Before I began to study Scripture, I presumed
Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 4:12-23) told of Jesus calling His first four priests.
That's how most of my seminary spiritual directors
interpreted the event, and I often heard bishops homilize on this passage during
ordination ceremonies.
Now, I realize that the Jesus of the Gospels called
no one to the priesthood (or the religious life). He simply called people to be
Christians: "other Christs." That's why those who originally heard
this narrative listened carefully to every word.
Called by Jesus
Matthew places this passage at the beginning of his
Gospel in order to help the members of his community reflect not only on the
fact that they've been called, but also on their response to that invitation.
Notice the circumstances of the call: "As
[Jesus] was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, called
Rock, and his brother Andrew, casting nets into the sea; they were
fishermen....He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the
son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father,
Zebedee, mending their nets."
The four aren't on retreat, participating in a
mission or engaged in spiritual reading. They're at work, doing what they've
probably done every day of their adult lives: fishing. Jesus encounters them
where they are, not where they should be.
But, no matter where we are, He always calls us to
go somewhere else. In no biblical call -- all the way back to Abraham's -- is
anyone ever commanded to stay put. People of faith are constantly called to
move, sometimes physically, but always psychologically.
In this situation, Jesus expects His first four
disciples to change their value system. "Come after me," He commands,
"and I will make you fishers of people." They'll no longer focus on
fish; people will now be at the center of their lives.
Matthew dramatizes this psychological sea change by
actually having the four men move physically: "At once, they left their
nets and followed Him....Immediately, they left their boat and their father and
followed Him." They're now going to be "where" Jesus is, not just
physically, but mentally.
The evangelist is convinced that not all who claim
to be Christians are actually where Jesus is. Matthew is certainly not the only
Christian author to encounter such a contradiction. Almost 25 years before, Paul
faced the same difficulty in Corinth (I Corinthians 1:10-13,17).
Paul's overriding fear revolves around divisions in
the churches he evangelized. He's passionate that his communities "be
united in the same mind and in the same purpose." Factions springing from
who evangelized or who baptized specific individuals force Paul to cut through
the nonsense of "I belong to Paul...Apollos...Cephas," and cry out,
"I belong to Christ!"
In other words, no one can bring us to true faith
unless they bring us to the point where we begin to follow Jesus.
Fulfillment
I presume Paul is so deeply concerned about unity
because he wants his communities to live fulfilled, happy lives. Isaiah wished
the same for his community (Isaiah 8:23-9:3): "The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a
light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing."
The prophet here is referring to a temporary
withdrawal of Assyrian forces from the north of Israel, reflecting on the joy
the enemy's retreat creates for everyone.
Paul, on the other hand, is speaking about a more
permanent state of mind: the joy that comes from following Jesus. Such happiness
and contentment doesn't depend on the actions of others. It's rooted in how we
integrate the "cross of Christ" into our lives.
Paul believes it depends on everyone in the
community dying enough to themselves to actually become Christ's Body -- in our
case, to identify even with the community's priests.
(01/24/08)