“A Great Light: Seeing and Being” – Jan 23, 2011
January 23, 2011
Scripture: 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.
Sermon: A Great Light: Seeing and Being
by Rev. Doreen Oughton
Such an abundance of riches in this week’s gospel passage. My time reading, researching and pondering has been stimulating and thought-provoking. There is much that I want to share, but I also want to be focused enough that a clear message comes through, and brief enough that you all will keep coming back.
Let me first place this passage in context with the scriptures around it. This passage comes right after Matthew’s description of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness being tested by the devil. After resisting all these temptations, Jesus is tended to by angels, and then begins his ministry – moving from Nazareth to Capernaum. Matthew tells his readers, as he often does, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophesies – the great light for those who sat in darkness; to those who have been in the shadow of death, a light has dawned. Matthew has set the stage, prepared us for Jesus’ awesome ministry, then makes the proclamation Jesus’ own: The kingdom of heaven has come near.
I want to parse some of the words used in this phrase – The kingdom of heaven has come near – that might add some layers to our understanding of it. The Greek word that is translated as “kingdom,” refers to an area that is ruled, or it can refer to the power or authority to rule. So instead of thinking of the kingdom of heaven as a place we go to, we can think instead that Jesus is saying that the divine power to rule is at hand. The verb translated as “has come near” has an ambivalent tense – it’s a past tense with continuing effects, like by saying, “he has died” you are also saying, “he is dead.” So “has come near” can also be “is arrived.” So Jesus might be saying here, “Heaven’s rule has arrived and is arriving.” There’s this sense that it is just right there, awaiting a response from us that will free it to pour forth, to blossom, to bear fruit.
And so Jesus tells us what response is called for. He doesn’t say, “Give thanks, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” He doesn’t say, “Praise God, for heaven’s rule has arrived.” He says, “Repent.” The appropriate response to the coming of heaven’s rule, according to gospel writer Matthew, is not praise or thanksgiving, but repentance. God is incarnated in the babe in the manger – repent! Jesus dies and is raised for us – repent. Giving glory and thanks are great, but we also know it is easy to say such words while our actions may show that our hearts are far from God’s word and will.
The word repent or repentance can carry some baggage. It has connotations of shame, wickedness, beating oneself up, perhaps wallowing in regret. What it actually means is to turn, to turn away from something or turn to something. Now it often does involve acknowledgment that a turn is required because we have not been on the right path. It does mean we recognize that we have sinned, have missed the mark. We go in the wrong direction, we put our energy and focus on things that don’t enhance God’s heavenly rule, we succumb to temptations, and we need to turn, to repent, so that the divine rule that is here, right here, can pour forth. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
The story that immediately follows this proclamation by Jesus has the called disciples doing just that, turning, turning fast and hard from what they were doing to follow him. Now I’m not saying that Peter and Andrew and James and John were sinning when they were called to turn. They weren’t necessarily missing the mark, but Jesus called them to turn anyway. Jesus changed their path, not because they were doing anything wrong, but because he had something else for them to do. People who have voluntarily changed careers, followed a calling of the heart or Spirit can surely relate to that.
Two other gospels have a similar story about the calling of the disciples, their unhesitating response. I have thought about it often, how it must have affected their families especially, but also their co-workers, their customers. I always feel a little convicted by them. Sure, I changed careers, answered a call, but it was done slowly, carefully, responsibly I tell myself. I still went home every night. I still had a career. I didn’t give all my money to the poor or pick up a cross to follow the call. So I was a little relieved to read one scholar suggest that, given the relative small size of Galilee, it is unlikely that the followers of Jesus didn’t return to their homes. He said it is more likely that the group would be on the road for a day or two, then return back to their town and their homes. Remember that this passage starts out with Jesus making his home in Capernaum, not just passing through.
But I think the gospel writers who tell this story want us to be taken aback by it, want us to feel challenged, perhaps convicted, by such a clear response to Jesus’ call. The stories not only challenge our personal responses to a divine call, but also make a statement about the dominant values of society. Jesus rocks the boat by placing the call of the kingdom ahead of loyalties to family and work. Even more so than today, the family unit and local economies of that time were crucial for security and for the fabric of society. Jesus’ call for repentance asks his followers to turn even from these things. He doesn’t call everyone away from them, and he doesn’t say these things miss the mark, but he wants to put them in a different context. He challenges the disciples, and us, to re-order our priorities. It is not that family and work are unimportant, it’s just that there is something else that is more important.
So Jesus starts his public ministry with his proclamation, his call to repent, then he calls for followers. He identifies the people who will carry on his work, who not only recognize who he is, have not only seen him as the great light promised to the Israelites, but who will carry his light, who will bear this light to God’s people. They hear Jesus’ message. They believe that the kingdom has come, and they have turned, turned to the light, ready to learn, ready to be transformed into light bearers.
We can ask ourselves today, hearing this message, have we heard Jesus’ call? Do we hear and believe his message that the kingdom of heaven has come near, that the divine rule has arrived and is arriving? And if so, how will we respond? Are we willing to repent, to turn? Maybe we are on the wrong path, focused on the wrong things, or maybe we just have our priorities disordered and are overly focused on less important things than bringing more fully the rule of God to this world? I ask you this not only as individuals, but as part of this church. I ask you as the First Congregational Church of Leicester if you are able to see the light, if you are ready to be transformed so that you can bear the light.
Just as Jesus challenged the local, familial priorities of the first century Galileans, so he challenges the local, familial priorities of the 21st century churches. The desires we may have to keep things they way they have always been, or get them back to the way they were may interfere with seeing the light, with bearing the light. The things that help us bond with each other, that help us feel comforted and safe and protected within these walls may create a barrier that keeps others from seeing the light of Jesus. It may even keep us from seeing the light of Jesus. In what ways do our priorities get disordered? Even in our wonderful acts of service to this place, whether it is plowing the snow, fixing the toilets, singing songs, arranging music, organizing fundraisers, do we forget that we actually are here to serve God? Even when we reach out to one another, and even to others, offering support and comfort, care and kindnesses unmatched, can’t we forget that these are ways but ways to know Jesus, to love Jesus?
When Jesus calls his followers, those who will bear his light, he tells them he will have them fish for people. Sometimes churches get so caught up in programs, in praise and thanksgiving, in caring for the building, that we forget to go fishing. We say we want to grow the church, but unless we are clear about why, I think we should keep our nets tucked away. We are here to serve God, not First Congregational Church, not ourselves, not even the hungry or homeless. We are called to be light bearers for Christ. We want to grow the church because it is a place where people can experience Christ, where they can be called by him to turn and follow him. And if we are clear about that, we can trust that it is not nearly as important for someone to join this church, support this church, offer their gifts and time and passion, as it is for them to be caught up in the great light and love of Jesus. That is our net, that is how we fish. We share our enthusiasm for Christ. Maybe it is with words, maybe it is with our loving actions, or our music or songs, or plowing the snow. But it is grounded in our love of Jesus and our willingness to be turned and transformed, and it is contagious.
Jesus calls us in the context of our lives, our family, our work, our leisure. He doesn’t usually call us away from them, but he calls us to new relationships with them, and outside of them. He needs us to continue his ministry in this world, to bear his light. I want to close with an observation I came across. The scholar notes that in the time of Jesus, disciples of any teacher sought out the teacher and attached to them. However, the gosples tell us that Rabbi, teacher, Jesus takes the initiative and calls people to be his students, and calls those who would not be at the head of the class. Is this true for us also? At a certain level of reality we choose to follow Jesus. We can join with others in hearing and interpreting his Word, we can search him out in various places. We can model ourselves on his life and make sacrifices in his name. At a deeper level, though, can we see that the reverse has been true? In all our searching we were being sought. The one whom we choose is the one who first chose us. We have been called? Will we hear him? Will we turn? May it be so.
