Theme: The Former and the Later Life of Children of the Kingdom.
In what is known as Syro-Ephramite war, king Ahaz of Judah recoursed to the Assyrian king, Tiglath-pileser III, to rescue him from the attack of king Rezin of Aram and king Pekahof Israel because he refused to join their coalition against Assyrian government. Tiglath Pileser III came to the rescue of Ahaz, and defeated king Rezin and king Pekah. At this time, Israel and Judah had been divided, having different kings and different places of worship. But Israel remained part of that totality of Jewish people whom God delivered from Egyptian slavery. Zebulun and Naphtali are the northern part of Galilee, the part of Israel that was first humbled by foreign military invasions, and the region most influenced by foreign cultures and religions. In the first reading, therefore, Zebulun and Naphtali are used to represent the area of Israel that was mostly oppressed by foreign military attacks, and mostly influenced by pagans. In the first reading, the prophecy of Israel makes a two division of the life of the people: their past days, which were marked with humiliation and darkness, and then the future days which would bring God’s glory to this humiliated people. What they suffered in the past would not matter again because what they will encounter in the future will be greater. Their darkness will be replaced with light, their gloomy days will be replaced with days full of glorious light, their gladness and joy will be increased, they will generally experience new things and new life because it is the time of their redemption from the yoke of the Assyrian terror. They will be liberated of the burden which were placed on them by their oppressors. In the gospel reading, Matthew brings this picture of Zebulun and Naphtali, to show how the prophecy of Isaiah about their future glory is realized by the coming of Christ. But surprisingly, instead of Jesus saying something like: “Zebulun and Naphtali, rejoice, for the time of your glory and light to shine is here”, he said “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand”. Christ therefore shifted the attention from the earthly joy and gladness to a heavenly glory. The emphasis shifts from the kingdom of Israel and Judah to the kingdom of heaven. The people need to liberate themselves, no longer of the burden of Assyrian but of the burden of sin. Assyrian burden therefore becomes the metaphor of the burden of sin. There is need for the people to be liberated of this burden so that the light of the glory of heaven which Christ is and has brought, may shine in them. For the Assyrian king to conquer the kingdom of Israel, it needed its military forces and tactics. In the same way, for the kingdom of heaven to be established among men, Christ needed ‘military men’ who would become disciples. They were to be with him and learn how to preach repentance of sin through their words and actions. Jesus therefore called the first disciples from their former life to a life that should be for their future glory. These men were to teach people how to conquer sin and liberate themselves from the yoke and the burden of sin, and bring them into the kingdom of heaven. Not the kind of Assyrian kingdom, which was marked by oppression and slavery, by unrest and suffering, by war and selfish domination, but a kingdom of freedom and peace, of liberation and participation in the divine glory. These men abandoned their former things of life for the glory of the kingdom of God which is already at hand with its glory. They were no longer to live as mere fishers in the lake, but fishers of men. This means, they themselves allowed themselves to be fished by Christ, they accepted his new teaching, and joyfully agreed to live in the mission and for the mission of Christ. They left everything immediately and followed Christ. They went everywhere with him, without being distracted by their former life. They gave up their former life of earthly preoccupations, for the greater work of ‘conquering the world and establishing God’s kingdom’. They were the first to be called to live in this new kingdom of God and to help in spreading it. We are the men and the women of the kingdom… not of the former kingdom of slavery and oppression. We are all called for one thing: for the kingdom of God. And there is one attitude needed from us: a move from our former ways of life to a new way of life. To move to this new kingdom of heaven, everyone is invited. But we must be ready to leave behind both our position and some people, no matter our relationship with them. It is a call that requires only one thing: a constant moment with the king of the new kingdom of peace.
In this call, we have only Christ as the host and the guide. No man is responsible for our Christian vocation but Christ. Yes people’s words and actions can help to direct us in the way of God, and to accept God, but it is God who acts through those words and actions. As Paul speaks in the second reading, in our Christian life, every disciple is to teach the name of God and in the name of God; preach the Good News of God, which is not his own; participate in the healing ministry of Christ in the name of Christ; and referring everything back to God who initiates, guides and completes every Christian life. Through our Christian vocation, we become vassals, not of any human agent or empire, but of the Christ Jesus. Christ invites us into his kingdom, not out of force or war, but through his love and freedom. We are free either to accept his call and follow him as the first four disciples did today, or to refuse his call. There is no middle way. Following Jesus needs not giving one leg to the life of gospel and placing the other in the world of men.