January 23, 2011, Third Sunday after Epiphany

Sunday, January 23, 2011
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Matthew 4:12-23
The Rev. Jo Miller

This past week I was in Corvallis with a few people, including Maron
Van, for a 3 hour class on Matthew presented by my New Testament Professor
at Northwest House,The Rev. Dr. Kempton Hewett. I was reminded of an
important detail regarding Matthew’s Gospel. Dr. Kempton brought up the
book “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee.

The story was written in the 60’s reflecting on the racial problems and
prejudice that were facing the nation but the story’s setting was the 30’s. The
story was layered with issues of the past and the present.

Remember this as we read through the Gospel of Matthew this year that it
too is layered. Matthew was written around the post 70’s after the collapse the
of Jerusalem had occurred. The Gospel’s audience is Jewish/Christian and his
story of Jesus is mindful of the predicament and problems of his own
community in the present while also reflecting on the life and ministry of Jesus
set in the past.

Matthew records the launch of Jesus’ public ministry. As the story
unfolds to us Matthew clearly conveys that Jesus’ ministry is going to advance
independently from John the Baptists ministry. In fact we hear an echo of
John’s proclamation in chapter 3:2 “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has
come near” in our reading today. Matthew has Jesus on the move. Jesus moves
from Nazareth to Capernum on the Northeast coast of the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew also employs the quoting of the Hebrew Scriptures to point to Jesus’
fulfillment of the prophets. Matthew signals the beginning of what God is
doing in and through Jesus by the declaration of his kingdom message “Repent,
for the Kingdom is at hand.” He came to announce, to invite all into, to
proclaim the demands of, and to usher in God’s kingdom.

In verses 18 to 22 in our lesson today Jesus begins calling his disciples.
This episode varies a good bit in each of the Gospels. Even though they are not
contradictory, the accounts vary in (1)what led up to the call, (2)which
disciples are mentioned,(3) what order those disciples are called and (4)what
they were doing when summoned. In Douglas Hare’s commentary on
Matthew he notes that Matthew’s portrayal of the call is reduced to its
barest essentials: Jesus summons with irresistible authority, and the men
respond with radical obedience. They drop what they are doing and leave
immediately.

Good grief, James and John leave their dad Zebedee sitting in the boat
with a tangle of nets coiled around his feet. We know that Peter is married
because in a few lessons down the road Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. What
happens to Peter’s wife? No doubt there must be children. Jesus’ call is for
radical obedience. Hmmm. Not exactly an American trait. We need to also
recognize that they leave their professions. And, back then fishing was a
lucrative profession, as were carpenters who were highly thought of as were
most craftsmen. We also do not hear them asking qualifying questions, they
drop what they are doing and follow.

What they hear is a call to adventure so to speak. Discipleship can be an
adventure that, if we allow it to, can change our life and the direction in which
we are going. The disciples are called into a life of Evangelism. Several of them
had to get out of their boat to follow. It is really hard to get out of one’s boat
to do something radically different. It is really hard to just drop what you are
doing in your life to go and do something different. Jesus’ calling of his
disciples is almost scandalous. I think that is why, for the most part, we stay
safe and secure in our pews. We certainly do not like the way evangelism has
been portrayed to us in our generation. Many have a tendency to shy away from
the word all together.

Perhaps we can go back to what Jesus called his disciples to do, proclaim
the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand, is near us, is in us, it is now.
It was proclaimed by Jesus in word and deed and through teaching. He
demonstrated inclusive love, mercy, kindness, and compassion and forgiveness.
Perhaps we can see the mission of God as a spiritual-social movement
dedicated to plotting goodness and helping to save our corner of the world from
human evil- both personal and systemic. Perhaps it would be the radical
obedience of a community dedicated to the teaching of lifelong spiritual
formation as disciples of Jesus, dedicated to teaching the most excellent way of
love.

This kind of love as Brian McLaren notes would celebrate the good in the
Christian religion and lament the bad. It would invite people into a faith that
would experience formation in the way of Jesus.

To have this happen, though we would have to drop our nets and get out
of our safe comfortable boats that we are currently living in. It would be scary,
adventures can be scary. Like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. He took the challenge to make a difference in his world, it was a scary adventure and it didn’t matter that he was really small. But, he had help all along the way. So do we in our church community and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ in us.

Jan. 23, 2011 Third Sunday after Epiphany
Matthew 4:12-23