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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 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 fame 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 4:18-25
Yesterday, we read that when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." 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 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. These men were already among those who'd heard the preaching of John the Baptist. They were prepared to accept Christ immediately. My study bible says that although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be at Pentecost to be wisest of all.
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 fame 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. Jesus has preached repentance, but it is His healing and working miracles that attracts the crowds. My study bible tells us that this shows the people misunderstand the true nature Kingdom. Theophylact writes that this is Christ's concession "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes.
Healing sets the tone for this ministry; it teaches something about the mission of Jesus to the world. It is a mission for the life of the world, one meant to set us in our "right" places, giving us true health on all levels: spiritual and physical. It is a mission of liberation from the things that oppress and afflict, that which possesses and torments. Once again, the story teaches us something about God, and not merely "facts" about His ministry. This is a mission to heal what is wrong with the world, to redeem and set free. We see its nature in the calling of the fishermen. Jesus' Incarnation is one that changes things, transforms, illuminating hidden possibilities and potentials. These men who work on the sea will now work with the world as their sea, and become fishers of men, of human beings. Two sets of brothers will become the backbone of the Apostles, three of them forming His inner circle. As those first called to become sons by adoption, these brothers in a worldly sense will be transformed to root those who will become brothers and sisters in the Church. In Him, relationships change to form and shape a kingdom that is not of this world, a heavenly kingdom on earth. Meanings become paramount, hidden wisdom is to be illuminated by this great light coming into the world. The healings that so draw people are illustrations of the power of Christ's freedom that He offers us, the Kingdom that works to help human beings and set us at right-relatedness with the cosmos, all the world, the Creation. We notice the immediacy of the action here: the brothers follow Him immediately, the crowds -- even great multitudes -- spring up everywhere in the Jewish world in response to His healing. It's like the world is set alight, a great fire of energy is working to stir things up, to change what is seemingly unchangeable, to transform with a great light. But human beings will misunderstand. His kingdom that is not of this world will be mistaken for an earthly or worldly one, and ambitions of power ascribed to Him. His is the truth that sets free not by manipulation but by the hearts and minds of those who walk in His light. He redeems through humility. His light works within the heart, and obedience, discipleship, even sonship is one of love, not compulsion. This is the paradoxical Kingdom, that one that works within us and among us although not seen in the merely physical sense. It is a kingdom of love, whose impulse is to set free, to liberate from oppression and affliction, from the shadow of death. How do we honor this Kingdom? How would we recognize Him and His works in our midst? Let us consider what He asks of us: "Follow Me."
