The Gospel passage sets the scene for the rest of the story Mark is going to tell us. In a way, the whole of the Gospel proclamation is contained in the words of Jesus. The "right time" for God's plan to be unfolded has arrived. The establishment of the Kingdom is about to begin - in the person of Jesus. It will inaugurate a world of truth and love, of justice and peace and bring people all over the world into one sharing fellowship with God and with each other. That work still has a long way to go. Entrance to the Kingdom will be through 'repentance', that is, a complete overturning of one's thinking to bring it in line with that of Jesus. That, in turn, will be brought about through a total commitment to the Way of life offered to us in the Good News that Jesus proclaims. And then we see all this being enacted by the four first disciples as they abandon their old way of life and, in a spirit of total trust, follow Jesus into an unknown future. It is a decision they will never regret.