Matthew 4:12-23

 THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

Commentary of Fr. Fernando Armellini

A good Sunday to all. 

In last Sunday's Gospel, we met Jesus in Bethabara. You can see in this picture taken from the satellite that this place was 10 km from the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Jesus had decided to start his public life and had gone to be baptized by John. In the Jordan River, the Baptist recognized him as the Messiah and pointed him out as the Lamb of God who came to take away the world's sins. And the evangelist John also related that two of the disciples of the Baptist, when they heard their teacher point to Jesus as the Lamb of God, they followed him. One of these two disciples was Andrew, Peter's brother. Remember this name because we will soon meet him in today's Gospel passage. 

Jesus had returned to Nazareth from Jordan, but he had not stopped there with his mother and had not continued in the carpenter's trade, which had occupied him until then. And he departed thence. Let us hear where he went to dwell: 

“When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.” 

Jesus was 34 when he decided to leave Nazareth and change his residence. We have heard in the evangelical passage that he went to live in Capernaum, and we are given the house's address. He stayed in a house on the shore of the Lake of Tiberias. Let us locate this city: behind me, you see a mountain on which stood one of the cities of the Decapolis, 'the ten towns.' From the top of that mountain, you can see the whole northern part of Lake Tiberias; we can locate three very important towns that witnessed many wonders performed by Jesus, and more than any other cities have heard the proclamation of the Gospel. Bethsaida is in the far north, which gave us five Apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Philip. 

We see where Chorazin was and, above all, Capernaum along the lake's western shore. Let us better locate the city of Capernaum; it was a village of fishermen and farmers that extended some 300 meters along the west coast of the Lake and about 200 meters inland. How did they conclude that Capernaum had those dimensions? The tombs began simply because they saw that beyond them, where there were graves, the place was unclean, and people could not live there. Capernaum was not as renowned as the city of Tiberias, the new capital built by Herod Antipas and inaugurated a few decades earlier, and it was neither as rich nor prosperous as Magdala, which was famous for its flourishing salted fish industries, for the factory of perfumed dyes. Yet, it enjoyed a certain prestige because it was situated along the famous sea route from Egypt, the imperial road to Damascus, and then continued eastward. 

It was also important because it was a border city between Galilee, which belonged to Herod Antipas, and the Golan, which belonged to Philip, another of Herod the Great's sons. So, it was a frontier city with a customs house where all goods were taxed; it was a place of comings and goings of very different people and, therefore, contacts between cultures. Capernaum was much more open-minded compared to the people of Nazareth. It must have had a thousand inhabitants. 

Let us now take a closer look at where Jesus went to live. In the picture that is placed in the background, you can see where the harbor of Capernaum was, where the boats of those who had fished during the night arrived every morning. No doubt, the boats of Peter and Andrew arrived there. You see in the background where Tiberias was, the city that apparently Jesus never visited; there is no mention in the Gospels of any trip of Jesus to Tiberias. We know that Herod Antipas wanted to see Jesus; it would take an hour and a quarter by boat to get to Tiberias. Jesus never wanted to meet that fox, as he called him. 

Behind, you see the place where Peter's house was, under that dome of a church built by an Italian architect, Ildo Avetta, to protect the remains of Peter's house. I am also showing the reconstruction made by the Franciscan archaeologists of this house of Peter. How did they reconstruct it and imagine it was like that, a place of 80 by 80 meters, where the families of Peter and Andrew lived? When in the 5th century, the Christian Byzantines thought of building on that house a wonderful octagonal basilica, they respected the house's foundations. 

It was the foundation of a house that they loved and protected these foundations. When this basilica was subsequently demolished, and the archaeologists did the excavations, they found these foundations and reconstructed what must have been the house where Jesus lived. Now, we ask ourselves why Jesus changed his residence. I think it's very simple and easy to guess; the people of Nazareth lived in the mountains; in Lower Galilee, they didn't have the cultural and mental openness that existed in Capernaum. In the mountains, people are always very traditionalist precisely because there are fewer contacts with different ways of thinking. For that reason, they were people stubbornly attached to their religious convictions. 

We know that after a few months or a year, Jesus returned among his villagers. When they found out what he announced, they drove him away. It was very difficult for Jesus to penetrate the minds of his compatriots with the novelty of the Gospel. Therefore, he thought it better to lead a public life in Capernaum. 

I presented these suppositions, and I believe them to be accurate. Still, Matthew feels the need to explain theologically Jesus's choice and presents it as the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. Let us listen: 

“Jesus settled in Capernaum. Thus what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.’” 

Galilee is not mentioned much in the Old Testament; it is mentioned only six times, always in passing. The reason is that the Galileans did not enjoy the sympathy of the Jews because they lived there in a largely occupied territory by pagans, and it was believed that their religiosity was not the pure one practiced in Jerusalem. 

The evangelist Matthew proved to be an excellent biblical scholar because he managed to find in the prophets the only oracle of the Bible that refers to Galilee; it is an oracle pronounced by the prophet Isaiah at a dramatic moment in the history of Israel. We are in the second half of the eighth century B.C. when the Assyrians conquered the entire Ancient Middle East. And, in fact, in the year 733, they also came to Galilee; they devastated it as they did in all the territories where they went, they deported the inhabitants, they imposed heavy taxes, and in this dramatic moment in which all see their land as shrouded in impenetrable darkness; it is at this time that the prophet Isaiah announces an oracle of joy and hope. 

He says: "The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light." What light was Isaiah talking about? What was the light that he expected to arise? He was the great king of the dynasty of David, as promised by the prophet Nathan. This king would liberate the provinces occupied by the Assyrians. This was Isaiah's expectation. The evangelist Matthew saw the true fulfillment of this prophecy that God had put on Isaiah's lips; Jesus began to proclaim the light of his Gospel from that fishing village of Capernaum. So, it is now that the darkness and the darkness of evil that had always enveloped humanity are dissolved. 

Let us now listen to what Jesus proclaims: 

“From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” 

Jesus did not begin his public life with a long sermon but with few words, as if saying to all: ‘Open wide your ears, hear what I announce to you: the kingdom of God has come, and the change in the history of the world has begun. Now everything has changed: the way of thinking, of speaking, of reasoning, of living. Pay attention because now everything is being turned upside down.' We know what happens when a regime changes; those who were in charge and had made mistakes must escape or end up in jail, and those in jail take power. Those who were right before are now wrong. 

Jesus says that the old kingdom was ruled according to the criteria of righteousness invented by people. And we know the fundamental criterion of human justice: it is competition, and the strongest can rule and be served by the weaker, who must resign to being enslaved. Jesus says that the new kingdom has come, the kingdom of God, where his justice is introduced. Everything is turned upside down: what was worth much before, strength, accumulated money, victory in the battles, and above all, the glorious triumph of Rome, from Campus Martius to the Capitol, with the king who had been defeated, captured, and then immolated. Here, then, was the excellent glory; they could obtain the title of Magnus. 

All this says Jesus now counts for nothing because the kingdom has changed everything. Since the kingdom of God was introduced, the former things counted for nothing before God. Instead, what was worthless before, for example, goodness, gentleness, meekness, uprightness, honesty, attention to others, forgiveness, sharing of goods with the poor, being servants of the brethren, is worth it now. In contrast, before, it was worth nothing; now, this is what counts, what is of great value. 

This is what Jesus proclaims: the world is changing; if you cling to the righteousness of the old world, be careful because you are heading to the failure of your life. And that is why his invitation is: 'Be converted.' The Greek verb is 'μετανοεῖν' - 'metanoein,' that is, 'change your thinking, abandon the old logic and embrace my Beatitudes.' Some begin to believe that Jesus is right and that it is better to listen to him and go after him. Let's hear who they are: 

“As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once, they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” 

We have heard the account of the vocation of the first four Apostles; they listened to the call of Jesus to conversion and began to trust his proposal. Let us pay attention; it is not about the vocation to be priests or nuns. This call everyone must feel is directed to himself; Jesus says: 'Be converted,' that is, abandon the way of reasoning, of living, of judging according to the criteria of this world, even if they are shared by most people, of those around you; ‘accept the proposal of man I make to you, and you will save your life.' 

This, then, is the narrative of the call of the first disciples, which becomes a parable of the invitation that Jesus addresses to all to follow him and receive his Gospel. 

Let us look at this parable in detail. Jesus is walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee; when we hear the term 'sea' applied to a small lake, we immediately understand the reference to the biblical sea, that of the exodus, the one that marks the passage from the land of slavery to the land of freedom. Jesus is walking; he is initiating an exodus in which he wants to involve everyone. 

He wants to lead us out of the land where one is enslaved by passions, pride, envy, attachment to possessions, the will to prevail, to dominate over others; there, you don't live as a human being; you must get out; Jesus wants to take us out to make an exodus and get to the land where one is truly free. 

Who are the first to adhere to his proposal? Two brothers, Peter and Andrew, are casting the nets. The Greek term used is 'ἀμφίβληστρον' - 'amfiblestrom,' i.e., the two brothers are casting the net from the shore, and then this net close over the bottom, and from the two ends, they drag it to the shore. This is the poorest and most laborious way of fishing. When called, this is the profession people do, and Jesus says to them: "Come after me." Abraham also heard the invitation to undertake a journey; God said, "Go to the land I will show you." Here, it is different; Jesus does not say 'Go' but "Come after me." 

When in the Gospels it is said that Jesus sits down and begins to speak, it means that he teaches; when it is said that Jesus is on the way, he is teaching with his life. You must follow him and see how he behaves well because this life of his introduces you to the land of freedom. 

Let us observe that two begin to follow him, and Jesus does not make them any promise; he does not assure them of rewards, but he entrusts them with a mission of being fishers of men. To fish means to draw out the waters of the sea; in the Ancient Middle East, in all myths, the sea was the symbol of everything that prevents living, of what is contrary to life. The disciples must take people out of these situations because these waters drag them into the abyss. This is the mission asked of every disciple. 

What do the first two who are called do? They leave the nets. What do these nets mean in the parable? They indicate everything that prevents you from following Jesus. We know that if one gets entangled in nets, one cannot move. It is necessary to cut the nets; perhaps they are those of your life made of compromises, of cunning; maybe they are the nets of your fears that you have because you don't want to surrender your life to the Gospel; you are still attached to your convictions and certainties; you are afraid to stop doing what others do. You must make a decisive cut—Jesus says—because if you don't cut these nets, you will take two or three steps behind Jesus, but you will not go far. And this decision must be made immediately. The two follow Jesus immediately. When you decide, you decide; then you may have second thoughts or doubts, but the decision must be made immediately. 

Then, going further (Jesus is always walking), he sees two other brothers, James and John; they are the sons of Zebedee who are repairing their nets on the ship together with their father. The term 'nets' is different; it is 'δίκτυα' - 'dixiea,' which are the nets that are cast into the deep sea. Jesus calls them, and they immediately leave the boat and the father. 

We have already mentioned the symbolism in the parable of the nets. What does it mean to leave the boat and the father? The boat symbolizes the life they have always led; from that boat, they cast their nets to fish, but now they leave them because their life and work will be done in a completely different way. Now they enter into another boat, which is the one of the community. We know that the boat, the ships, are one of the symbols of the Church. When we imagine the ships of the Gothic cathedrals, are they not like an upside-down boat? And on this ship, we find the community that gathers on the Lord's Day. 

The two brothers, John and James, leave the boat. It is an image of abandonment of the old way of exercising the profession; they did not stop being fishermen, but they fished with different objectives for he who enters into the boat of the Christian community, that is, truly welcomes, not only because one is baptized but truly grasps the proposal of the Gospel, their profession is exercised in another way. Zacchaeus did not stop collecting taxes, but he collected them in a completely different. Matthew continued collecting taxes at the customs house but with different objectives. 

Let's take an example that may help us understand. Let's imagine two doctors, both excellent from the professional point of view. The first one is sitting in his chair, boasting a little about his superiority, while on the other side of the chair is the sick person, hanging onto his every word, full of anxiety and fear. But this doctor is indifferent to what the sick person feels; his exclusive interest is the pathology and ‘cero’ empathy; he coldly reads the medical chart, and while reading, one of his colleagues passes by and says: 'they lost the soccer game last week' and then he continues reading the medical chart and at the end, he raises his eyes and says: 'Now I'm going to make the report to your family doctor, then he'll explain to you what you have to do'; and he delivers this report coldly. This one is still in the old boat. 

Let's look at another one; this doctor is also professionally impeccable and has entered the new boat; he left the old ship, the old way of practicing a profession. Now he has the patient in front of him; reads the medical file, it's a severe tumor, looks the patient in the eyes, and then takes the chair and goes to the other side of the counter and sits down next to this patient, and calls him by name: 'John, it's something serious, but you'll see, we'll manage; I'll put all my ability, everything I know, at the service of this healing; you will see, together we will succeed. I will make the report to your doctor. I will put my cell phone number at the end; tell your physician to call me whenever he wants, and you can call me, too. We are strong, both of us. Trust me, you'll see that we'll make it.’ 

This is a new way of practicing the profession. It means getting into the new boat and abandoning the old boat. The objective becomes another one; it means putting into action all your professional competencies to do good and to make someone happy. And you are content to earn enough from your work and live with dignity. But the goal is to give joy and to give life to your brother or sister; then you start your workday in another way; you get into the new boat and leave the old boat, and when you pray in the morning, you will ask yourself and ask the Lord, ‘make me understand to whom I must give joy today, whom I must make happy, make me understand how I must serve those who are poor and in need of the gifts you have placed in my hands.' 

“They left their father.” The father in the Semitic tradition indicates the tradition to which they are attached. If the Gospel questions what you have always thought and believed, let yourself be changed by the Gospel. It is like when you get married, you leave your father and mother, and you still love them, but the husband no longer makes decisions with his parents; he listens to their advice, but the decisions are in tune with what he decides with his wife. 

Let us now listen to how Jesus continues to carry out his mission: 

“Jesus went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.” 

The last verses of today's gospel passage present three verbs showing what Jesus did for the people throughout his public life. 

The first verb: 'he taught.' He was the light that illuminated the world's darkness, and this light began to shine, as today's Gospel passage tells us when Jesus began to preach by the shores of the Lake of Galilee. 

The second verb: "Proclaiming the Good News." What is the Good News that he announced to the world? That God is love and only love. No religion had ever announced this before. All religions, including the Jews, have taught that God loves the righteous who obey his commands and decrees and does not grant his favors; on the contrary, he punishes those who transgress his commandments. This image of God must be eliminated. The beautiful news is that God loves everyone unconditionally, even if they misbehave. He bestows his love and his blessings to all. This is great news that even Christians today are almost ashamed to announce because it does not correspond to the criteria of justice that we have in mind. Let us seek not to reduce the love of God to the confines of our selfishness and evil. 

Third verb: 'Healing the sick.' Indeed, Jesus has healed physical diseases, but these healings were a sign of the fullness of life that only his Gospel can give. Many people have said, 'This is no life for me.' They had everything to eat and drink, to enjoy themselves, money, and yet they concluded, 'My life is not worth living.’ The Gospel brings to light all the situations in which one is not fully happy. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.