St. Matthew 4:18-25: "18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 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. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan."
Today is an holiday. It a day to celebrate the deeds and faith of a beloved saint and man. Today is the festival of the Confession of St. Peter. This mornings reading although not specifically appointed to today's festival, does seem to fit for this day of celebration. This morning's reading has the calling of St. Peter, along with St. Andrew, St. John, and St. James the Elder.
At first glance this pericope from the Evangelist St. Matthew seems to contradict with the Evangelist St. John, since St. John has St. Andrew, and the other disciple who is not named (but probably is St. John) following Jesus the day after His baptism. And in St. John's Gospel, St. Peter is brought to Jesus by St. Andrew. St. Matthew, on the other hand, has Sts. Andrew, Peter, James the Elder and John, being called by Jesus next to the sea of Galilee, while they were fishing. There seems to be an inconsistancy in the two narratives.
There is an explanation for the seeming differences between the two pericopes. The Evangelist St. John relates the first meeting of these disciples with our Lord, however, He does not call them. He only invites them to spend the evening with Him. However, in the Evangelist St. Matthew's narrative our Lord specifically tells them to follow Him. And since they had already met Him and spent time with Him they immediately drop all and follow Him.
Here is what must be kept in mind as far as timeline. Our Lord was baptized, met His disciples, attended the wedding at Cana, and then was led into the wilderness, and spent forty days and nights by Himself. He had preached in Nazareth, and would have been thrown off a cliff if He had not escaped from among them. He moved to Capernaum, next to the sea of Galilee, which is where the disciples from this mornings pericope lived. He then called these four men, three of which became His closest disciples, and accompanied Him whenever He would do something of importance. Shortly after these things, our Lord Jesus cleanses the Temple at the time of the Pasch.
This should shed some light on the seeming incongruity between the two Gospels. However, this is not the main point of this pericope. This reading is all about our Lord beginning His earthly ministry. He begins by calling men that would carry on His message after He ascended into Heaven. These men would spend about three years with our Lord, hearing Him, learning from Him, seeing His miracles that showed them He was in deed the Messiah.
Our Lord's preaching and ministry had an affect on these men. This is why we celebrate today, for one of these men, the Blessed St. Peter, confessed that our Lord was indeed the Son of God, the One promised that would save men from their sin. It was upon this confession that our Lord built the Church. Against this proclamation of the Gospel, which proclaims our Lord Jesus to be the One and only Saviour, the gates of hell cannot prevail. This is the faith which the Church is built upon. The Church is built upon the faith of her children, who believe and trust in their Lord alone for salvation.
Today, after calling His disciples, Sts. Andrew, Peter, James the Elder, and John, our Lord Jesus, goes throughout all Syria, that is, the northern part which used to be Israel, and was the first part of the kingdom to be led into captivity by Assyria, preaching in their synagogues, and healing the sick and demon-possesed. He reveals Himself as the Messiah, the Christ. He reveals Himself as our One and only Saviour. Those who see His deeds, believe on Him, and they follow Him wherever He goes. Those who follow Him are not just the disciples who He specifically calls to follow Him, but also all those from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and all those beyond the Jordan.
We who have heard His Word in these times also follow Him, for we hear His Word, see His deeds, that is, His Blessed Sacraments, and we are spiritually healed by His gifts. And so, today, we rejoice in the confession of the Blessed St. Peter, and we rejoice that we too have the freedom to confess Him as our One and only Saviour from sin, death, and the devil.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
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