Isaiah 9:1 - 7
Psalm 27:1, 5 – 13
I Corinthians 1:10 - 18
Matthew 4:12 – 23
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 22,
2023 by Fr. Gene Tucker.
“THE COST OF NEARLY EVERYTHING”
(Homily
text: Matthew 4:12 – 23)
It
seems as though nearly everything in life costs something, in some way or
another. At least that’s my observation as my years increase.
Consider,
for example, these items in our daily lives that support this belief: The cars
we drive require periodic trips to the shop for maintenance and repair. The
houses we live in require cleaning every now and again. The gifts that line our
shelves, as wonderful as they are, and as much as they remind us of some
person’s kindness to us in times past, will require dusting or polishing every
once in awhile. Even our physical bodies will require visits to the doctor or
to the hospital on occasion. (I’ve noticed that those visits become more
frequent with age!)
It
seems like the adage “There’s no free lunch” is certainly true. The evidence is
all around us.
Now,
in this morning’s Gospel, we read about the beginning of the kingdom of heaven[1], as
Jesus calls His first four disciples, Andrew and Peter, who were brothers; and
James and John, another pair of brothers. As part of the beginning of Jesus’
public ministry, the nature and the entrance requirements to become a part of
the kingdom of heaven also become clear, as the Lord says, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As
we look at the call of these first four disciples, who – in time – will be sent
out as the Lord’s Apostles[2], we
begin to see the cost of their response to the Lord’s call to follow Him and to
begin to fish for people: Each one of them underwent a lifestyle change and a
change in their careers. In time, the cost of being the Lord’s witnesses will
increase, as these twelve go into the known world, carrying with them the Good
News of what God had done in the sending of Jesus Christ. Their travels would
take them to distant places, where – quite often – they would meet opposition,
persecution, and – tradition tells us – martyrdom.[3]
Let’s
notice, however, the basic entrance requirement for becoming a part of the
kingdom of heaven: Repentance. It is a call that is issued to each and every
person who seeks to become a citizen of this kingdom. The Lord says, “Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Repentance
costs something. It means that we must give up our old, unholy, self-centered
ways. In that sense, the call of the original four disciples is a whole lot
like the Lord’s call to us to make a lifestyle change, to repent. The first
four disciples we remember today, each one of them, went a different way after
the Lord’s call on their lives. Repentance also involves a change of direction,
a turning away from things that do not please God to the things that do.
Essentially, that’s the core meaning of baptism, to die to ourselves and our
old ways as we enter the waters of baptism, only to emerge and take on a
different way of being, thinking and doing.
So,
perhaps the beginning of the coming of the kingdom of heaven, which has now
reached into our lives, might prompt us to reconsider the cost of being a
citizen of that kingdom. For, indeed, it will cost us something, but that cost
is vastly outweighed by the blessings and the benefits of being a part of it.
Thanks
be to God!
AMEN.
[1] The kingdom of heaven is Matthew’s usual way of referring to the kingdom. Others prefer using the term “kingdom of God”.
[2] “Apostle” is a word, coming from two words in Greek, which literally means “one who is sent out”.
[3] Tradition tells us that John alone died a natural death.
