Epiphany 3 , 01/26/2020

Sermon on Matthew 4:12-25, by Judson F. Merrell

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- 16 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." 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 18 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. 19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 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. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 23 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)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Two weeks ago we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord. Last Sunday our lesson gave us a transition from Jesus’ baptism to ministry with disciples. It included John naming Jesus as the Lamb of God, as well as Andrew going and finding Simon Peter and telling him that the Messiah had been found. Today we have Matthew’s account of Jesus calling his first disciples and the beginning of his ministry. But unlike last week’s lesson out of John’s account, Matthew’s account is very different. At this point in Matthew’s account, John the Baptist has been arrested. At hearing this news, Jesus withdraws into Galilee, on the northern side of the kingdom. Matthew tells us that he is in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. In doing so, Matthew quotes part of Isaiah 9. This territory that Jesus has withdrawn to is an area of the kingdom that has had troubles for a long time. They are the border areas of the northern part of the kingdom…which means they are the first invaded and the farthest from help. The people that lived there were out on the fringe. Therefore they endured the hardships and oppression of foreign governments. They endured wars and conquerors. Our first lesson speaks of this area, and if we were to keep reading in Isaiah 9, we would see that God has a plan for this area of the kingdom. God has seen their hardships, heard their cries, and from this area God will bring about change. We know this because Isaiah 9 contains one of the most famous parts of the Old Testament. We heard these verses not too long ago:

6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isa 9:6-7 NRSV)

When we hear this lesson we celebrate the birth of our Lord. We celebrate God doing something completely new for the benefit of creation. It is a benefit, a light as Isaiah names it, that comes from a very dark and troubled area. The prophet writes that out of this area of Zebulun and Naphtali, an area full of strife and struggle, will come a righteous King who will reign with justice. This king will be a king

of peace, not a king of heavy handiness that that region of the kingdom is so used to. It will be something new. This new thing is not the doing of humanity but instead the work of God. Isaiah made his prophecy long before Jesus was born on that Christmas morn. But for Matthew, Jesus is the deliverer of God’s salvation from the darkness of the world. He is that fulfillment of the prophecy. At the time of Jesus, Zebulun and Naphtali are still a place of darkness, but in reality the whole kingdom of Israel is. Israel is under Roman occupation, with a useless king. And out of this place of darkness and time of darkness comes a great light, a light put there by God. Matthew tells us that Jesus makes his new home in this place, and from him will come truth and justice as he reigns as King forever. Jesus is the promised descendant of David, and Matthew makes that clear as he opens his account of the Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus. For Matthew, there is no need for John to stand on a street corner and announce “Behold the Lamb of God!” as we heard last week. Instead, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah, the descendant of David who will reign forever and who fulfills God’s prophecy. Jesus is the light who overcomes the darkness, the sin, of this world. Only through Him is the kingdom fully realized in all its glory.

As we move through this Epiphany time, we focus on the ministry of Jesus, knowing that even today Jesus remains our light in the midst of the darkness of this world. Sin still abounds, but Jesus overcomes. He continues to call disciples to follow him and serve as witnesses to God’s actions. No more do we need to fear the trails and temptations of this world, but instead celebrate that God continues to be at work doing something new, something we can’t fully understand, but something truly awesome. For only God can inject his saving light into the darkness of this world. Let us pray that we are always witnesses to and followers of the light as it destroys the fear of darkness. In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

STS Judson F. Merrell

E-Mail: judsonmerrell@bellsouth.net

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