BIBLE STUDY #29
THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
January 23, 2010

Gospel Matthew 4:12-23

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

We are in chapter 4 of Matthew’s Gospel. The last 5 verses of chapter 3 is Jesus baptism, and the first 11 verses in chapter 4 is the Temptation of Jesus. Now Jesus begins his public ministry.

Our gospel starts out by saying that after John was arrested, Jesus withdrew to Galilee. Since Galilee is the territory of Herod Antipas who just arrested John, Jesus certainly isn’t looking for refuge from Herod. He is going there to take up where John the Baptist left off, knowing he faces opposition just as John did. As John’s ministry ceases, Jesus ministry begins.

Matthew also has Jesus move his base of operations to Capernaum to fulfill prophecy. Remember, Matthew’s followers are mostly Jewish converts, so it is important for Jesus to fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

There is also an apologetic tone here: Jesus maybe fulfilling prophecy, but in Galilee? That would have been scandalous to many Jews of Jesus day. The Messiah was to come from Jerusalem, or maybe the desert, but not Galilee that was full of gentiles and had a reputation for rebelliousness and lax observance of the Law. Matthew explains this move through Isaiah. Jesus is bringing his light to a land darkened by paganism, with many gentiles (an omen of things to come), precisely to the people who need it. It symbolizes the need we all have to see the light, which comes for everybody, and not a select few.

Jesus then takes up John’s preaching concerning repentance but he brings it to fulfillment. John hoped that God would forgive sins if people repented; Jesus is the one who forgives our sins when we repent.

It seems to me that Matthew ties in repentance with the kingdom of heaven for a reason. Can a person believe in the Gospel, be a true disciple, and live in the kingdom if that person doesn't repent? I think not.

This idea of repentance and forgiveness is so important that it is mentioned over 100 times in the Old Testament and over 100 times in the New Testament. It is central to our faith. What keeps us from eternal life? Unforgiven sin. God will forgive us anything if we are truly sorry and sincerely try to change our ways. The only unforgivable sin is the one that is not confessed.

To me, being unrepentant is turning away from God, saying that we don’t need his forgiveness, that we can do it on our own. It is denying Jesus sacrifice on the cross.

Unforgiven sin eventually blocks the avenues of God’s grace. Whenever someone tells me that God seems distant, that they feel like they are losing their faith, I ask them to tell me when they last went to confession. Usually it has been a long time. Confession is an integral part of a spiritual life and is absolutely necessary if we are to progress in the spiritual life.

Soon after Jesus begins his public ministry with his call to repent, he calls his disciples. Matthew inserts this call here because he wants them around for Sermon on the Mount and to show the authority of Jesus. Jesus calls, and these men obediently follow without any prior notice or preparation. In an instant, their lives are totally and irrevocably changed. Notice that he calls Simon by the name Peter, which points towards Mt 16:18.

Jesus is calling them to continue his mission and ministry after his death, resurrection, and ascension. While they are together for Jesus ministry, he gives them some on the job training. After his ascension, he sends the Spirit, and they are empowered and emboldened to carry on Jesus proclamation of “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

We are part of that same church with the same mission as the first disciples: to carry on Jesus mission and ministry. We do that in many ways, dictated by our gifts and talents which we put at the feet of the Lord, and he transforms them into something much greater. That is how we become ‘eucharist’; our gifts and talents feed others spiritually. We are nourished on our own journey through our prayer, sacraments (especially eucharist and reconciliation), and good works. Our own Christian lives can then be a great example and source of strength to others

We are not asked to do anything great, just to do what we can. For a very few, that may mean doing something great, but that will become evident to those few as time goes on. Mother Theresa said, “We are not asked to be successful, but to be faithful.” When we do that, we never know who will be affected. Think about this: who was it that inspired Mother Theresa? They might not have ever known. And we never know who will go onto great things because of our example.

Out of this faith community, the Lord calls a few to take up a special task and be priests and religious. We all know about the lack of priests and religious in our country. What can we do to promote vocations?
• Pray: this is the first and best thing on any occasion. I can’t tell you how it works, but I know it does.
• Build up the church community: volunteer your time, talent, and treasure to build up the church. Make it lively, show you’re interested, and participate in the Mass. Let people know it makes a difference in your life. It is in this milieu that vocations arise. After all, who would be inspired by a dull church?
• Ask: studies show that the main reason why young people don’t consider a vocation is because no one asked. Don’t you feel good when people say things to you like, “I think you’d be good at….” “or have you considered….” This maybe just the encouragement someone needs. Parents especially need to talk to their children about a vocation.

Let us all follow Christ, spread the Good News, and fulfill our own vocations.


Fr. Phil