Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

 

 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 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 the Baptist 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 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 tells us that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  It notes that although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the 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. My study Bible asks us to note that the crowds do not swarm Jesus when He commands repentance (see the final verse in yesterday's reading, above), but only when He starts to heal and to work miracles.  What this shows is that the people misunderstand the true nature of Christ's Kingdom.  Moreover, according to Theophylact (as quoted in my study Bible), it shows Christ's concession "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing to note in today's reading is the "immediate" quality of this new ministry, this beginning of Christ's public ministry.  The text seems to emphasize its explosive and remarkable growth.  The disciples follow Him immediately in response to His call to "Follow Me."  The rapidity with which His fame spreads not only through Galilee, but through every region of Israel people is remarkable, among all the Jewish communities even in the nearby Gentile areas.  This is significant, because it, in fact, mirrors the rapid spread of Christianity that would occur after Pentecost.  My study Bible correctly points out, however, that the people aren't responding so quickly to Christ's call to repentance, but rather to His healing miracles, including exorcism.  On display is His healing power, giving people something they desperately want.  But Jesus is all of a package, and we can't separate His message from His Kingdom and from the rest of His ministry.  In time, this will prove the case, and the "fickle multitudes" as my study Bible calls them, will show their character.  However, there is another thing we must note that is important in this context both of character, and also Christ's calling to the disciples.  He speaks to these fishermen by calling them not to an amorphous set of principles or values, a mere "belief" system, but to a vocation.  And perhaps most importantly, the vocation to which they're called, their new life in Christ, is one that accentuates and develops something they are already trained to do.  Jesus speaks to them in a language they understand from their own lives as fishermen, telling them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  (By the way, the Greek word translated as "men" means people or humanity, human beings.)   This gives us an insight to key issues of both identity and our places in God's Kingdom, how we are called to the kingdom of heaven which is at hand.  Christ's power transforms.  Our proximity and our faith (or perhaps one should say our "faithfulness") works to give us new identity, but within the parameters of a kind of transfiguration.  We remain the same person, and yet we are changed -- and from the inside out.  They will not simply become fishers of men because they go around collecting followers for Jesus, bodies to populate this new movement.  They will become fishers of men by becoming disciples of Christ, living with Him, learning from Him, growing in understanding, and being transformed themselves through this process of faithful living and trust in Him.  What we should always remember is that we, like the fishermen, are called toward something.  We are called on a journey of repentance, meaning "change of mind."  It is a journey of transformation, in which all that we are, all that might be constituted as part of "mind" -- and beyond only the intellect -- is changed, transfigured, turned around.  We don't become someone else, but we are drawn out of our circumstances and given a deeper and truer sense of who we are, and the image in which we have been created, in this communion that constitutes the kingdom of heaven.  This is the immediate response, a deep recognition of where the heart truly is, and where we find the one thing -- the One Person -- in whom we can deeply trust to show us the way.

 

 

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

 

 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 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 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 asks us to note here that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so were prepared to accept Christ immediately (see John 1:35-51).  Although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion (as opposed to the scribes and Pharisees, for example), these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the 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.  My study Bible remarks on this passage that the crowds do not swarm Jesus when He commands repentance (verse 17), but only when He begins to heal and work miracles.  This fact shows that the people misunderstand the true nature of His Kingdom.  It also shows Christ's concession, as Theophan comments, "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes.

It's remarkable how the text records a phenomenal acceleration in the fame of Jesus, how it went throughout all Syria, and great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  What this means is that almost immediately, He would have drawn the attention of the religious leadership in Jerusalem.  Of course, packed into one verse is the phrase that He went about all Galilee, and from there His fame spread.  In the following chapter (indeed, in our next reading) Jesus will preach the Sermon on the Mount, meant for a great multitude indeed.  But our study Bible, which records the traditional perspective understood and accepted through the centuries, quite sensibly comments that the people do not respond when Jesus preaches repentance.  Rather, the great multitudes gather and His fame spreads when He begins to heal and to work miracles.  Theophan comments that He does so in order to "give credibility to what He teaches," reminding us of the time He had forgiven the sins of a paralytic who was brought to Him by being lowered through a roof by his friends.  In Mark's version of the story, Jesus understands that the scribes criticize in their hearts, asking, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  Jesus replies by asking, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" (see Mark 2:1-12).  We notice in this passage that the original dispute was over the forgiveness of sins, directly connected to the issue of repentance, but it became an occasion for a display of His power to heal.  So it is with the effects of His ministry:  it is the physical healing that gives credibility to what He teaches, as Theophan notes.  In today's world, we see sin in a way that is not as powerful as the scribes understood forgiveness to be.  Perhaps we don't see sin as the crime against community that was understood through the Mosaic Law.  We might understand it better if we thought about public penalties for crimes in the law of the state, such as murder or theft.  While the scribes understand that only God has the power to forgive sins -- and in our faith, this power is extended by Christ to the Church -- in our present day we understand that only the state has the power to assign or revoke guilt of a crime and evade the penalties that result.  But in a time that celebrates sin and even, to some extent criminality in popular media, we might consider sin in a deeper sense by recognizing its communal effects.  One person's selfishness or hostility can affect a whole family and several generations to come with repercussions, hardships inflicted, patterns of behavior taught.  A crime of theft in an organization can set back all those who are employed or benefit from the institution.  A person who harms a spouse or a child commits a crime against a family, for the whole of the family becomes impacted in one way or another, and the effects spread outward from there.   From the beginning, our spiritual history in Scripture has taught us that the first sin had repercussions that we, as community, inherit as the conditions or environment in which we live, and so it continues.  Unfortunately, community then as now does not respond to a call to repent with this depth of understanding of how sin impacts us all and those whom we love and care about.  In this context, we must view Christ's physical healing as on par with the spiritual and soul healing offered via repentance.  The care of spirit and soul is not something we should dismiss lightly, and possibly the scribes -- who do not understand who Christ is -- have something to contribute to we moderns in this respect.  A materialist or literalistic understanding of life cannot convey to us the meanings present in our faith, the understanding that we all act in community for good or ill.  But Christ's healing mirrors the healing He offers through salvation and redemption, for this is our Savior vividly giving credibility to what He teaches.  Let us understand His mission of repentance and redemption, otherwise we miss the whole point in our blindness to what He offers.   The disciples were those capable of grasping this mission, for to be "fishers of men" is to address the hearts and minds of those who can accept healing at this deepest and truest of levels.  It's not the great crowds in the Gospels who get it right, but those who can hear the message, for whom the fishermen will be sent.  Mark's Gospel tells us of the first mission for which the apostles will be sent out:  "So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them" (Mark 6:12-13).  The anointing with holy oil and healing remains a part of the gospel and the mission of the Church, but it is an integrity of body, soul, and spirit which is the full healing message of Christ.

 

 

For this purpose I have been sent

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

- Luke 4:38-44

Yesterday we read that, after speaking in the synagogue at Nazareth and being rejected there by his townspeople, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  This passage tells us that Simon Peter is married, and that his family home in Capernaum becomes a kind of headquarters for Jesus' ministry in Galilee.  1 Corinthians 9:5 also indicates the activities and participation of Peter's family in ministry after Jesus' Ascension.  Regarding the fact that Jesus rebuked the fever of Peter's mother-in-law, my study bible quotes the commentary of Cyril of Alexandria:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."  That Peter's mother-in-law immediately arose and served them tells us also of her participation in the ministry of Christ; her restoration is to her rightful place.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.   Healing and exorcism come under the same umbrella.  Once again, as in yesterday's reading (see above), the demons recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God!  And again, Jesus, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.  Jesus' primary mission is to preach the kingdom.  My study bible says that miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message, and also to the identity of the Teacher (see 5:24).  The same pattern will also be true of the Church (Acts 4:29-30). 

 Once the mission and ministry of Jesus has begun, His acts speak for Himself.  They speak for the Kingdom He is bringing into the world, and when He is not ready to yet directly reveal His identity as the Christ, it is His acts that speak of this identity as well.  Well-noted in the Gospel, as we have read already, is His refusal to allow the demons to speak and identify Him.  Rather, it is His action of speaking, preaching, healing, exorcism, and ministry that speaks about Him, and speaks to the presence of God in the world.  He allows His actions and ministry to do the talking when it comes to identity.  In yesterday's reading, the people marveled that He gave a word with authority and power, and gave commands to the demons in the same way.  It is this acting, speaking, preaching, healing, and commanding with authority and power that also speaks to Jesus' true identity.  In all ways, Jesus will allow His ministry itself to speak for Him, before He reveals His identity to the disciples and to others.  It is not the expectations of the world that count; it is the mission, as given by the Father.  We should think about Jesus' way of being in the world and presenting Himself as a guide to our own lives.  How do our actions speak about who we are?  Do we live a prayerful life, as He did, following what we find in faith to do -- and the ways in which we need to act?  This is His center:  a life fully lived in conjunction with the will of the Father, where what He does speaks of Himself and also represents the Father in the world.  Our integrity also can depend on such a way of life, where what we do speaks for us, so long as we find guidance in the same ways that Christ does.  He doesn't act simply to follow an image, or a social code.  He doesn't speak about Himself in the ways we'd expect someone seeking fame or renown to do, as in a modern public relations campaign.  Instead, He lives.  He acts, breathes, thinks, preaches, and works in accordance with the ways He is direct to, in faith and relatedness to the Father.  Let us consider running our own lives in this same way, a kind of integrity from the inside out, rather than the outside in.  Let us truly live, and glorify God in so doing.

Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
 And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which  proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country."  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14-30

Last week, we began reading the Gospel of Luke. On Friday, we read of Jesus' Baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan.  On Saturday we read that then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot  against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God." Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, here He returns in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and begins His Galilean ministry, in which He is glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."   My study bible says that, being the eternal Son of God, Christ did not become the world's anointed Savior, but that He has always been our Savior from before the foundation of the world (John 17:24, Ephesians 1:4).  Christ spoke through Isaiah the prophet to say, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1).  At Jesus' Baptism, the descent of the Spirit of the LORD like a dove (3:22), it was a sign that revealed the eternal truth of Christ to the people.   The acceptable year of the LORD is the time of the Incarnation, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2). 

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which  proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country."  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  My study bible calls our attention to the double response of the people to Christ -- of both marveling and rejection.  It is a frequent occurrence in the encounters with Christ (see 11:14-16; John 9:16).  That Christ is rejected in His own country is a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha.  It foreshadows Christ's rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  But Jesus accepts death according to the Father's will, not according to the will of those who will seek to persecute Him.  But here in today's reading, His hour of the Passion has not yet come (see John 8:20).

Notable in today's passage is Christ's emphasis on faith in God the Father -- and particularly in God's word, as it is living and active and presented to us, as opposed to what we learn from ancestors, custom, habit, and the condition of the society.  What is familiar is incorrect here, because God's word (and Christ is the Word, see John 1:14) intervenes, and is present and living, standing in front of them.  And it is this that they cannot accept.  His familiar townspeople and neighbors know one thing, and God is presenting to them another.  They ask, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  Jesus is already well-known and well-received around Galilee.  The Gospel tells us that He is preaching in the synagogues, and is glorified by all.  But in His hometown of Nazareth, they know one thing and that is what they're sticking to.  They demand a proof, a sign, some great sign such as has been done elsewhere, as in Capernaum.  Jesus goes on the offensive, pushing for recognition of spiritual truth as it's been given in the Scriptures.  He tells them that there were many widows in Israel at the time of a great famine, but Elijah was sent to none of them, only a widow of Sidon, a foreigner, named Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9-16).   He reminds them also that at the time of Elisha there were many lepers in Israel, but Elisha was sent to none of them, and healed only Naaman the Syrian, another foreigner (2 Kings 5).  They understand what He's telling them about themselves.  Their outrage is clear; they wish to kill Him, to throw Him out of the city, and even over a cliff.  But God's intervention in our own lives could be met with the same outrage.  God will always come to call us to the truth, and to the reality of our own circumstances.  While the greatest of blessings come from above, even every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), God's blessings and love also come with the truth about ourselves:  where we need to go, what we need to do, how we need to step up to our own calling.  It may well give us correction, and even rebuke.  It will always ask us to expand the way we see things, and our own outlook on life.  The way that God is calling Christ's townspeople now is to recognition of the Christ in their midst, even as one of their own, whom they cannot recognize as anything but Jesus, the son of Joseph.  He announces Himself and His identity to them, but they cannot accept it.  They are outraged at what He claims for Himself.  They must be wondering how He can presume to tell them anything.  That Christ says to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country" is of such profound importance to our faith as given by Christ that it is found in all four Gospels.  Luke's Gospel has so far given us an emphasis on the pull of nationalism as opposed to the call of God to the recognition of holiness.  But this profound surprise and outrage goes even deeper than that.  It tells us something about God's work among us, in all of our communities and in our lives.  We can't rely on what is old and familiar.  The work of repentance itself is always a call to the new, the untried, what we don't know yet -- to reconsider how we've always done things, and to be willing to take the risk of change.  That is what faith is all about.  When we put our trust in God, we go where we are called, even if it is frightening, even unthinkable.  Have you ever been in a circumstance that called upon you to "step up" and try something new?  Has God called you to take a risk in trust and in faith?  Where has your prayer life led you?  Consider Christ's strong and harsh words, provoking such an impact of rage and wrath from His own townspeople.  You may find the same in your own life, but take heart and know where you are going, in faith.

I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

- Luke 4:38-44

Yesterday we read that, after being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  We see an integrated community of believers in Capernaum, where Peter has his home.  This passage tells us that Peter is married, with an extended family, which becomes home and headquarters to Christ's ministry.  My study bible quotes St. Cyril of Alexandria, who writes about Jesus' rebuke of the fever of Peter's mother-in-law:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Jesus' capacity to heal becomes a strong and early focus of His Galilean ministry.  All know about Him, to the extent that their sick are brought to Him.  Once again, as in yesterday's reading (above), the demons know who He is, but He rebukes them and doesn't allow them to speak; He does not want His identity revealed in this way and at this time.  We note the connection of illness and demonic activity; not all illnesses are linked to this, but their co-incidence is evident here.  All things seem to stir around Christ, both illness and demons fail to remain in place in His presence and action.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.  My study bible tells us that Christ's primary mission was to preach the kingdom.  Miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message and also the identity of Christ as Teacher.  This same pattern holds true in the Church under the apostles (Acts 4:29-30).   Let us note that before each new expansion of His ministry, Jesus retreats in solitude and peace for prayer.

Jesus' influence begins to have hallmark effects on the communities of His ministry.  He begins to tour around Galilee, so to speak.  He's established a pattern in Capernaum.  He preaches in the synagogue on the Sabbaths.  Today's reading gives us a picture of one Sabbath in His ministry.  He goes to the synagogue and preaches, and then returns "home" where Peter's mother-in-law is ill.  They request that He come to her; He rebukes her fever and heals her.  It is time for the meal, and she is well and rises to serve them, restored to her place in the home.  Later when the sun is setting, the community brings the sick to Him.  Many who are sick have demonic influence, and as in the synagogue the demons make themselves known -- and recognize Him -- as they are forced to depart and remove their influence from the community.  Jesus has power and authority over them, commanding them to silence.  It's as if the world is a lawless place as far as demonic activity is concerned, but Christ comes with law, power, and authority over them.  The next day, Jesus departs to a "deserted place" -- but the community comes seeking Him.  They try to persuade Him to remain, but He tells them that He must take His ministry to other cities in Galilee.  When Jesus retreats to a deserted place, it is always for prayer, a necessary time of rest, reflection, and consultation with the Father.  He tells them that He's sent to other cities also, and takes up His ministry in the synagogues of Galilee.  It's like Jesus is "all business."  He knows why He is sent and what He is sent to do.  He's on a mission, and He must complete it accordingly.  Jesus' ministry so far in its beginning has clearly been directed both by the will of the Father and the action of the Holy Spirit.  He has something He is supposed to do, and He's not alone, but has been sent to accomplish something, and He is faithful to that mission.  We can see His influence, His energy and power at work.  It is stirring up the world everywhere He goes.  People respond to the healing, but first He preaches and teaches.  What we can take from today's reading is how His power, authority, and influence work.  Is this what you want in your life?  We also note Jesus' repeated retreat for prayer and renewal, which occurs in the Gospels quite remarkably as a sort of punctuation between each new phase and expansion of ministry.  It is something we can all learn from.   Our lives unfold as Jesus' ministry unfolds.  We have something to do, but we live in a world where all kinds of influences and interactions are possible and will make up the story of our lives.   Like Christ, we should find that pattern of retreat and prayer as frequent "punctuation" in the midst of all else we do, particularly when we are working through a difficult time of transition and decision.  We call upon His words and His influence and power and authority to find our way and to help us in all circumstances.  Like Christ, we note also the Father and the Holy Spirit, the energies of mercy and grace we need, and the prayer to Our Father which Christ has given us.   Part of Christ's mission is also the training of His disciples who will become His apostles, saints upon whose work the Church will be established and expanded.  Let us call upon all these resources for ourselves, for influence and guidance in our lives.  We will follow our own "business" as we are directed, and call upon the community which He has established for us.  Let us keep to what we are to be about, as He does, and stay focused on the mission, through all things.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manassah, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

* * *

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.'"

Now John himself was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

- Matthew (1:1-17), 3:1-6

 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manassah, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  What can a genealogy tell us?  Jesus means "O Lord, save," which immediately establishes His role as Savior.  Christ means "Anointed One," or Messiah, the One who is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Though the Son alone became man, my study bible reminds us, God the Father and the Holy Spirit work in Jesus Christ to save us.  Jesus became Man as a Jew, from the lineage of Abraham, the father of all Jews, and of David, Israel's greatest king and the prototype of the royal Messiah.  Matthew's genealogy reveals that the Son of God becomes so fully human that He takes all the human condition upon Himself and becomes part of it.  His ancestry here includes both righteous and wicked people, faithful kings and murderers, Jews and Gentiles, kings and peasants, my study bible tells us.  In Luke's Gospel, the genealogy runs from Jesus back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38), but Matthew's list begins with Abraham, through whom God established the Old Covenant of circumcision, and to Jesus the author of the New Covenant.  In Genesis, God promises to bless all tribes of the world in Abraham (Genesis 12:3, 28:14); this is fulfilled in Abraham's greatest Son, Jesus Christ.  David, through anointing by Samuel, was made king, my study bible notes.  Through his psalms, David was revealed as a great prophet.  Thus, David foreshadows both the royal and prophetic nature of Jesus Christ (Psalm 109).  As adulterer and murderer, my study bible reminds us, David also functions as a type for all repentant sinners. 

 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.  Normally, Jewish genealogical lists would include only men.   But Matthew gives us several women -- Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, and this is quite unusual.  Each is either a Gentile or a sinner.  The inclusion of these women teaches us something important and powerful:  it both declares God's graciousness and prefigures the calling of Gentiles into the Church.  Additionally, it underscores the role of women in God's plan of salvation and anticipates the special place of Mary, mother of Jesus, in that plan.  Joseph can be called Jesus' immediate predecessor as Old Testament marriage laws confer hereditary rights on adopted as well as biological sons.  The church fathers teach that Mary was also descended from David.  The text refers to Mary when it says of whom was born Jesus; "of whom" is feminine in the Greek.  Jesus, therefore, is understood to be born of Mary, and not begotten of Joseph.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.'"  The wilderness of Judea is a barren region which descends from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.  In the first part of our reading, we were given the genealogy of Jesus, leading to His birth.  Here we begin with the preparation for His ministry in the world, beginning with John's call to repent.  Repentance, which accompanies faith, my study bible says, is a total about-face.  In Greek it literally means to change one's mind (metanoia), or more generally, to turn around.  In reality, salvation is an ongoing repentance, a deepening process which creates radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart.  That is, a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life.  Repentance is the start here, the first step in the way of the LORD.  It is accompanied by the confession of sins and the act of baptism, my study bible notes, and is followed by a life filled with fruits worthy of this change (see 3:8).  John echoes and fulfills the words of the prophets before him.  The text quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3) to indicate John's role as herald in the work of salvation.

Now John himself was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.   John is given to us in the image of a prophet.  His clothing was typical of such, distinctively echoing Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  His ascetic life conformed to those Jewish sects such as the Essenes, who lived in the wilderness and whose purpose was solely to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God.  The monastic movement in the early Church would be patterned after John's manner of life.  My study bible also notes here that the confession of sins is essential to baptism under both the Old and New Covenant.  John's baptism was a sign of repentance and the forgiveness of sins only.  It did not confer the power of total regeneration nor adoption as a child of God as does Christian baptism.

Today's reading is concerned with beginnings.  We're given the beginning of Christ's life, His mission and Incarnation, through a genealogy that starts with Abraham, he whose faith resulted in the covenant with God and began a radical journey of faith through history.   The other beginning we're given is the beginning of Jesus' public mission in the world, starting with the John the Baptist, who heralds the advent of the Christ and the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Kingdom, another world-changing beginning.  Both beginnings give us the sense of history as given in the Church:  that the Incarnation of Christ is the central event of all history, through and around which all else is arranged.  Although we're given "beginnings" here in a worldly sense, in the sense of the true nature of Christ and of creation, the eternal mission of salvation always was:   regardless of our state as human beings, God's love would always call us toward God and toward love and communion -- a depth of communion that asks us to become "like God."   From Abraham to John the Baptist, the central mission remains consistent through all the preparation and through the saints of whom we know:  the love of God reaching toward us and finding us wherever we may be, no matter how we may seem separated.  This central cosmic mission ripples all throughout history before and since and extends -- especially in our recent experience of Easter and the truths of Christ death and Resurrection -- to all those who have come before and will come in the future.  Time is relevant to this cosmic perspective, as each moment in our own lives serves also as beginning.  Now we listen to John the Baptist and consider our orientation to life and how our faith informs us where we are.  Now is the moment we remember Christ and pray to set us properly in our day today.  Now is the time we remember God is always with us and ask the Holy Spirit to guide our way, to show us what we need.  Now is the moment we pray to make wise decisions, for a guide and Helper to be with us.  Now is the moment we're grateful for the love of Christ.  The eternal present is always a beginning, regardless of our histories and what we think we know, for right now with God all things are always possible -- even the astonishing story of Christ in our midst and the ministry that is always with us.   For the kingdom of heaven remains, ever-present, at hand, calling us to wake up to what truly is.  Repentance becomes the act of reorienting ourselves to that reality and living it as fully as possible in the now that is always a beginning, God's love present even in the most intimate moments of our lives.

Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light

 

 Now 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."

- Matthew 4:12-17

Yesterday we read that after His baptism by John the Baptist,  Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up,/Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"  Again,  the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."    Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  for it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Now 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: . . ."  My study bible tells us that Galilee of the Gentiles indicates that many non-Jews lived in the region of Galilee.  As it had a mixed population, it wasn't considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  Many of the Jews there had been influenced by the Greek culture and its customs, and so they were generally considered to be second-class citizens by the Jews of Judea.

"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."  Darkness in a Scriptural context means ungodliness.  Here it is representative of the Gentiles' unawareness of God, and the Jews being under the shadow of the Old Covenant.  To sit in darkness, my study bible says, means to be overcome by spiritual ignorance.  The great light is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9:1-2.

 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Jesus' first word of preaching, just like that of John the Baptist, is "Repent" (see Matthew 3:1-2).  The kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand, because it is present wherever Christ is.

Here is the great good news:  The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  When Jesus sends out the disciples on their first apostolic mission, He will teach them to preach the same thing, telling them, "As you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 10:7).  We witness a kind of handing off, a passing down, of this message of the presence of the kingdom of heaven.  And so, we have to ask ourselves what this truly means.  To repent, as we noted in the earlier reading regarding the Baptist's preaching, is to do an about-face.  In Greek (μετανοια/metanoia) literally means to change one's mind, and it is a lifetime process of Christian movement in a spiritual journey.  Our own baptism simply begins the journey, and we move into the life of that kingdom with time, should we internally accept and cooperate with the work of the Spirit.  To be in the presence of that Kingdom is to live the life that Christ invites us into.  It is His presence, as my study bible says, that makes the kingdom of heaven at hand.  This is an understanding that required a type of repentance in its time which Jesus teaches to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well in John's Gospel:  "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  Those who expected the kingdom of God to manifest as material kingdom, ruled by a worldly messiah, would have to "change their minds," to repent, to understand and accept the word of Christ, this knowledge that the kingdom of heaven was truly at hand -- but not in the way they expected it.   And here is the example of repentance:  it means to discard an old way of thinking for the life and the truth that God gives to us.  We make room, so to speak, through this change.  We grow and we discern.   This is the lifetime project of repentance, a kind of transition that happens as we are willing to adapt and discard the things that just don't fit in with the truth of that Kingdom.  Wherever Christ is present, there is that Kingdom.   Where One of the Holy Trinity is, so is the Trinity, and so to worship in spirit and in truth is to know that the presence of the gift of the Spirit is to be graced with the presence of the Kingdom as well.  It is Jesus who will teach the Pharisees, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (see Luke 17:20-21).  To accept His words would require of them a repentance, an about-face, a change of mind.  We have to open our own hearts and minds to this presence, to accept it, and to make all changes as accommodations to its teachings, its life and its truth in our lives.  So Repent is the first word.  We need to make room for this holy work, the presence of this kingdom of heaven in our lives, our hearts, our minds, our ways of thinking and being.  Where Christ is, so is this Kingdom.  Where we share the love of Christ, where we act in the name of Christ, so dwells this Kingdom as well (see Matthew 10:42).  We let the light into us, in order to dispel the darkness, and we share that light with others by living the life He teaches us to live -- by doing this work of metanoia, of change of mind, and allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit (just as He did in going to the wilderness to face temptation; see yesterday's reading above).  Christ will teach that in bringing this Kingdom into the world, He brings division and even hardship and struggle for His disciples, those who would carry this Kingdom within themselves.  But our own struggle to discard ways of seeing and being that occlude our sight, our own darkness and ignorance, is no less a part of the work of faith and growth into the life of that Kingdom.  To see a great light is to sometimes be dazzled by it, even temporarily blinded.  To accommodate this Kingdom, the presence of Christ, is to live in His light, to make it a growing part of ourselves, and to allow it to cast out our own darkness.  Don't be surprised at the changes that might bring!

The unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

- Mark 3:7-19a

Yesterday we read that it happened that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. 

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  Jesus withdrew because the Pharisees and Herodians (of Galilee) are plotting against Him.  We get a taste of His fame, which is now also in Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, all to the south of Galilee.  But also those from Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region north of Galilee, come to Him.  There are so many people crowding round that Jesus must have a boat ready in case He should be crushed by the crowd, as simply touching Him is seen as healing.  Once again, although the authorities are plotting against Him, and He continues to spread His ministry to obviously great public acclaim, it is not the time to reveal His messianic identity; thus He forbids the spirits to speak.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.   We get a sense of the unfolding of Jesus' ministry.  There are so many coming to Him, and His fame has spread throughout the regions of Jewish communities.  He appoints twelve in order to distribute and share His power -- to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.  The names of the disciples aren't the same on all lists in the Gospels, as many people had more than one name.  Judas is always referred to as the one who betrayed Him, reminding us that the Gospels are written with the perspective given after Pentecost. 

Mark's gospel moves very quickly.  It is the shortest of the Gospels.  But it gives us a sense of the important "scenes" of Jesus' ministry, giving us a perspective on its significant events and how it unfolds.  Jesus' fame spreads very quickly.  As hostility to His ministry begins among the authorities, so grows His greater fame, and so spreads the word about Him to all regions of Jewish communities.   It's at this turning point that the twelve are appointed.  It's very significant that Jesus' power is shared, because it gives us a sense of His authority, His central place and divine identity.  It's important to note how Jesus goes about His ministry.  He doesn't wait for others to approve, He doesn't explain His identity as Messiah.  He preaches the Kingdom, as He's been sent to do.  He goes where God the Father has sent Him to go.  He heals and He casts out demons.  He uses His divine power.  But He never explains His messianic identity, and in fact He forbids the unclean spirits from identifying Him.  We've repeatedly discussed, in this blog, the reasons for such secrecy and lack of fanfare about His identity:  the hostility of the leadership, the people's misunderstanding and false expectations of the Messiah as political leader, and the importance of genuine faith that is not coerced in any way.  But Jesus is also teaching us clearly about living the Kingdom, the life of the holy.  He just does it.  He lives it.  He doesn't wait for the world to accept Him first.  He doesn't try to convince everyone He's "right."  He doesn't even explain His actions.  And, at least until the end of His ministry, when the authorities grow hostile in one place, He simply moves forward to the other places He must go.   Understanding will come via faith to those who can accept His ministry.  When accused, He will loyally defend His followers, His disciples and John the Baptist.  And He will stand up for Himself when it comes time to spar with the leadership.  But He makes no prior justification of why His ministry will unfold as it does, and no excuses.  It teaches us a lesson about the life of the Kingdom.  Is there something that needs doing?  Are you called to study Scripture?  Is there an impulse for prayer?  Does God ask you to live a certain way?  Christ is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, but He calls each one of us to also be good servants, to respond as His servants to what is necessary.  He doesn't ask us to wait for the world to accept our beliefs, or to convince everyone else we're "right," nor to expect that everybody will approve.  He calls us to live the life of the Kingdom, as His servants, as His friends, alert for where and how we can simply do so.  There is no great ideological struggle we need to engage in -- but there is a truth at work, the truth of the mercy and love of God, which we seek to serve, for He is the Person who is Truth.  If we are to be like Him, we live like Him, and we serve His truth.  In this way we express His life in the world, and participate in His life as He asks us to.  This is what is truly necessary -- not useless debate and fruitless argument.  Let us be alert and ready and wakeful servants, responding quickly to His call -- and learn from Him.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.   And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14-30

Yesterday, we read that Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit (after His baptism by John), returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  Now  when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Jesus' ministry has just begun, and what we notice is the work of the Holy Spirit through all things.  It was the Holy Spirit whose power sent Him into the wilderness to be tempted (yesterday's reading), and by the power of the spirit He is returned to Galilee to begin His ministry.  Nothing begins without the power of the Spirit.  In the Eastern liturgical rites, all begin with a prayer to the Holy Spirit.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  My study bible tells us that the words of Isaiah are inspired by Christ to begin with.  He is the eternal Son of God and therefore has always been; He did not simply become the anointed Savior, but has been so from the foundation of the world.  Isaiah writes, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1) as it was Christ speaking through him.  Jesus does not say, "The Spirit has come upon Me."  When the Spirit of the LORD descended on Christ at His baptism (3:22), it was a sign revealing an eternal truth to the people, not a temporal occurrence.  This is an essential moment in His ministry; Luke tells us that Jesus specifically chose this verse to read in His hometown synagogue of Nazareth.  The acceptable year of the LORD is the time of His Incarnation, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.   And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  We see the response of those in His hometown to His ministry!  My study bible points out that this double response of the people of both marveling (v. 22) and rejection (v. 29) occurs frequently in those who encounter Christ (see 11:14-16; John 9:16).   Being rejected in His own country is a fulfillment of the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elijah whom Jesus mentions here.  It foreshadows His ultimate rejection by the Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Christ accepts His death according to the will of the Father, not of the authorities or the crowds.  We note that here, as elsewhere, He passes through the midst of them; the hour of His Passion has not yet come.

Right from the beginning of His ministry, we hear of confrontation.  Jesus has great good news that people can't accept.  They know Him, they know His family, they know where He is from.  How can He be the Person He says He is?  By this time of His preaching in His hometown synagogue at Nazareth, He's already well-known.  His ministry has become well-known.  But the people cannot accept the authority in the ministry and the Man; they assign to Him the place they think they know.  This statement made by Jesus, "No prophet is accepted in his own country," is mentioned in all four Gospels.  As my study bible points out, He is rejected as the prophets were rejected.  This 'microcosm' of His hometown is a reflection of what will happen eventually with the authorities and the stirred crowds at the Passion.  But Jesus has a response for them.  He is the Prince of Peace, but this doesn't stop Him from fully defending the authority by which He is sent into the world, and the work of the ministry that will continue when He is gone.  He speaks of the continuing action of God, via the Holy Spirit, in which the Good News of salvation will also be a light to the Gentiles.  He warns the people here in Nazareth with examples from Israel's past, from the Old Testament Scripture, about who is chosen and who is not.  It is an echo of the words of John the Baptist to those who came from Jerusalem to be baptized, not to rely on the ancestry of Abraham for salvation, as "God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." To whom is the message carried? It is carried to those whose hearts are receptive, to those with ears to hear and eyes to see, to refer again to words from Isaiah.  The reality of the Spirit once again reminds us of the power and authority of God that supersedes worldly institutions and "truths," that gives us an eternal truth and not a temporal one to believe in.  How are we all linked in Spirit to believers in other places and other times?  What is "sonship" all about?  How is it conveyed?  All of our temporal assumptions and certainties are called into question by this Good News of Christ, His salvation.  He doesn't shrink from confrontation nor from defending the role the Father has given Him -- even if it provokes outrage among those who've known Him all of His life.  Where is your loyalty?  What teaches you?  The quotation from Isaiah is all about liberty from oppression, setting free the captives, giving sight to the blind, healing the brokenhearted, giving good news to the poor.  What really sets you free?  What would real freedom mean for these who reject Him in favor of what they already know?

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

 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."

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light

 Now 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."

- Matthew 4:12-17

Yesterday we read that after His baptism, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and  'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Than Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Now 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: . . . "   John is put in prison, and it is a starting point for Jesus' ministry.  My study bible tells us that the term Galilee of the Gentiles indicates the many non-Jews who lived in the region.  Since Galilee had a mixed population, it wasn't considered to be genuinely Jewish as a territory, although many Galilean Gentiles had converted to Judaism in the relatively recent Maccabean period.  Since many Galilean Jews had been influenced by the Greek culture and customs, they were generally considered second-class citizens in the perspective of the Jews of Judea.  See Isaiah 9:1-2 for the source of the quotation.

"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."  Darkness, in the context of these verses, means ungodliness, spiritual ignorance.  Here, says my study bible, it indicates the Gentiles' unawareness of God and also the Jews being under the shadow of the Old Covenant.  To sit in darkness is an indication of being overcome by spiritual ignorance.  The great light is the gospel of Christ  (see John 1:5).

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Jesus takes up John's call, in a sign of continuity from Old to New, as John the Baptist is considered the greatest of the Old Testament-type prophets.  (See Matthew 3:2.)

We see the continuity in Jesus' words, as the Old Covenant makes way for the New, for the light that is the gospel of Christ -- and for Christ who will say of Himself that He is the light of the world.  Interesting that He begins in Galilee, and that many of His first disciples will be Galilean.  Many will also be former disciples of the Baptist, another indication of continuity.  But why Galilee?  Should not the Messiah, the Anointed One, begin in the center of Jewish religious life in Jerusalem?  We know He was born in Bethlehem, as prophesied.  But why Galilee?  He is a Galilean from Nazareth, but where He begins His ministry is in a more cosmopolitan environment, a place close to the intersection of trade, commerce, and travel.  In some sense, Jesus begins His ministry in a place with all the characteristics that make the Jews of Galilee looked down upon as impure.  It seemingly throws the door open to criticism and scorn.  But at the same time it begins a ministry that will go out to the entire world, available to all, and truly "for the life of the world."  If we don't really understand the "light shining in the darkness" then we are far from understanding Christ and the purpose of the Incarnation.  We go also into considerations of what it means to be "pure" and "impure" -- and an understanding of grace and how it works.  Every movement of this ministry teaches us something about God who is love.  The story of Jesus' ministry teaches us so much about God; all of it illuminates and writes a "bigger story" than the merely factual in worldly terms.  What does it mean that the light shines in places it wouldn't be expected?  What does this ministry teach us about grace and its capacities?  How about imperfection and weakness, or those thought of as unseemly, or "less than"?  Everything tells us a bigger story, but it's a story about light -- the light that shines in the darkness -- and how it is at work in the world, even in ways the world does not understand.