Mt 4:12-23
Dear Friends, Today we have our first selection from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus introduces two themes that will be the foundation of his message throughout the year: the kingdom and the call.
It is helpful for us to remember the mentality of the people at the beginning of Jesus’s public life. For the Jews, at that time, Satan was in charge. His power for evil was seen in all of life: sickness, violence, injustice, poverty, division. Likewise, the oppressive Roman Empire was seen as an expression of this evil. Even the turbulence of nature was experienced as the display of Satan’s domination. The hope for the Messiah, and his gift of deliverance, was defined in relation to this overwhelming control of the demons’ devastating power.
Jesus enters the scene in the context of apparent helplessness in face of evil. The first words of his public ministry are: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt 4:17) In this declaration Jesus is telling us that the end of evil’s unchallenged reign of darkness and destruction is coming to an end. In his teaching, his miracles, and most of all, in his life and death, a new day is arriving. The battle of good and evil, the constant conflict of love and hatred, sickness and health are now in a final stage. Jesus’s proclamation of the kingdom is the beginning of the end. Justice and peace, like the mustard seed, will ultimately prevail in this transformation. Jesus will strike the final blow to death in his resurrection.
We are called to repent. We need to open our hearts to this changing reality in the humble acceptance of our sinfulness and God’s gracious call to new life.
In the story of the call of the first disciples, Jesus it telling us that we have a role in the coming of the kingdom. Our participation is critical to our salvation. The life of the faithful disciple of Christ is basically an open-hearted acceptance of God’s call to love that is the kingdom.
As we see the first disciples leaving their boats and apparently everything else, we have a model of our personal call to walk with Jesus. Like Peter and the others, the initial call is extremely important. Yet, the Gospel story will show us that the “call of Jesus” is a repeating event always expanding the test of our generosity. It is seemingly never finished. New horizons keep us unsettled in our search for security and stability. In Peter, we will have a mirror to see the depth of our commitment that continuously comes up short. His story is a marvelous example of the need for humility ever seeking release from personal deception, blindness and ignorance.
Jesus reveals the unyielding insistence of God. At the same time, we encounter an equally effective demonstration of God’s patience and mercy. In spite of our human ambivalence, the divine call gently persists. Our faithful walking with the Gospel of Matthew will help us to be faithful to the call of the kingdom this year.
