20210104 JESUS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD
04 January, 2021, Monday After Epiphany
First reading | 1 John 3:22-4:6 © |
The Son of God has come and given us the power to know the true God
Whatever we ask God,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.
It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust;
test them, to see if they come from God,
there are many false prophets, now, in the world.
You can tell the spirits that come from God by this:
every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh
is from God;
but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus
is not from God,
but is the spirit of Antichrist,
whose coming you were warned about.
Well, now he is here, in the world.
Children,
you have already overcome these false prophets,
because you are from God and you have in you
one who is greater than anyone in this world;
as for them, they are of the world,
and so they speak the language of the world
and the world listens to them.
But we are children of God,
and those who know God listen to us;
those who are not of God refuse to listen to us.
This is how we can tell
the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 2:7-8,10-11 |
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Mt4:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of diseases among the people.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk4:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.1Tim3:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to you, O Christ,
proclaimed to the pagans;
glory to you, O Christ,
believed in by the world.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 4:12-17,23-25 © |
The people that lived in darkness have seen a great light
Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.
JESUS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JN 3:22-4:6; MT 4:12-17, 23-25 ]
At Christmas, we celebrated the birth of our Lord in Bethlehem. He was the light for the People of Israel who were walking in darkness. Citing from the Prophet Isaiah, St Matthew wrote, “Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.” (cf Isa 9:1f) But on the feast of the Epiphany, we celebrated the arrival of the three Magi foreshadowing the universal mission of Jesus to the Gentiles. The offerings and the homage of the three Magi from foreign lands is a clear preliminary announcement of how Jesus would bring salvation not just to the Jews but to the Gentiles.
In the gospel today, the Monday following the Feast of Epiphany, the liturgy explains how Jesus is truly the Savior of the world, for both Jews and Gentiles. Most of us reading today’s gospel would not have paid much attention to the first line when St Matthew wrote, “Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali.” John the Baptist who was the forerunner of the Messiah was arrested and put in prison by King Herod for denouncing him and Herodias for committing the sin of adultery. Later on, he would be put to death. The arrest of John the Baptist meant that the time for the public ministry of Jesus had come. As the Messiah, He began the work of the proclamation of the Good News under the shadow of the cross, anticipated by the arrest and eventual martyrdom of His cousin, John the Baptist.
But what is equally important to take note is that “Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Jesus was making a break from the comfort and security of His home where He was raised by Mary and Joseph at Nazareth. It signified that Jesus was ready to venture out to proclaim the gospel. What is significant is that He did not choose to go to Jerusalem in Judea but to Capernaum, a lakeside town at the north of the sea of Galilee. Why Capernaum? This is a busy town and the crossroads for travelers and merchants. Galilee, it must be noted, was sandwiched between Gentile territories. To the North West lay Phoenicia and to the north, Syria. To the south was the Decapolis and South West was Samaria. In other words, Galilee was right in the middle, surrounded by pagan territories. We must not forget that Galileans, unlike those from the South, were not called Jews but Israelites because they came from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Northern Kingdom of Israel where the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were, was occupied by Assyria, and then by the Babylonians and the Persians from the 8th Century until the 2nd Century before it was eventually conquered by the Romans. As a result, there were many inter-marriages as foreigners settled in Israel, the Northern Kingdom. This explains why the Jews looked down not just on the Samaritans but even those who came from Galilee.
In launching His mission from Galilee, Jesus was making a statement that He came not just to deliver Israel but the Gentiles as well. Israel was living in darkness under the domination of foreign enemies and suffering a loss of identity because of mixed marriages resulting in a mixed race. Jesus came to save the Gentiles as well, and to reconcile all men under one race. This is why St Paul later wrote, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:28f) For St Matthew, not only was Galilee the launchpad for Christ’s mission in Israel but also to the world. For immediately after His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Mt 28:10) And it was in Galilee that Jesus gave them the Great Commission, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20) Indeed, we read that “Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.”
What was His message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” These words express the proclamation of Jesus. To preach or proclaim is always aimed at conversion of heart. This is the fundamental difference between preaching and teaching. Preaching appeals to the heart more than the mind for conversion of heart. This is why in proclamation, it is the offering of the Good News followed by a call for conversion. With authority, Jesus proclaimed the gospel with conviction, without any hesitation or diffidence. This is because He is the Word of God in person. The Father had given Him the authority and the responsibility of revealing to the world His love and mercy. “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:27)
This is why in the first reading, St John emphasized the importance of confessing in Jesus as the Christ of God, the Son of God. “His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to.” In no uncertain terms, faith in Jesus requires us to confess not just His divinity but His full humanity as well, and that He is the Messiah. He wrote, “Every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you are warned about.” Indeed, if Jesus were not from God, He would not have been able to reveal to us the Kingdom of God. As St John wrote earlier. “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (Jn 1:18) St John the Baptist also reiterated this fact when he refused to object to Jesus baptizing His disciples, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.” (Jn 3:27)
But He also taught in the Synagogues as well. Teaching is directed at one who has accepted the faith and sought to understand the faith more and to learn the implications of His faith in the way one lives out his life. This is what St John asked of us when he wrote, “Whatever we ask God, we shall receive, because we keep his commandments and live the kind of life that he wants. His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us.” Faith is more than just believing in Jesus but it must be seen in a life of charity. Christian ethics flow from Christian beliefs. Christian beliefs alone without ethics and good works would be dead. Jesus demonstrated what faith entails. “He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them.” Truly, the proclamation of the gospel must necessarily include miracles, healings and good works. Some are called to faith through these signs and some are called to faith through hearing but both are necessary.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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