Matthew 4: 12-23
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
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.”
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
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. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
It Has to Start Somewhere
It’s hard to imagine a Jesus who “makes his home”, who – even for a moment – is settled, stable, and not on the move from Galilean village to village, from synagogue to synagogue. But it’s also hard to imagine Jesus learning, finding the right words and the right stories and the right images for the Kingdom of God he knows is at hand. It’s hard to imagine Jesus himself a disciple, having sought the baptism of his cousin, so it’s hard, too, to imagine a time when Jesus himself didn’t have any disciples. But today’s Gospel is just this time, this vulnerable time of Jesus’ beginnings where he returns from the desert, he settles in Galilee, he takes a chance on first disciples once he learns that John has been arrested. We will behold his fullness soon enough, but for now, the “light has dawned.” It has to start somewhere.
—Fr. Garrett Gundlach, SJ, is a Jesuit priest based at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem and serving diverse local communities.
Prayer
Oh God,
have me hear
as if I was there,
the first time this new preacher -
Jesus of Nazareth - spoke,
on a Saturday, in our synagogue,
a teacher with freshness
a teacher with insight
a teacher with some unique authority-
what does he say
and how does he say it?
Bring these scriptures alive!
Amen.
—Fr. Garrett Gundlach, SJ
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