12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 While walking 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 fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read.
We often times think of first impressions go along ways in determining what you think about another, so can you remember the first time you ever met your future spouse? Can you remember the first words that you said to one another? Can you remember the first thing you did together? And most importantly can you remember you very first thoughts about your future spouse? Did you think they were flirty? Or strange? Ladies, was he a show off, trying to get your attention? Guys was she beautiful, so that you couldn’t take your eyes off of her? I would bet that first impression went a long ways in how your relationship went.
First impressions are important Even if you aren’t married, or dating, or anything like that you have met people, and as you met them, you developed a first impression either good or bad. And at times that first impressions give you major insights in to who a person is and what they will do.
In our text today, Jesus is making his first impressions, his debut. He has lived his life so far quietly, working with his father in the carpentry shop. He hasn’t done anything too exciting or too fancy. He hasn’t brought attention to himself. But in our text today, he begins preaching to people. In our text today, he begins calling his disciples, and begins ministering to the people of Israel. The people, disciples included, are learning for the first time what Jesus is all about, and why he has come. And the first impression that Jesus makes to us, shows us that
HE HAS COME TO GIVE LIFE, HOPE AND DELIVERANCE TO SINFUL HURTING PEOPLE.
And that is exactly what we need to hear, that is exactly what we need to know, because we ourselves are truly sinful hurting people, we truly have weaknesses and struggles that at times are bigger than we can handle.
Its true isn’t it? Every one of us has little secret struggles that we try to keep to ourselves, and out of the wandering eye of our fellow human beings. Each one of us has pains and predicaments that we must deal with. It is not by coincidence that Isaiah in our Old Testament lesson says we are a people walking in darkness. For we hide ourselves in the darkness, hoping that people won’t see what we really struggle with on a daily basis.
Within our own community and yes, even within our own congregation, we have people who struggle with addictions. People whose desire for alcohol, or drugs, or sex or more are so strong, that they cannot help themselves. And they try to hide it. They don’t want their friends, or their family, or their neighbors, or even themselves to admit that they have a problem. So they hide it in the darkness. They hide, and avoid looking at it, and avoid dealing with it. And so they are left in the darkness of their sins.
We have people within our church whose families are falling apart. People whose relationship with their husband or wife has degenerated into a fighting match every day. People whose children have become quiet and reclusive, people whose children won’t even talk to one another. Families that are gifts from God to each one of us, become so twisted and mangled by fighting and shouting and words that should not be spoken to loved ones, that they can’t even function. People are hurt even there. But still, the desire and the need is to hide behind closed doors, and to put a good face on outwardly. We would rather leave our pain and hurt hidden, than to show the world.
And there is illness, illnesses that destroy and weaken our bodies more and more until finally death is longed for. It is happening to each one of us. As we age, and our bodies begin to fall apart, so that our knees no longer work. So that our midsection gets bigger and bigger. We no longer can do the things we once did. And there is more. There is cancer, there is heart disease, there is Alzheimer’s and mental illnesses and more. All of these things point to our inevitable end, the wage of our sin, death.
But we don’t want to think about that, we don’t want think about the fact that one day our body will finally stop, our heart won’t beat, our lungs won’t bring in fresh air. We don’t want to think about our own dying. So we look away. We hide that fact from ourselves putting in the dark corner of our mind where we never look. The place where we hide our sins and our shortcomings and all other things we want to avoid in this sinful life. We put them in the dark. As Isaiah says in our Old Testament, and as St. Matthew himself quotes in the Gospel, We are the people walking in darkness.
But the text doesn’t stop there, the text tells us that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. A light that will shine in the darkness, and that the darkness cannot overcome. We are in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany which means shine, reveal, alight. And that is what Jesus has come to do. Jesus has come for sinners. Jesus has come to people like you and like me, Jesus has come to shine light into their lives.
In our text we see this. Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, and James and John. When Jesus comes to them, they are not any different that you or me. They are not the holy people we so often make them out to be. They too had dark sins that they hid. They too had weakness, and sickness, and hurting, and pain. They too cried themselves to sleep at night wondering where to turn and what to do. And Jesus comes to them and says, “Follow me.” It wasn’t a request, with Jesus saying, “Please follow me” meekly. It was a command, “COME!! COME AFTER ME!!!” I have what you need.
Jesus calls to you too, not in meager little requests, “please accept me, please decide to follow me”. No! But in the water of Baptism, Jesus says, You are mine, follow me. I have what you need, and I give it to you freely apart from your own doing and apart from you own desire. Come. As Jesus says later in Matthew, Come to me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And in our text, as Jesus goes about calling people, and the light shines on their sin and on their pain and into the very depths of their souls, he does exactly that. He gives them rest. He gives them healing. He gives them exactly what they need. The Greek text says, “He Therapueo ed them. He gave them therapy. Not only an earthly therapy where he listened to their struggles and their sins. But a heavenly therapy. A healing earned by blood and sacrifice. A healing earned by Jesus’ own death on Good Friday on a hill named Golgotha.
For on the cross, the addictions of this world are destroyed, and replaced with the promise of eternal life in heaven. On the cross, those whose families are destroyed by the sin and suffering of this world are promised a new family. With a heavenly Father giving a place for you to live for eternity, with a brother whose blood flows out upon you for forgiveness life and salvation. A family which is gathered right here right now in this place, one to support you in the struggles of this life and world because they themselves know of the healing of Jesus. Finally, we have the promise that in the faith that Jesus has given us, we shall never die. Yes it might look like we do. Our heart and lungs may stop. But we will always have life in heaven for eternity, life that cannot be taken away by sin and sickness.
Jesus has come, and Jesus has revealed to us why he has come. He has come for hurting and lost sinners, to bring them healing and forgiveness. He has come for you, to bring you home. The first impression that Jesus leaves us in our text today is one that shines out, that sets itself apart from all other things on earth. It is one in which we can now rejoice. For Jesus has come to save us. Amen.
