Monday of Epiphany
On Sunday we looked for the Epiphany Address by the Pope.
Not surprisingly it did not appear on the Net and should have well anticipated the traditional Solemn Feast of the Epiphany on the 6th of January.
As we await the epiphanic words from Benedict xvi on 6th January the daily Mass commences the Weekday of Epiphany.
MATTHEW 4:12-17, 23-25
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (v 17).
The Navarre Commentary
Matthew
4:12-17, 23-25
Preaching in Galilee - The Announcement of the Kingdom
[RWP:Mat
4:12 -
Now
when he heard (akousas de). The reason for Christ’s
return to Galilee is given here to be that John had been delivered up into
prison. The Synoptic Gospels skip from the temptation of Jesus to the Galilean
ministry, a whole year. But for John 1:19-3:36 we should know nothing of the
“year of obscurity” (Stalker). John supplies items to help fill in the picture.
Christ’s work in Galilee began after the close of the active ministry of the
Baptist who lingered on in prison for a year or more.]
Mat
4:13 -
Dwelt
in Capernaum (Katōikēsen eis Kapharnaoum). He went first to Nazareth,
his old home, but was rejected there (Luke 4:16-31). In Capernaum (probably the
modern Tell Hūm) Jesus was in a large town, one of the centres of
Galilean political and commercial life, a fishing mart, where many Gentiles
came. Here the message of the kingdom would have a better chance than in
Jerusalem with its ecclesiastical prejudices or in Nazareth with its local
jealousies. So Jesus “made his home” (katōikēsen) here.]
{Gill:
Mat 4:14-15 - That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken,.... Christ's dwelling in Capernaum accomplished a prophecy of
the prophet Isa_9:1 and he went and
dwelt there, that it might be fulfilled which he had spoken: the meaning of
which prophecy is (x), that as those parts of
the land of Israel, there mentioned, had suffered much by Tiglathpileser, who
had carried them captive, 2Ki_15:29 and
is "the vexation" referred to; so they should be honoured, and made
very glorious, by the presence and conversation of the Messiah among them, and
which now had its literal fulfilment: for Christ now came and dwelt in
Capernaum, which lay between the lands and upon the borders both of Zabulon and
Nephthalim; was situated by the sea of Tiberias, beyond Jordan, and in,
"Galilee of the nations"; the upper Galilee, which had in it people
of other nations besides Jews. The ancient Jews expected the Messiah to make
his first appearance in Galilee; which expectation must be grounded on this
prophecy; for so they say (y) expressly,
"the
king Messiah shall be revealed בארעא דגליל, "in the land of
Galilee."''
And in
another place (z) explaining Isa_2:19 they paraphrase it thus,
""for
fear of the Lord"; this is the indignation of the whole world: and for the
"glory of his majesty"; this is the Messiah; when he ariseth to shake
terribly the earth, when he shall arise and be revealed בארעא דגליל, "in
the land of Galilee": because that this is the first place to be destroyed
in the holy land; therefore he shall be revealed there the first of all
places.''
Here
Jesus, the true Messiah, made his first appearance publicly; here he called his
disciples, and began his ministry.
(x) See my treatise upon the "Prophecies of the
Messiah", &c. p. 147, &c. (y)
Zohar in Gen. fol. 74. 3. (z) Ib. in Exod.
fol. 3. 3. & 88. 3.
15-16. Here
St Matthew quotes the prophecy of Isa_8:23 - Isa_9:1 . The territory referred to (Zebulun,
Naphtali, the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan), was invaded by the
Assyrians in the period 734-721 B.C., especially during the reign of Tilgathpilneser
III. A portion of the Jewish population was deported and sizeable numbers of
foreigners were planted in the region to colonize it. For this reason it is
referred to in the Bible henceforward as the "Galilee of the
Gentiles". The evangelist, inspired by God, sees Jesus' coming to Galilee
as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. This land, devastated and abused in
Isaiah's time, will be the first to receive the light of Christ's life and
preaching. The messianic meaning of the prophecy is, therefore, clear.
17. See
the note on Mat_3:4 . This verse indicates the outstanding
importance of the first step in Jesus' public ministry, begun by proclaiming
the imminence of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' words echo John the Baptist's
proclamation: the second part of this verse is the same, word for word, as
Matthew Mat_3:2 . This underlines the role played by St John
the Baptist as prophet and precursor of Jesus. Both St John and our Lord demand
repentance, penance, as a prerequisite to receiving the Kingdom of God, now
beginning. God's rule over mankind is a main theme in Christ's Revelation, just
as it was central to the whole Old Testament. However, in the latter, the
Kingdom of God had an element of theocracy about it: God reigned over Israel in
both spiritual and temporal affairs and it was through him that Israel
subjected other nations to her rule. Little by little, Jesus will unfold the
new-style Kingdom of God, now arrived at its fullness. He will show it to be a
Kingdom of love and holiness, thereby purifying it of the nationalistic misconceptions
of the people of his time. The King invites everyone without exception to this
Kingdom (cf. Mat_22:1-14 ). The Banquet of the Kingdom is held on this
earth and has certain entry requirements which must be preached by the
proponents of the Kingdom: "Therefore the eucharistic celebration is the
center of the assembly of the faithful over which the priest presides. Hence
priests teach the faithful to offer the divine Victim to God the Father in the
sacrifice of the Mass, and with the Victim to make an offering of their whole
lives. In the spirit of Christ the pastor, they instruct them to submit their
sins to the Church with a contrite heart in the sacrament of Penance, so that
they may be daily more and more converted to the Lord, remembering his words:
'Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand"' (Vatican II,
"Presbyterorum Ordinis", 5).
[RWP:Mat
4:17 - Began Jesus to preach (ērxato ho Iēsous kērussein). In Galilee. He had been
preaching for over a year already elsewhere. His message carries on the words
of the Baptist about “repentance” and the “kingdom of heaven” (Mat_3:2) being at hand. The same word for
“preaching” (kērussein) from kērux, herald, is used of Jesus as
of John. Both proclaimed the good news of the kingdom. Jesus is more usually
described as the Teacher, (ho didaskalos) who taught (edidasken)
the people. He was both herald and teacher as every preacher should be.]
23. "Synagogue":
this word comes from the Greek and designates the building where the Jews
assembled for religious ceremonies on the sabbath and other feast days. Such
ceremonies were non-sacrificial in character (sacrifices could be performed
only in the temple of Jerusalem). The synagogue was also the place where the
Jews received their religious training. The word was also used to designate
local Jewish communities within and without Palestine.
[RWP:
Mat 4:23 -
Went
about in all Galilee (periēgen en holēi tēi
Galilaiai).
Literally Jesus “was going around (imperfect) in all Galilee.” This is the
first of the three tours of Galilee made by Jesus. This time he took the four
fishermen whom he had just called to personal service. The second time he took
the twelve. On the third he sent the twelve on ahead by twos and followed after
them. He was teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the synagogues
chiefly and on the roads and in the streets where Gentiles could hear.
Healing all manner of diseases
and all manner of sickness (therapeuōn pāsan noson kai pāsan malakian).
The occasional sickness is called malakian, the chronic or serious
disease noson.
Mat 4:24
-
The
report of him went forth into all Syria
(apēlthen
hē akoē autou eis holēn tēn Syrian). Rumour (akoē)
carries things almost like the wireless or radio. The Gentiles all over Syria
to the north heard of what was going on in Galilee. The result was inevitable.
Jesus had a moving hospital of patients from all over Galilee and Syria.
“Those that were sick” (tous
kakōs echontas), literally “those who had it bad,” cases that the doctors
could not cure.
“Holden with divers diseases
and torments” (poikilais nosois kai basanois sunechomenous). “Held
together” or “compressed” is the idea of the participle. The same word is used
by Jesus in Luk_12:50 and by Paul in Phi_1:23 and of the crowd pressing on Jesus (Luk_8:45). They brought these difficult and
chronic cases (present tense of the participle here) to Jesus. Instead of
“divers” say “various” (poikilais) like fever, leprosy, blindness. The
adjective means literally many colored or variegated like flowers, paintings,
jaundice, etc. Some had “torments” (basanois). The word originally
(oriental origin) meant a touchstone, “Lydian stone” used for testing gold
because pure gold rubbed on it left a peculiar mark. Then it was used for
examination by torture. Sickness was often regarded as “torture.” These
diseases are further described “in a descending scale of violence” (McNeile) as
“demoniacs, lunatics, and paralytics” as Moffatt puts it, “demoniacs,
epileptics, paralytics” as Weymouth has it, (daimonizomenous kai selēniazomenous
kai paralutikous), people possessed by demons, lunatics or “moon-struck”
because the epileptic seizures supposedly followed the phases of the moon
(Bruce) as shown also in Mat_17:15,
paralytics (our very word). Our word “lunatic” is from the Latin luna
(moon) and carries the same picture as the Greek selēniazomai from selēnē
(moon). These diseases are called “torments.”
Mat
4:25 -
Great multitudes
(ochloi
polloi).
Note the plural, not just one crowd, but crowds and crowds. And from all parts
of Palestine including Decapolis, the region of the Ten Greek Cities east of
the Jordan. No political campaign was equal to this outpouring of the people to
hear Jesus and to be healed by Jesus.]
20. The
Announcement of the Kingdom
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Mat 4:17
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Mar 1:14-15
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Luk 4:14-15
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17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and
to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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14 Now after that John was put in prison,
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And
saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
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14 And Jesus returned in the power of the
Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region
round about.
15 And
he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
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