THE PATH TO THE KINGDOM
Matthew 4:12-23
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
Last week we looked at the disciples’ call in terms of John’s emphasis upon the activity of the Spirit. Matthew’s concern however is upon the coming Kingdom of God. Matthew emphasized the radical difference between human kingdoms and God’s Kingdom. Jesus had turned toward this radical (from a human point of view) understanding of God in the world and spent days in the wilderness discerning this difference. Turning toward God meant radical dependence upon God. Ordinary human understanding of what makes a life well lived was turned upside down. The Temptations, Beatitudes, and ultimately the cross marked the way. This inversion of values and the human desire to hold on to what we know is the mark of The Way.
The disciples choose to follow Jesus’s way to that kingdom. Commentators, and many of us, struggle to understand how or why the disciples are able to so suddenly uproot themselves. Jesus was essentially a stranger—even if he had a reputation— and they followed without question or a plan. They give up their livelihood. They abandon their fathers. But the text does not help us with these questions. The text simply gives us an example of what it means to follow Jesus. Economic security, familial connections, and eventually even our biological survival come second to God. How crazy is that? No wonder we are confounded by the disciples’ decision.
Pastorally, the example of Jesus, as well as the example of the disciples creates an enormous internal tension and temptation for us in real life. Matthew is relatively uninterested in how we navigate The Way. His concern is to present the fork in the road. Consequences for daily life are not discussed. Historically, the apocalyptic expectation that Jesus would return in their lifetime (Matt 16:28; 24;34 and 10:23) reduced the need to deal with the practicalities of ordinary life. Impending rapture reduces the need for an IRA.
Two thousand years later, however, we have ample evidence that a literal interpretation of such passages is not tenable. Though this navigation problem seems to be of little interest to Matthew, we however must look at the local consequences of discipleship. It is tempting to dichotomize—to use the disciples as a paradigm of the ‘good’ followers. And that may well be what Matthew intended. But I am of the mind that there is an important “Faith in Real Life” lesson that must be included.
As best I can tell, following Jesus—becoming a disciple—means a life of discernment and prioritizing. We need to see the fork in the road but then we must struggle with what it means to walk it. The examples of how Jesus and the disciples responded to God present the radical contrast in what we think is important and what is actually eternal. Most of us are not going to drop our nets and leave our families to fend for themselves. But we do need the example of those that do to help us see the implication of our choices. One path leads to faux security but if that is our only concern, we will fail to see the path that gives lasting meaning and purpose to our lives. Our faith is a direction not a measuring stick.
MLK day was this week. Martin Luther King is another disciple. He knew his choices could well end in his death. He often discussed the cost of discipleship with his inner circle and offered comic relief by presenting them with embarrassing eulogies he might offer for their funeral. On a more practical level he wrote a “Rule of Life” to help guide himself and those who followed.
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Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus
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Remember always that the nonviolent movement seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.
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Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
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Pray daily to be used by God in order that all might be free.
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Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all might be free.
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Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
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Seek to perform regular service for others and the world.
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Refrain from violence of fist, tongue or heart.
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Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
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Follow the directions of the movement and the captains of a demonstration.
In our ordinary lives, as we seek to respond to Jesus’ call to discipleship, we would do well to follow such guidelines—or to write our own. Such guidelines are the point of the Law in the Bible but keep in mind the Spirit. Love God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. As Jesus said, all else follows. How we do so is individual and varied but we walk the path of discipleship struggling with the difference between such a call and our own inclinations—and limitations.
We walk following the lead of those who have gone before us and in the confidence that Jesus has not only walked the walk, he walks with us still. Let it be so.
