Breaking Opent he Word

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A 2020

 

Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3

1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

Matthew 4:12-23

 

I hope that by now you have seen and heard just how important the book of the Prophet Isaiah is to the people of Israel, and to us today, as we seek to find the meaning that scripture has in our lives. In the Old Testament, there is no other book that we read from more often than Isaiah. In the New Testament, the only pieces of scripture we have more readings from, are the Gospels.

 

Isaiah is also one of the books that the writers of the New Testament often refer to when they are speaking about prophies being fulfilled by Jesus. Not only do we hear Jesus making reference to Isaiah, but many times the question is asked by the people who have come to hear Jesus speak, is this the prophet or is this Isaiah who has returned?

 

Our passage today is the famous prophecy of the birth of a child, often called the messianic prophecy because it is going to describe what the future king ought to be like for his people. They thought in terms of a king as their leader/ruler of the people in the kingdom. We today think in terms of it being Jesus, the Son of God and 2^nd person in the Trinity.

 

This passage begins with a rather dark description of the Lord degrading the lands, but it is a reference to the Assyrians who invaded northern Israel. Israel thought that the Lord was punishing them by plunging them into the darkness of war and the feeling of helplessness that comes from being invaded by someone who takes away your freedom.

 

All seems lost, but no sooner than we hear that, we now hear that the lands are glorified by the Lord. The darkness they experience is dispelled and they become a people of great light. The anguish flees and those who had walked in darkness now have a great light to guide them.

 

All of this has the ring of a triumphant King who leads the people with great joy. The burden they were under has been lifted off their shoulders. God has smashed their oppressors and they people await the new Davidic King to lead them and bring them peace.

 

This becomes a goal for universal peace and as such was adopted by the Christians and applied to the birth of Jesus, after all, how much power does a little child have in the world? The birth of a child is always seen as a hope for humanity and a brighter future.

 

After we heard Paul’s introductory speech last week, announcing who he is and the mission to which Jesus has given to him to the Gentiles, we begin to hear Paul relay a very disturbing piece of news he has heard about the Corinthians. It seems that what he is hearing is a disruption of the gospel message that had been given to them previously.

 

Paul begins to address the different factions who are taking sides against one another. He does not call them out by name, but you can hear the different groups when he says they are saying some belong to Paul, some belong to Apollos, some belong to Cephas. Paul very clearly says they have forgotten that it is Jesus Christ crucified is the reason they are a community. They have to be united in their speech, their thoughts, their actions as a group of believers. They must have the same mind and purpose.

 

Sadly, we still see this today, both in our Roman Catholic church and the other denominations that have splintered many times off the original foundations established by Jesus and the Apostles. We need more Paul’s in our world to unite us, to bring us back to our roots as Christians. We all need to emphasize our common beliefs and not focus on the differences in our beliefs. That was what Paul was pushing the Corinthians to do.

 

After our brief visit to John’s gospel last week, we return to Matthew. We hear in the first line that Jesus has heard of John being arrested, and He leaves Nazareth and goes to Galilee, to Capernaum to live. He is about to start his public ministry and as a fulfillment of the messianic prophecy we heard in Isaiah, Jesus goes to Zebulun and Naphtali, the area conquered by the Assyrians. It is there that the great light, Jesus Himself will be revealed to the people.

 

From this point on Jesus calls the people to repent for the kingdom is at hand. Now is the time for Him to begin to gather together those men He calls to be His apostles and to make them fishers of men. He calls simple fishermen to journey with Him, to leave their nets and their fathers behind and to follow Him. They have to risk everything they have, security, income, a house over their heads and learn to follow Jesus.

 

Jesus then goes through the land proclaiming the good news, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to all of the people who would listen. He cures the sick of every disease and illness as a sign of the great light that Isaiah had foretold.

 

It’s a cure for the darkness in their lives then just as much as it is for our lives today. Our brokenness, whether it be physical or mental can be healed by the love of Jesus when we call Him to be the central part of our lives, to let Him be in control and to follow Him always.