Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then his name went throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. Great multitudes followed him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Matthew 4:17-25

In today's reading, we rejoin the Lectionary cycle, in the book of Matthew. Matthew's gospel began with the genealogy of Jesus - the documentation of his family history as a descendant of Abraham and King David. From there, the lectionary readings covered John the Baptist's preaching and his mission of repentance and baptism in preparation for He Who is to come, and the kingdom to come. This included John's popularity with all the people, as well as his scathing words for the religious leadership and predictions of judgment for them. John said that his baptism was of repentance with water, "but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Jesus himself is baptized by John, and the great event of Theophany or Epiphany takes place: the Father's voice, the revelation of Jesus as Son, the appearance of the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Jesus. From there, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days of temptation, and triumph, after which, we are told, angels ministered to him. Finally, Jesus is told that John has been put into prison, and so he leaves Nazareth and departs for Galilee where he will begin his preaching mission.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This phrase, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" is the watchword for all of the preaching Jesus and the disciples will do, as it was also the mission statement of John the Baptist. In many ways, Jesus will use this phrase to indicate that the kingdom is "near" or "among us," and we continue this day to ponder its many meanings. My study bible notes, "Christ's first word, like that of John the Baptist, is repent, because repentance is necessary to enter and continue in his new way of life. Repentance is man's turning from himself to God ...The kingdom of heaven is synonymous with 'the kingdom of God'; it is present in Christ (12:28)."

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. My study bible notes, "These first disciples of Christ had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, which prepared them to accept the Messiah immediately. Verse 19 ["Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men"] may describe the second time Jesus has called three of these men [see Luke 5:10]. As his disciples, Jesus chooses men who have not been trained in any sacred school, most of whom are unlearned and illiterate, considered by the various religious groups within Judaism as 'people of the land,' or peasants. At Pentecost these men will be revealed to be the wisest of all, by the power of the Holy Spirit." We also recall the setting of Galilee, and its significance to the overall Jewish population of the time. My study bible says that, "the common people on the edge of Jewish territory are more receptive to his teaching than the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem." Earlier in this chapter of Matthew's gospel, it is referred to as "Galilee of the Gentiles." This tells us that many non-Jews lived in the region. Galilee became an Assyrian province in 734 B.C. By Jesus' time, it had a mixed population and wasn't considered genuinely Jewish - although, as a note in my study bible indicates, many non-Jewish residents converted to Judaism in the Maccabean period. It continues, "Even the Jews who inhabited this area were influenced by Greek culture and were considered second-class by the Jews of Judea."

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then his name went throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. Great multitudes followed him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. In this section, we are given a summary of Jesus' early ministry and activity. My study bible notes, "His miracles bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom and serve as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount." We remember once again the phrase "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." As my study bible implies, the miracles in Jesus' ministry are "witness" or "signs" of that kingdom's presence in the midst of the people of faith. In the next reading, we will begin the Sermon on the Mount, the great central homily of this gospel, and it will continue through several readings. But first, we take into consideration this early ministry.

Matthew has begun his book with a genealogy focused on Jesus' kingly heritage. At the same time, it indicates the presence of several women in this lineage - something very unusual for a Jewish genealogy. And those women are striking: all of the women are Gentiles or sinners. Jesus begins his ministry after the imprisonment of John the Baptist, in deference to John's highly important role to the beginning of the manifestation of this kingdom. Jesus also faces temptation in the "battleground" of the wilderness (a place both of demonic activity and the tranquil contemplation of spiritual life) - the idea that he must follow not the Father's will, but rather "earthly" values of materialism, selfishness, and worldly power. But his mission is to manifest true identity, we could say "true self" in his Personhood as incarnate Son. And so, he begins his ministry in today's reading, choosing his disciples from among those of the poor and the outsiders. In all things it is faith, and the vision that faith gives of what is real and true, that is important - even in these earliest beginnings. Clearly, our hearts are the place we start. Those with hearts open to hear - that is, those who have spiritual "ears to hear and eyes to see" - are the ones who are chosen as his disciples. We recall, also, that miracles are not proofs, but rather signs. They are evidence, testimony, to the presence of that kingdom among the faithful. As Jesus starts his mission in this new reading of the book of Matthew, let us remember what it is to have "hardness of heart", and to open our eyes and ears in a spiritual sense to hear his preaching.