Be prepared for the unexpected

This week’s readings turn our attention northward, toward the lands where Jesus began his ministry. The proclamation from Isaiah focuses upon the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, two northern tribal regions whose history suggests they were among the territories first conquered by the foreign Assyrian empire in 722 B.C. By the time of the first century, because of their location on the northern borders of ancient Israel, these areas were populated by peoples from some of the surrounding countries, as well as the few Jews living in these regions. Far from the religious center of Jerusalem, inhabited by many non-Jews, these territories were regarded negatively as lands of the Gentiles. Acknowledging their lowly status, Isaiah visions that Zebulun and Nephtali, though degraded, will eventually be glorified and that the darkness, gloom, and distress there will be dispelled. At the time of the prophet, people did not understand why territories populated by people of mixed backgrounds ever would be elevated in the history of Israel. Today’s Gospel, however, offers an explanation for the transformation of these disregarded regions.  

Matthew writes that after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus leaves the Judean area around Jerusalem, where most of the Jewish authorities appointed by the Romans resided. Aware of his own close affiliation with John the Baptist, Jesus likely recognized the risk to his own call and start of his ministry. So he headed to Nazareth in the north and settled in Capernaum by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.  Here, in the land still considered “Galilee of the Gentiles,” Jesus first begins to preach and speak about the kingdom of heaven. These Gentile lands, once regarded as lowly, now are glorified by the presence of Jesus, the Messiah, and Son of God anticipated by the prophet Isaiah. As Jesus begins his work here, he invites fisherman from this region, Simon who is called Peter and his brother Andrew, to be among his followers.  They are among the first to join him as he begins “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and curing every disease and illness among the people” (Mt 4:23).

Not unlike the peoples of Naphtali and Zebulun, the Corinthians to whom Paul preached included diverse groups of people. Corinth was a seaport city and, as one might expect, a conglomerate of different cultures comprised this urban landscape. Preaching the message of Jesus to non-Jewish groups, who had little or no background in Jewish Scriptures, often led to confusion. Thus, we hear Paul attempting to address misunderstandings that had arisen in Corinth as people were being baptized by different disciples. He urges the new converts to Christ to resist dividing along lines of allegiances, according to whom they heard preach the Good News or by whom they were baptized. Instead, he seeks to rivet their attention on Jesus and what Jesus preached. Paul does not want himself or any other messenger of the Gospel to get in the way of Jesus’ message.  

Just as Matthew includes his surprising account of the Magi, outsiders who were among the first to recognize and honor the infant Jesus as the King of the Jews and the Son of God, Jesus unexpectedly begins his ministry in a disregarded region among not only among Galilean Jews but also among Gentiles, an unlikely first community for this Messiah and his message. Moreover, Jesus chose outsiders, fishermen from this community, to be among the first of his disciples. Such a beginning to the life’s work of Jesus can give us pause as we consider the many unexpected ways and, perhaps, unrecognized messengers God may use to reveal the divine-self present in our lives. Indeed, our Catholic rituals, sacraments, and spiritual practices are avenues to know and deepen our understanding of our God. Yet, can we risk discounting or dismissing the value of another’s good deeds or virtuous practices simply because they identify with a faith or cultural group different from our own? As we reflect upon the places and people in which Jesus begins his ministry, we are invited to consider if there are other unrecognized occasions and unexpected persons who also are agents of this Holy Presence in our lives and who offer, by how they live, an important disclosure of Gospel truths.