Something Old, Something New
Scripture — Matthew 4:12-22
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—
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.”
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 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 fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Focus
As you look for manifestations of God’s glory during the weeks after Epiphany, remember that some of them may surprise you because you would never have thought to look for God in a new place—and some of them may surprise you because you never would have thought to look for God in an old place.
Devotion
Today’s passage hearkens back to a passage from Isaiah which we just heard a few weeks ago on Christmas Eve—the prophecy that a great light would dawn, not only on the people of Israel, but on “Galilee of the Gentiles.” As Matthew tells the story of Jesus’s early public ministry, he notes that Jesus’s move from Nazareth (where he had presumably spent a number of years as a carpenter in the family business) to Capernaum fulfilled this prophecy.
This move happens in the context of Jesus having just experienced his temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and having just found out that his cousin and forerunner John has been arrested. (John’s arrest and death forms a sad story that I wrote about several years ago, and at various moments in the Gospels we see Jesus reacting to it and grieving.)
Jesus picks up on and begins to proclaim the exact message which we know John was preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17). He also begins to call disciples to him—in this passage, the brothers Andrew and Simon Peter and the brothers James and John. John 1:35-42 gives us the added, and intriguing, detail that Andrew and Simon had been John’s disciples first.
In the middle of a season that asks us where we see new signs of God at work, I think it’s very interesting that this passage reminds us that the new is not completely discontinuous from the old. Jesus moves to a new place to do a new thing—and it fulfills an old prophecy. Jesus begins doing the new thing—and he does not reject the message or the disciples of his cousin the prophet, but folds them into what he is doing, connecting them to the story of salvation history that has been going on since the very beginning.
As you look for manifestations of God’s glory during the weeks after Epiphany, remember that some of them may surprise you because you would never have thought to look for God in a new place—and some of them may surprise you because you never would have thought to look for God in an old place.
Reflect
Where do you see God doing something new and unexpected?
Where do you see God doing something continuous?
Act
At my wedding, and at several family funerals, including one which occurred recently, we sang the great hymn of the church “Now Thank We All Our God.” It beautifully ties together God’s presence in the past with hope for the future as it reminds us:
Now thank we all our God,
with heart, and hands, and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mother’s arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
Listen to the hymn and think about the way Jesus has manifested his glory in your life and the lives of those you know and love. (I found a beautiful traditional version from Westminster Abbey and a lovely modern version with peaceful scenery. Pick one—or both!) Ponder where his glory might lead you to follow.
Pray
(Taken from a prayer for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany in the Book of Common Prayer) Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Banner image by Rick Scheerbart on Unsplash.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Jesus Calls the Disciples (Matthew 3-4).
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Jennifer Woodruff Tait
Editorial Coordinator
Jennifer Woodruff Tait (PhD, Duke University) is the editor of and frequent contributor to Life for Leaders. She is also the managing editor of Christian History magazine and web editor for the