January 22, 2023 (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A)
Once again in this cycle of readings we find a passage from the prophet Isaiah (Is 8:23—9:3) paired with one from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 4:12-23). Having a community largely made up of Jews, Matthew used many of the Jewish scriptures from the Old Testament to demonstrate that Jesus was the messiah expected by the Jewish people. The same is being done here.
Today’s portion of Isaiah recalls when the northern part of Israel, and other small nations in the vicinity, had been conquered by the superpower of Assyria. Isaiah first draws attention to two areas, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. Both of these lands in northern Israel had been invaded by Assyria and their citizens dispersed throughout foreign lands. This was a loss in a line of many losses which led to the overthrow and exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In the meantime, many Gentiles came to be settled in the area.
Isaiah now offers hope and a reason to celebrate, for this area which was once oppressed is now free of anguish and calamity. Now described as “the land west of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles,” it is no longer suffering from the gloom and distress of occupation. Isaiah compares the reprieve to a time of darkness which has now been overshone with light. The people are filled with great joy like at harvest time because they are no longer burdened by enemies as was the land of Midian, another Jewish territory during the time of the judges.
In the Gospel, Matthew uses this territory as a point of reference for the ministry of Jesus. He speaks of Jesus leaving his hometown of Nazareth and relocating to Capernaum, the area once known as Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew claims that Jesus has gone to this area to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah from the First Reading. The people there beyond the Jordan, where there are many Gentiles, are again seeing light through darkness with the presence of Jesus. And they are blessed to hear the first preaching of Jesus of the kingdom of heaven, the time when God’s power and judgment will be fully present.
This area near the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus encounters the first of his disciples, who are all fishermen. These include Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew. These men immediately leave their nets behind when Jesus says to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt. 4:19). The next two disciples called are James and John who are mending their nets in their boat with their father, Zebedee. They, too, immediately leave their fishing tasks when Jesus calls them.
There must have been something compelling to the mannerisms of Jesus because these men follow him without hesitation, although they know nothing about him nor who he is. The same will be true for the disciples chosen later by Jesus. They follow Jesus as he travels around Galilee teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the gospel, and curing people of their diseases and illnesses.
To the Jewish audience of Matthew, the response of these disciples would have seemed strange. In Jewish circles it was customary for disciples to search out a teacher. Here, however, Jesus is the one choosing who he wishes to follow him and to be his students to learn of his ministry so they can take over for him when the time comes.
One might wonder why Jesus chose this backward little area of Zebulun and Naphtali to be the starting point for his ministry. Now known as Capernaum by the sea, with its dark and destructive history. The people there were not “pure Jews” as they would have recognized in the first century. They would have had the tendency to be rejected by other Jews.
Luke’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus tried preaching first in Nazareth. But his hometown people thought him to be arrogant claiming he fulfilled the prophecies in scripture. They even tried to throw him off of a cliff. But he fled and ended up in Capernaum where there lived a mixture of people descended from the many refugees of the war. He was well received there, and he attracted loyal followers as well. So, it was here that he chose to begin teaching, preaching, healing the sick, and announcing the imminence of the kingdom. His ministry flourished as he continued to move about Galilee and many of its citizens were converted in the meantime.
One wonders what might the message be for today’s readers of these passages. It proves to us that all are equal in the sight of God. One need not have an aristocratic or noble background, or a lot of money, or be a pure Jew like in the days of Jesus to hear his call. Jesus accepts all people’s, of every background and social status, and history. And he brings light into every dark situation and imperfect condition. All we need do is listen for his faint call and respond immediately like the disciples and we will then be counted among the saved.
