Gospel: Matt 4:13-23
Context. This is really the
beginning of our reading through Matthew’s account of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Matthew’s gospel is divided into five
sections, corresponding to the five books of the Torah, each consisting on
Narrative and Discourse, surrounded by an Introduction (Nativity) and Climax
(Passion, Death and Resurrection). We
pick up the story midway through the narrative section of Part I. The preceding parts introduced John the
Baptist (Advent), narrated Jesus’ baptism by John (Feast of Baptism) and his
forty days in the wilderness (Lent). We
will soon reach the Sermon on the Mount.
Interpretation. This week, we really get two
pericopes. The first describes the
beginning of Jesus’ preaching. Note that
it starts off identical to John the Baptist’s.
The quote is from Isaiah and is an altered version of our first
reading. It probably illustrates how
free Matthew felt he could be with his sources, but it’s also important to
remember that diverse manuscript traditions also existed at this time. The quote shows that Jesus’ geographical
movements were divinely ordained, as his extensive presence in Galilee may have
been something of an embarrassment (cf. John 7:52 – “no prophet from Galilee”). Attention to the details of geography is part
of devotion to the Incarnation (Christianity isn’t just a body of ideas, but
connected with a particular person).
This is also the first explicit mention of Jesus ministering among
Gentiles. Galilee was indeed very
ethnically diverse. Some much later
texts give an indication that Jews in Galilee were lax in their
Torah-observance and the number of Pharisees there was very small. This would shed some light on the Gospel, but
we can’t be certain it describes Jesus’ or Matthew’s experience of
Galilee. The quote also establishes that
Jesus’ arrival constitutes the promised light, originally a description of
political relief for Israelites conquered by Assyria. Jesus reveals.
Next is a pair of typical call narratives. God’s kingdom is manifest in the first
community of disciples. It is modeled onElijah’s call of Elisha, but with a key difference: the called do not delay and
leave their old lives immediately and unquestioningly. The call is at once command and promise. The
call is to be homeless missionaries.
This is a key to understanding Matthew’s gospel: Jesus is the king-judge
and he is homeless.
Questions
1.
How would contrast light and darkness? What might it mean to call Jesus light?
2.
Jesus takes the initiative in calling. Have you encountered this in your life? What do you think of Augustine’s quote “I could
not have sought You had You not already sought me”?
3.
It’s not incumbent on us to be destitute as
Jesus and the first disciples were, but what does their abandonment of their
possessions and families mean for us?
4.
It is incumbent on us to be missionary, to fish
for men and women. How?
5.
Why do you think Matthew puts these two stories
back to back? Why does he begin his
account of Jesus’ public ministry like this?
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