This week we celebrate the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings call us to recognize Jesus as the Great Light of our world and to consider our response to that Light. Isaiah reminds us of the longing with which the people of Israel waited for the coming of the promised one. Paul tells us that Jesus Himself is our unity and peace. Matthew reminds us that the disciples were chosen by Jesus in order that they might bring others to Him and continue the task of teaching, preaching and healing which Jesus wishes to carry on today in our lives and through us to the world around us.
First Reading: Isaiah 8:23-9:3
23 First he degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the end he has glorified the seaward road, the land West of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness;
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
1 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
2 You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
As they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as men make merry when dividing spoils.
3 For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
And the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
NOTES on First Reading:
8:23 In Protestant translations, this verse is usually numbered as 9:1. The difference is due to a variation in the way the verses and chapters were numbered in the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of Old Testament) text and the Hebrew text. Catholic translations have tended to follow the Septuagint, while Protestant translations have tended to follow the Hebrew.
The tribal names symbolize northern Palestine, which was the first to be attacked by the Assyrians and it’s people deported by Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 B.C. They were later redeemed from captivity by God.
The Seaward road stretched from Damascus, across southern Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. Northern Galilee, was inhabited by large numbers of pagans. See Joshua 20:7; Isaiah 9:1. Matthew 4:15-16 refers to this, since Jesus began his public mission in Galilee.
9:1-6 These verses have been variously described as an accession hymn or a thanksgiving hymn. It expresses great hope and joy for the future. Isaiah may have been looking to the birth of Hezekiah but the Christians saw the prophecy being completely fulfilled only in Jesus.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17
10 I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. 12 I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Kephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? [14 I give thanks (to God) that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 (I baptized the household of Stephanas also; beyond that I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)] 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the 31 cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 1:10 This letter was written to address specific problems within the Corinthian church. This verse begins a long section (1:10-4:21) that deals with the problem of divisions within the community. Although we don’t know the specifics of the Corinthian situation it seems that Paul clearly traces the divisions back to a false self-image on the part of the Corinthians, coupled with a false understanding of the apostles who preached to them (1 Cor 4:6,9; 9:1-5) and of the Christian message itself. In these chapters he attempts to deal with those underlying factors and to bring the Corinthians back to a more correct perspective.
* 1:12 The activities of Paul and Apollos in Corinth are described in Acts 18. Kephas (“the Rock”) is a name by which Paul designates Peter also in 1 Cor 3:22; 9:5; 15:5 and in Gal 1:18; 2:9,11,14. While Peter may well have passed through Corinth, he could also have baptized some members of the community elsewhere. The reference to Christ may be intended ironically here although it could also be intended to refer to some who claimed complete independence from the community on the basis of a special relationship to Jesus Himself.
*1:13-17 The context and the reference to baptism above and the contrast with preaching the gospel in verse 17a suggest that some Corinthians were paying special allegiance to the individuals who initiated them into the community. Paul indicates that this results from a false understanding of the church and of Christianity itself.
* 1:14-16 These verses [in brackets above] are not included in the reading as they are a parenthetical remark that does not really add anything to the main point of the reading. I have included them here only for completeness.
* 1:17-18 Here Paul states the basic theme of 1 Cor 1-4. Paul judges the gospel and the cross to be in conflict with the Corinthian emphasis upon rhetorical ability and with certain presuppositions regarding wisdom, eloquence, and effectiveness (power) which are the basis for their tendency toward adherence to individual leaders.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17
12 When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.”
17 From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 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. 19 He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 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, 22 and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
23 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.
NOTES on Gospel Reading:
* 4:12-17 Matthew portrays Jesus’ residence at Capernaum as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the light rising upon Zebulun and Naphtali (Isaiah 8:22-9:1). The territory of these two tribes was the first to be devastated (733-732 B.C.) at the time of the Assyrian invasion. Isaiah saw that same territory as being the first to receive the light.
* 4:13-16 In order to accommodate Jesus’ move to Capernaum to the prophecy of Isaiah 8:22-9:1, Matthew speaks of that town as being “in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali” whereas it was only in the territory of the latter, and he understands the sea of the prophecy, the Mediterranean, as the Sea of Galilee.
* 4:17 At the beginning of his preaching Jesus uses the words of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) although He give them a different meaning. In Jesus’ ministry the kingdom of heaven has already begun to be present (Matthew 12:28) by virtue of His presence.
* 4:18-22 The call of the first disciples promises them a share in Jesus’ work and entails abandonment of family and former way of life. Three of the four, Simon, James, and John, become part of Jesus’ inner circle of friends and are distinguished among the disciples by a closer relation with Jesus (Matthew 17:1; 26:37).
* 4:19 The words, “come after me,” or “follow me,” comprise technical language of a teacher to disciples but Jesus goes beyond the usual teacher-student relationship by taking the initiative.
Fishing as a symbol had a rich background in antiquity. See Jer 16:16. It is more obvious in Luke’s (Luke 5:10-11) version of the story where those familiar with Greco-Roman traditions would have recognized a particular aspect of the peculiar Greek verb (zogron) used there which carries the image often used by teachers of luring students to themselves and through their education of them transformed their lives. The analogy is that Peter and the other apostles will be catching men and women with the bait of God’s word and thereby bringing them to new life. Fishing is one of the two most common images for ministry in the New Testament. The other which has a less missionary connotation is shepherd.
* 4:20 Unlike the Lucan account (Luke 5:1-11), here and in Matthew 4:22, as in Mark (Mark 1:16-20) the disciples’ response is motivated only by Jesus’ invitation, an element that emphasizes his mysterious power.
* 4:21 Matthew emphasizes brothers here and in verse 18 because he wishes to use this as a theme for community.
* 4:22 Although following Jesus sometimes meant rupturing family ties, Jesus opposes neglect of aged parents in verses 15:4-6.
* 4:23-25 This summary of Jesus’ ministry concludes the narrative part of the first book of Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 3-4). The activities of His ministry are teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing. See Matthew 9:35.
* 4:23 The fact that Matthew usually designates the Jewish synagogues as their synagogues (Matthew 9:35; 10:17; 12:9; 13:54) or, in address to Jews, your synagogues (Matthew 23:34) is an indication that this Gospel was written, at least in final form, after the break between the new Christian church and the synagogue.
Scripture text: New American Bible with revised New Testament copyright © 1986,1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
Commentary Sources:
Vince Del Greco
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990) (Eds. Brown, Fitzmyer & Murphy)