Call to repentance

Matthew 4:12-23

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee

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.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

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 Ministers to Crowds of People

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.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

If only the gospel was relevant for today’s world.

If only it had something to say about the poor, the disadvantaged, about creation, or about the political climate we find ourselves in  - something we might connect with today?

In our gospel reading today, Jesus’ cousin John has just been arrested - John was critical of the ruler of the day, Herod, critical of his economic policies that oppressed those at the bottom of the heap. 

Herod’s oppression of the poor had led to the most vulnerable having nowhere to turn to, no safety net for survival. 

Those who were widowed or orphaned, ill or unable to work were dying in appalling conditions. John had spoken out against Herod’s regime. 

He was also critical of Herod’s personal life, so Herod took him out of the picture, silencing him by putting him in prison.

When Jesus heard this, he probably knew that it was only a mater of time before John would be killed, such is often the fate of those who speak out against oppression, injustice and the misuse of power.

Jesus withdrew to Galilee. 

It wasn’t a quiet withdrawal but an urgent one - he needed to get out of the way for a while or he too was in danger of being arrested. 

And, while that was a constant threat for much of Jesus ministry, it wasn’t yet time for him to be silenced by the authorities.

So Jesus withdrew - fled might be a more accurate description. 

He fled the way his family had been forced to flee with him as a baby when another Herod came looking for him.

But Jesus flight to Galilee after John’s imprisonment was also a flight into the heart of resistance.

Jesus may have taken himself physically out of the way but he knew that really there was nowhere to hide. 

And he knew that, in John’s imprisonment, the baton was well and truly passed to him.

Announcing the kingdom was now the mission of Jesus.

The kingdom that John and now Jesus announced was in stark contrast to the kingdom in which folk lived. 

John and Jesus both proclaimed Repent! For the kingdom is near.

Both Jesus and John were making it clear that the Kingdom of heaven would only be realised when people worked to make it happen, when people changed their ways and invested in transformation. 

It wasn’t enough to complain about their living conditions, they had to begin to do something to change things for the better.

Repent, For the kingdom of heaven has come near.

That’s why, with John out of the picture, Jesus immediately began to call the disciples.

The authorities probably considered that, by using force, by imprisoning John, others would be deterred from going against them.

However then, as in every age, when governments crack down, there are always folk, thankfully, who will step up.

Folk who believe that things can be better and who work to make that happen.

And so, as Jesus walked by the shores of lake Galilee, he saw ordinary fishermen who were ready to take a stand against all that was wrong in their world.

And they saw, in Jesus, someone who would lead them in their fight back.

When Jesus called them those fishermen immediately left their nets and followed.

And Jesus mission was truly underway.

From that time on, Jesus, as we read: 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.

Jesus and the disciples he called really did work towards making the kingdom of heaven a reality.

If only we could identify with that today...

Truth be told, even the wee snapshot we have in the gospel today is much too uncomfortably close to the socio economic and political climate in which we live.

We see daily those who have fallen through the cracks in our so-called civilised society, those who have no safety net, those who have been sanctioned by the benefits system, those forced to live on the streets, those driven to despair with nowhere to turn.

We see it in our own town and community.

And we see it across the world.

We see folk fleeing oppressive regimes today, forced to take incredible risks simply to survive.

We see persecution and imprisonment of those who dare to speak out against governments that perpetrate injustice.

And we also see others prepared to take their place.

We see folk no longer willing to stay quiet but to gather in protest, to speak, to march, to work to make a difference.

What about us?

Are we agitated enough to Repent?

Are we stirred up enough to want to change?

Will we care enough to respond to Jesus call: Follow me?

Will we hear and proclaim the message: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Do we believe that we can work towards the kind of justice that God wants for all God’s children in this nation and across the world?

If only the gospel was relevant for our world today, if only there was something to connect with.

Jesus said: Follow me.

Amen.