{"id":3826,"date":"2017-01-19T11:39:56","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T11:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/?p=3826"},"modified":"2017-01-19T11:51:22","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T11:51:22","slug":"commentary-on-3rd-sunday-of-the-year-a-22-01-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/commentary-on-3rd-sunday-of-the-year-a-22-01-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on 3rd Sunday of the year (A) 22.01.2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEXT Matt 4:12-25
\n <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus moves to live in Capernaum<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; <\/em>13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Caper\u2019na\u2013um by the sea, in the territory of Zeb\u2019ulun and Naph\u2019tali, <\/em>14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, <\/em>15 \u201cThe land of Zeb\u2019ulun and the land of Naph\u2019tali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles \u2014 <\/em>16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus calls first disciples: Peter & Andrew<\/strong><\/p>\n

17 From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, \u201cRepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\u201d <\/em>18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. <\/em>19 And he said to them, \u201cFollow me, and I will make you fishers of men.\u201d <\/em>20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus calls James & John<\/strong><\/p>\n

21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb\u2019edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb\u2019edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. <\/em>22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. <\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 preaching & healing ministry<\/strong><\/p>\n

23 And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. <\/em>24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. <\/em>25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decap\u2019olis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. <\/em><\/p>\n

EXPLANATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Verse 12<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow when he heard that John had been arrested,<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Jesus had been baptised but had not commenced his public ministry when an ominous cloud overshadowed him; he was told of John\u2019s arrest and threat to life. This would have been a shadow implying opposition to his own ministry. This was a new sense of John the Baptist being the precursor of Jesus not alone in his preaching and baptizing but also in being \u201chanded over<\/em>\u201d to the authorities and being put to death. This should be the time for Jesus to keep quiet and not provoke Herod who had arrested John. That is not how Jesus saw it. He realised that John was now silenced so this was the time to take up \u201cthe slack\u201d and get down to replacing John and his message.<\/p>\n

\u201che withdrew into Galilee<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 The word \u201cwithdrew<\/em>\u201d is frequent in Matthew\u2019s Gospel (Mt. 2: 12, 22; 4: 12; 12: 15; 14: 13; 15: 21) and it is used when Jesus left some place because of unbelief and persecution. The early Church used this word to describe anchorites or hermits.<\/p>\n

\u201cGalilee<\/em>\u201d was known as \u2018Galilee of the Gentiles<\/em>\u2019 because about half the population was made up of non\u2013Jews or Gentiles. Jesus will now be able to include non\u2013Jews in his ministry. The word \u201cGalilee\u201d means \u2018circle\u2019 as that was its shape.<\/p>\n

Verses 13\u201314<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cand leaving Nazareth<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Jesus left Nazareth which was very close to the seat of Galilean government, and so could be unsafe for him. The people of Nazareth did not accept Jesus. He gave that as the reason why he worked no miracles there (Mt. 13: 54\u201358).<\/p>\n

\u201che went and dwelt in Caper\u2019na\u2013um by the sea in the territory of Zeb\u2019ulun and Naph\u2019tali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 The Greek phrase, \u201cwent and dwelt<\/em>\u201d, implies that Jesus owned the house in Capernaum.<\/p>\n

Two advantages of living in Capernaum were, first, that it was near the sea and convenient for transport to other places around the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

Second, it was a busy commercial port and that expanded his audiences and contacts.<\/p>\n

Matthew shows that it was in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy by Isaiah that Jesus went to live in Capernaum on the North\u2013West shore of the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

One of the characteristics of Matthew\u2019s Gospel is that he wished to show how the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus and so how he fulfilled God\u2019s will. In this way he intended to show how Jesus, fulfilling the prophecies, was the promised Messiah or Anointed One, called \u2018the Christ\u2019 in Greek and used as such in English also.<\/p>\n

While Capernaum may have been judged by some as blessed because Jesus lived there, it never was converted and brought about condemnation by Jesus (Mt. 11: 20, 23\u201324).<\/p>\n

\u201cZeb\u2019ulun and Naph\u2019tali<\/em>\u201d \u2014 These were two tribes mentioned by Isaiah in his prophecy. The use of these two names was obsolete when Matthew wrote his Gospel about 80\u201390 A.D. Capernaum was in the territory that had been known formerly as Naphtali.<\/p>\n

\u201cthat what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Matthew will now quote a prophecy from Isaiah (Is. 8: 23\u20139: 1). This is his style. He likes to quote prophecies to show that everything is fulfilled as foretold through prophets. Already, in the opening two chapters, he uses prophecy in this manner five times. This present quotation is the sixth use. There will be another forty\u2013three quotations and references or allusions to eighty\u2013seven words or phrases from the Old Testament in this Gospel.<\/p>\n

Verses 15\u201316<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The land of Zeb\u2019ulun and the land of Naph\u2019tali, toward the sea<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 This is the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

\u201cacross the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles \u2014 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.<\/em>\u2019\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 This is meant to be a prophecy of great hope. The past tense is used by Isaiah to show that the prophecy has been fulfilled. The people who were without hope, and who lived sinful lives, now began to see the dawning light, the initial coming of Christ the Light.<\/p>\n

Verse 17<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom that time Jesus began to preach<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Jesus had not yet begun his public preaching. He had spoken only to John the Baptist (Mt. 3: 15) and to the demons (Mt. 4: 4, 7, 10).<\/p>\n

\u201csaying, <\/em>\u2018Repent<\/em>\u2019\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 His primary preaching\u2013message was two\u2013fold: first, he called for repentance, which means a change from a sinful mindset and heart in the individual and in society. This includes, as an essential ingredient, \u201cdoing penance\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cfor the kingdom of heaven is at hand.<\/em>\u2019\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Second, he informed that the kingdom of heaven was coming shortly, if not that already it had come. This is a most important subject for Jesus. In Matthew\u2019s Gospel, he will mention \u201cthe Kingdom<\/em>\u201d fifty\u2013two times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kingdom of Heaven<\/em>\u201d does not mean a geographical territory nor that heaven is like a human kingdom. It means the reign, sovereignty or lordship of God. It includes his reign in individuals, groups and communities. This is the central message of Jesus\u2019 preaching and he will refer to it as \u201cthe Gospel of the Kingdom<\/em>\u201d. He will instruct his disciples to proclaim this message (Mt. 10: 7). The \u201cKingdom<\/em> of Heaven<\/em>\u201d will not be complete until the end of time (Mt. 13: 30, 40\u201343).<\/p>\n

One becomes a member of this kingdom through repentance which is a direct assault on sin. When the Church has been established, entrance into the Church and the Kingdom will be through the Sacrament of Baptism. The necessity of repentance will not be diminished. These two points, repentance, which is a direct attack on sin and the devil, and the Kingdom, sum up the purpose of his coming into the world and he will elaborate on these throughout his public ministry.<\/p>\n

Matthew records John the Baptist using these exact words to commence his preaching also: \u201cRepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand<\/em>\u201d (Mt. 3: 2). This means that Matthew 3: 2 and 4: 17 mark an \u2018inclusio\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Matthew, with four exceptions (Mt. 12: 28; 19: 24; 21: 31, 43), uses the term \u201cthe kingdom of heaven<\/em>\u201d rather than \u201cthe kingdom of God<\/em>\u201d as is used in the rest of the New Testament out of Jewish respect for the name \u201cGod<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kingdom of Heaven<\/em>\u201d is mentioned in this verse and in verse 23. This is another \u2018inclusio\u2019 so that everything between these similar verses, the choosing of the four apostles, Jesus\u2019 preaching and healing, is included in what has to be said about the Kingdom. The two sets of brothers are being recruited to promote the Kingdom and encourage people to join.<\/p>\n

During this present period of history, until the Second Coming of Jesus, the Church makes him and his salvation present.<\/p>\n

\u201cis at hand<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Both Jesus and John the Baptist have informed that the reign of God is not distant but is to be manifested shortly.<\/p>\n

Verses 18\u201320<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, <\/em>\u2018Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.<\/em>\u2019\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 The first two apostles called are identified and their profession of fishermen is mentioned. Jesus, who takes the initiative and does not wait for them to volunteer, which was the normal way of a learner to join a teacher, makes two demands of them and these are total and immediate commitment to him. What is to be demanded from them is that they will gather people around the cause. In Church technical terms, we would say that they were to be \u2018missionaries\u2019. They certainly did not have any experience or special qualifications for setting up a religious organization nor a worldwide group.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmediately they left their nets and followed him<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 In fact the only qualification they showed was obeying the call of Jesus and they did not object, question or argue but were absolutely docile to him. He had said, \u201cFollow me<\/em>\u201d so he would teach them all they needed to know. He gave no indication that he would leave them or when they would be trained. As their work progressed, he informed them that he would be with them and very close forever.<\/p>\n

Verses 21\u201322<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb\u2019edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb\u2019edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Once again Jesus takes the initiative in selecting his co\u2013workers in a similar scene. James and John are equally docile and prompt in their obedience. Verses 20 and 22, the call of the two sets of brothers, are almost exactly the same in wording.<\/p>\n

Peter and Andrew were told that they would have to abandon their nets, signs of their livelihood and become missionaries by adding people to the Kingdom. James and John leave father, boat and the nets they were mending, symbols of family and livelihood. In the Church we would describe their activities as \u2018pastoral\u2019, just as the Epistles, using the same Greek terminology, do (I Cor. 1: 10; II Cor. 13: 11; Gal. 6: 1; Eph. 4: 12; I Th. 3: 10; Hb. 13: 21; I Pt. 5: 10). The two sets of brothers depict the pastoral and missionary activities of the Church. The Church is frequently referred to as a \u2018boat\u2019<\/em> or \u2018barque\u2019.<\/p>\n

Why these four should have been the first disciples is not explained but Peter, James and John became the inner core of the Twelve.<\/p>\n

Verse 23<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 The first activity mentioned is teaching and this is described as taking place in the synagogues. It might be expected that in Galilee of the Gentiles, Jesus would have given priority to evangelising the Gentiles but that was not the case. The Jews were those to whom he concentrated his call to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.<\/p>\n

Three activities, \u201cteaching<\/em>\u201d, \u201cpreaching<\/em>\u201d and \u201chealing<\/em>\u201d are mentioned. This is called a triplet in which the middle term is the most important. This tells us that \u201cpreaching the gospel of the kingdom<\/em>\u201d was Jesus\u2019 main task (Mt. 9: 35; 24: 14). The other elements tell that his preaching was done by word and by deed, his healing ministry.<\/p>\n

This triplet is mentioned also in Matthew 9: 35. Once again, there is another inclusio: Matthew chapters 5 to 7, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches and chapters 8 and 9, where he heals.<\/p>\n

Verse 24<\/strong><\/p>\n

Verses 24 and 25 do not belong to the Sunday Gospel but as they round off the Reading, they are included in this Explanation. Readers now have the complete Chapter 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo his fame spread throughout all Syria<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Syria, with four divisions, was north of Galilee and was a Roman province. St. Luke mentions that Quirinius was governor there when Jesus was born (Lk. 2: 2).<\/p>\n

\u201cand they brought him all the sick<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Note the word \u201call<\/em>\u201d used twice in this verse: \u201call Syria<\/em>\u201d and \u201call the sick<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cthose afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 This list is meant to show that there was no disease or pain that Jesus could not cure.<\/p>\n

Verse 25<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd great crowds followed him from Galilee<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cGalilee\u201d was where Jesus was living (in Capernaum), teaching, preaching and working miracles of healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cand the Decap\u2019olis<\/em><\/strong>\u201d \u2014 \u201cDecap\u2019olis<\/em>\u201d means \u201cthe ten cities\u201d which were a confederation of Greek towns on the east and south of the Sea of Galilee and not too distant from Galilee. Jesus worked two miracles there (Mk. 5: 1\u201320; 7: 31\u201337).<\/p>\n

\u201cand Jerusalem<\/em><\/strong>\u201d \u2014 This was the centre of the Jewish religion and information of any religious movements would have been reported very quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cand Judea<\/em><\/strong>\u201d \u2014 Judea was the smaller and southern part of Palestine, including Jerusalem. The two other divisions were Samaria and Galilee.<\/p>\n

\u201cand from beyond the Jordan.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d \u2014 This is the area known as Transjordania but this name is not used in the RSV translation though it is in others such as the Jerusalem Bible. It covers the area east of the Jordan River to the Arabian Desert.<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Matthew\u2019s Gospel begins with the first two chapters telling us Who<\/em> Jesus is, How<\/em> he came to be born, Where<\/em> he was born and From Where<\/em> he came, the Flight into Egypt. Chapter three tells us about the mission of John the Baptist preparing for Jesus. Chapter four begins with Jesus\u2019 preparatory retreat, as we might call it, that is the Temptation in the wilderness where he encountered and overcame the devil.<\/p>\n

This present passage is the commencement of his ministry. His first activity is to move house to a better place for contact with more people and to have a more convenient centre for easy movement around the Holy Land, especially by sea. He also makes a very definite decision: he is not going to minister exclusively among the Jews, as they would expect but will be open to the Gentiles.<\/p>\n

He plunged immediately into his preaching, sharing two essential points: he came to establish the Kingdom of Heaven and the way to prepare for this was by repentance. People were well groomed for this by John the Baptist. Jesus had overcome the devil; now he was inviting people to change the devil\u2019s way (sin) of living and join him in the new kingdom or reign of God.<\/p>\n

Once he let it be known what his purpose was, he undertook another major decision: he needed help. That was his very first project. He recruited two sets of brothers.<\/p>\n

Where did he go to enlist? He sought out ordinary men and women where they actually were working. Later, these would include Mary Magdalene and some women who would travel around with the initial group. What did he offer? A change of work \u2014 you will be \u201cfishers of men<\/em>\u201d rather than of fish. What will you get from me in return? At this moment, nothing but you will have to give up absolutely everything: father, family, livelihood (boat and nets) and anything else that might hinder what I want from you! What I need is complete and perfect renunciation. And all four agreed immediately!<\/p>\n

However, in a sense, there is nothing very strange in that. How many people have met a spouse in this way \u2014 brief encounter, a few hours together and realisation at once that this was the one they had been looking for, perhaps for years. Love at first sight.<\/p>\n

In the case of the first four called, they had been searching for something special in their lives. They had been directed towards God by John the Baptist whom they had known. It took the special encounter with Jesus to help them realise that they had to \u201cfollow<\/em>\u201d him.<\/p>\n

His mission was to proclaim that God loves all men and women and gives himself to them to be their family.<\/p>\n

At the time, the culture did not allow the Rabbi to select his pupils; they decided on him. Jesus changed this. He took the initiative and chose them to become his ambassadors of love to the people around them. A God\u2013given call.<\/p>\n

This incident was a lesson to all men and women, including those who read this passage. We might think that we are not worthy or able for the task but he knows best. He chose us; we did not choose him. He knows us and our abilities. God gave each of us special gifts or charisms, not for ourselves but for others. In God\u2019s plan, I am essentially an \u2018other\u2013centered\u2019 person. I have a role to play for the world and for the Church.<\/p>\n

What we need to be expert in is love. We need personal contact with Jesus, more through the heart than the head. This we acquire through conversation called prayer, not rattling off other persons\u2019 prayers but our own personal exchanges with Jesus.<\/p>\n

What a call we have received. We have been selected to build up the Kingdom of Heaven with Christ! We are collaborators in a divine ministry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TEXT Matt 4:12-25 Jesus moves to live in Capernaum 12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Caper\u2019na\u2013um by the sea, in the territory of Zeb\u2019ulun and Naph\u2019tali, 14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3826"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3829,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3826\/revisions\/3829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}