Matthew 4:12-17 (NIV)
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
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My Notes:
Jesus ministry was in the margins.
He grew up in Nazareth, the poor little multiethnic rural town of renters and sharecroppers. I can imagine Jesus as a child running barefoot through dusty streets with poor and outcast pagan Gentile children - his friends - while proper people on the other side of the tracks protected their children from "those people".
Galilee of the Gentiles. His home. The forgotten.
And when he gets older and begins his ministry, he doesn't move his base of operations to the centre of religion, politics, culture, and money in Jerusalem. He moves to Capernaum. He lives with the poor, among the Gentiles who worked other people's land to just make enough to survive, and the Jews who didn't have enough money to live just among their own people, as many in that day believed they should.
Twice in Matthew Jesus clearly says that his ministry is to "the lost sheep of Israel". But still Matthew describes Jesus' obviously intentional ministry in predominantly Gentile regions. Twice Jesus remarks strongly to all around him of the great faith of non-Jewish persons that receive healing from him.
After calling Matthew (the despised Tax Collector), he tells some good religious Jerusalemites that it isn't the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
Even though he clearly stated the boundaries of his intentional mission, I think it is quite telling that he would choose to spend so much of his time
right
on
the
very
far
edges
of that defined boundary.
I imagine him standing on the border of his nation, toe on the line, facing out, calling loudly,
"Hey! You! Yes, you! And even you! You, too! Come, and hear the good news! The kingdom of heaven is so near, and even you are invited to come be a part of it!"
There were fishermen in Galilee as well, but they were also poor, and certainly weren't a well respected group of people by people of "higher class". Cicero said of them, "the most shameful occupations are those which cater to our sensual pleasures: 'fish-sellers, butchers, cooks, poultry-raisers, and fishermen,' as Terence says."(On Duties 1.42). Wikipedia's article (as of today) describes the homes of first century Capernaum this way:
ReplyDelete"A study of the district located between the synagogue and the octagonal church showed that several families lived together in the patriarchal style, communally using the same courtyards and doorless internal passages. The houses were, in general, quite poor. There were no hygienic facilities nor drainage; the rooms were narrow and not very comfortable."
The typical house in Capernaum had stairs to a thatched roof made of mud held in place with light wooden beams.
We can easily imagine that Jesus' first disciples grew up in houses just like this. It was from among the fishermen of this village that he called the first of them, as well as Matthew, the writer of this book.
The kingdom of heaven has come near.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, Jesus continued the ministry that John the Baptist was imprisoned for. Though repentance takes on almost a new meaning when the call is being put forth by God Himself, I'm sure.
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Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice saying
This is my awakening
...awake my soul.
(Awakening - Hillsong United)
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Jesus, Your call for repentance is a call to be awakened from the death known in sin. I pray that this would become new to me each day in light of Your renewed mercy that washes over me at the dawn of each new day. Awake my soul... For the kingdom of heaven has come near. The kingdom of heaven is here.