After hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus withdrew to Galilee -- leaving Nazareth and making a 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."When I was working on this passage for the Sunday bulletin, I considered editing down some of the repetitive language so as to not have so many brothers and fathers. I left it mostly because I was swamped that week. But reflecting on it on Sunday, I was curious what the author was trying to get at with the repetition of the familial relationships -- why not just say, "saw two brothers -- Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew," and, "two other brothers, James and John, in the boat with their father Zebedee"?*Walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea -- for they were fishers. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus. Leaving there, Jesus saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and Jesus called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Jesus.
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.
Matthew 4:12-23 (NRSV, alt.)
Is there something here about how much we're called to give up to follow Jesus? These people weren't just quitting a job, they were leaving their family. The text explicitly tell us that James and John left their father (as well as their boat). Is the repetition of the familial language intended to emphasize it, to emphasize what they're leaving behind?
But these Call stories are about the calling of two pairs of brothers -- so they aren't leaving all their family behind; they still have each other.
Is there something about bringing companions with us on the journey? Jesus isn't opposed to family relationships in and of themselves, Jesus just doesn't privilege them above other relationships or priorities. [Feel free to refer back to discussion of Jesus' "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother and parent, wife and husband and spouse and children, brothers and sisters and siblings, yes, and even life itself, is not able to be my disciple" in Luke 14:26.]
Does having a companion help Simon Peter and Andrew and James and John make this radical life change? One of the things that struck me in this story was that the fishers so quickly get up and go.
This is only the 4th chapter of Matthew. Jesus has been baptized by John in the Jordan and tempted in the wilderness, but has literally done nothing else -- except, as we learn in this passage, withdraw to Galilee, make a home in Capernaum by the sea, and begin to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
What is it that they sense in Jesus that calls them so strongly?
As Molly mentioned in her sermon, Jesus took up John the Baptist's catch-phrase -- after John the Baptist had been arrested.
I really don't think of Jesus telling people to repent that much. "The commonwealth of God has come near" is something I associate with Jesus, but repenting not so much.
Did John's arrest spur something in Jesus? I'm not attempting to discount the importance of the Baptism and Temptation in spurring/preparing/shaping Jesus' public work-life, but I think the arrest of John the Baptist gets a bit forgotten when we think about this narrative trajectory.
It doesn't show up in all the Gospels, but I'm intrigued by the idea that the Baptism and Temptation both prepare Jesus but that it's John's arrest (at least in Matthew and Mark's memories) that really spurs Jesus to leave the security of home for good (not just to visit cousin John at the Jordan but to really leave, to make one's home somewhere else). I don't think Jesus necessarily feels an obligation to take John's place (as Jesus' ministry is distinctly different from John's), but there's something there -- whether it's the idea that one only gets so long before the authorities clamp down and so maybe it would be more effective to start sooner rather than later... or whether Jesus knows there's now a power vacuum and wants to use the momentum of John's movement before someone else tries to take John's place... or whether it's something else altogether.
The last thing that struck me in this passage was that Jesus is reported to have healed EVERY ill. I'm reminded of the story of Jesus going home and doing "no deed of power there, except [laying] hands on a few sick people and cur[ing] them" (Mark 6:5 -- the "a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown" story), which seems almost the reverse of this instance. And even in other healing stories which don't emphasize the limits to Jesus' power, we only get accounts of select healings, which gives me at least the impression that it was only those particular individual healings that happened on those particular days.
Is there something about this story that caused the teller to emphasize that Jesus healed EVERY ill? I wonder if there's something in the thrill of initial conversion that leads to hyperbole. Or perhaps the writer is laying the groundwork of Jesus' power and compassion (and later on we can focus on the particulars of each healing); certainly it's true that this concluding sentence lists all of Jesus' major actions -- teaching, proclaiming the good news, and healing.
So those are three things this passage brings up for me. What about you, Beloved? What does this story bring up for you?
You're invited to continue the conversation in the comments -- responding to any of the questions I've asked or raising questions of your own, or simply sharing some thoughts.
As always, you're welcome to comment anonymously/pseudonymously if you prefer.
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* This isn't just an NRSV translation quirk -- the Greek Intralinear I use says:
4:21 and before-stepping [advancing] thence he-perceived others two brothers Jacobus [James] the of-the Zebedee and John the brother of-him in the floater [ship] with Zebedee of-the [the] father of-them down-equipping [adjusting] the nets of-them and he-calls them
4:18 about-treading [walking] yet the Jesus beside the sea of-the Galilee he-perceived two brothers Simon the being-said Peter (Rock) and Andrew the brother of-him casting envelope-caster [purse-net] into the sea they-were for fishers
4:22 the yet immediately from-letting [leaving] the floater [ship] and the father of-them they-follow to-him [him]
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