, and to follow. Jesus' ministry has truly started on this first day of Ordinary Time.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-1-14-20-2026/