(Mt 4:12-23)
Matthew 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Matthew 4:14 so that what had been said through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
Matthew 4:15 The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles;
Matthew 4:16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those who sat in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Matthew 4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Verse 13 gives us the geography within which Jesus moves:
· leaving Nazareth;
· he came to live in Capernaum;
· by the sea;
· in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.
This geographical precision has a dual purpose: narrative and theological. Nazareth is the place of silence, where Jesus spent most of his life. We know very little about him during this period. The Son of God spends thirty years in an anonymous village. Doing what? Learning the craft of living, like every man, experiencing the days, the nights, the toil, the sweat, the heat, the cold, the joy: all the normal things of life. If he had not lived those thirty years, his incarnation would have made no sense. He lived our life in its everydayness; he truly took our life upon himself.
Leaving Nazareth, enclosed by hills and isolated, for Capernaum, a bustling town on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, located in a strategic place of considerable commercial and military importance, along the 'via maris', which connects Syria with Egypt, a crossroads of peoples, means turning over a new leaf, coming out into the open, giving a new direction to one's life. It was, therefore, an ideal place to proclaim the kingdom. It was from here that Jesus began his missionary activity. Capernaum became Jesus' second home. Most of Matthew's Gospel takes place here, in the town of Capernaum.
Leaving Nazareth for Capernaum, from the point of view of the narrative, means making a clear break between before and after and preparing the reader for something new that is about to happen. In fact, the meticulous geographical description of the place suggests that Matthew had other intentions than simply giving us the address of Jesus' new residence. In fact, he immediately tells us that this happens 'so that what had been said through the prophet might be fulfilled'. Therefore, what is happening here is not dictated by chance, but is following the evolution of a precise plan in action, which obeys the logic of a pre-established divine plan.
Jesus not only moves according to a pre-established plan, but is its fulfilment. Capernaum, in Galilee of the Gentiles, is a place halfway between Israel and the pagans. And since salvation is for both Israel and the pagans, this area, a mixture of Jews and pagans, is the most suitable place for the proclamation of the Gospel.
The people are immersed in darkness. Man makes darkness and death his home. It is precisely to this darkness that a great light is given. All of Jesus' activity is seen as light that dispels darkness. Light is the beginning of life (it is God's first creative act); light makes things what they are; without light, there is nothing. Salvation consists in enlightenment, that is, in opening our eyes to reality as God has given it to us and living accordingly.
Matthew reports a fact that was undoubtedly a surprise, if not a scandal, to the religious expectations of the time. In fact, it was logical to expect that the messianic announcement would come from the heart of Judaism, that is, from Jerusalem, but instead it came from a peripheral region, generally despised and considered contaminated by the pagan presence. Placed by Matthew in this geographical setting, Jesus gives a universal and revolutionary colour to his mission, announcing from the outset his departure from the traditional way of expecting salvation.
"From then on Jesus began to preach and say" (v. 17). Thus begins the activity of Jesus, who in reality does not begin to 'preach', but to proclaim, 'kēryssein', as the Greek text says. The difference between preaching and proclaiming is significant. Preaching is that tedious thing (for those who listen). Proclaiming, on the other hand, is publicly announcing a fact (which is quite different). A proclamation does not explain, it is an announcement of something. Proclamation is public. What does Jesus proclaim? The need for conversion.
He says something disruptive: 'metanoeite', an imperative that goes beyond a simple invitation to conversion. We could translate the term 'metanoeite' as 'change your way of thinking; reorient your thinking'. It is a matter of radically changing man, his inner self, and from there it must translate into a way of life conformed to God's requirements. The regeneration of man, therefore, must start from the level of being, and then be implemented on the level of action and living.
The need for this change lies in the fact that the kingdom of heaven is near. The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of light. The kingdom of the prince of this world, on the other hand, is the kingdom of darkness. We must convert because Jesus came to establish the kingdom of light among us, and we can only enter this kingdom by abandoning the kingdom of the prince of this world. Conversion is the abandonment of the darkness of our minds and the complete surrender to the light that comes from the word of Christ. To those who were waiting for the kingdom of heaven, Jesus announces this good news: the kingdom of heaven is near. If it is near, prepare yourselves to enter it, and you enter through the narrow gate of conversion.
Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books
- Apocalypse – exegetical commentary
- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?
Jesus Christ, True God and True Man in the Trinitarian Mystery
The Prophetic Discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)
All Generations Will Call Me Blessed
Catholics and Protestants Compared – In Defence of the Faith
The Church and Israel According to St. Paul – Romans 9-11
(Available on Amazon)
