Over the last few Sundays we reflected on the baptism of Jesus and his anointing for his ministry. This week the gospel depicts Jesus putting together his ministerial team. He chose to remain in Galilee, but moved from his hometown of Nazareth in the southern part of the province to Capernaum located at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Syria bordered on the east, and Phoenicia, present day Lebanon, on the west. The Great Sea Road ran along its western border funneling the trade of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran through Galilee to Egypt and Africa. The King’s Highway ran north and south along its eastern border also connecting the kingdoms of the north to Egypt.
There were several reasons why Jesus chose to take up residence in this area as he began his ministry. The trade routes brought many people through Galilee making it the most cosmopolitan area in Palestine. Galilee was also blessed with the most fertile soil in the province. For that reason, it was also the most densely populated area. Capernaum was the ideal place to begin a ministry of preaching. There were many people living there and many people passed though. Galileans were inquisitive by nature and were exposed to all the new ideas circulating throughout the Empire. It was common for their synagogues to invite travelers to share new ideas with their congregants during the Sabbath afternoons. Galilee was the perfect place for a teacher like Jesus, who had new ideas, to begin his preaching.
Jesus was not going to take up the work of his mission alone, however. In today’s gospel passage we see him choosing his assistants. There must have been something very powerful about his manner. The first men he called to join him were brothers, Simon and Andrew, two fishermen. Jesus came to them as they were casting their nets. One sentence was all he needed to convince them to join him. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” We were told that they dropped everything and followed him. He moved along the seacoast and found two other brothers, James and John. They were working with their father getting their nets ready for the day’s fishing. “He called them. They immediately left their boat, and their father, and followed him.”
The passage ends with an overview of Jesus’ ministry. “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.” What message can this account of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry give to us as followers of Jesus? Here we are, the Christian community in New York City, the financial and artistic capital of the world and, perhaps, the most cosmopolitan city in the world. It’s estimated that there are over 800 languages spoken here. We’re generally a progressive society open to new ideas and the avant-garde. There are many similarities between the world Jesus chose to preach in and our own. Galilean society was generally open to Jesus’ message. There was a conservative backlash that came from the religious right centered in Jerusalem. But in spite of that, many heard his message and found joy and new life in it.
Jesus’ message was simple and filled with hope. I sometimes wonder, if, as a Church, we have distorted the teaching of Jesus. Have we morphed his message into the “heavy burden” he fought so hard against? Have we forgotten the new commandments he gave us, the Beatitudes, in which he laid out a religious path filled with joy. How can we exclude people from our Eucharistic table? Have we forgotten that Jesus was condemned for eating with sinners?
There are three things I would like to suggest today. First, that each of us commit to a journey to rediscover Jesus’ message of joy and liberation. I suggest beginning by prayerfully reading and reflecting on the entire chapter five of Matthew’s Gospel – the Beatitudes. Second, that we make every effort to base our Christian lives on the sure and certain knowledge that God loves each and every one of us unconditionally. Third, as a community, we commit to stretch out our arms in welcome to everyone.
Jesus walked along the seashore calling for assistants in his ministry. Through the gospel we’ve read, Jesus is calling each of us today to follow him and to take up his ministry. Let’s pray for our community at Saint Jean’s. May we be anointed as Jesus was anointed. May we hear the words: “You are my beloved, daughter. You are my beloved son. I’m so pleased with you. Now be strong. Take up the mission I’ve called you to.”
