Do you remember what city Matthew was living in when he wrote his gospel? [Antioch]
Do you remember the very significant event that had happened, an event that threatened to shatter the faith of many in Matthew’s community? [destruction of the temple]
By the way, I call the author Matthew because it’s convenient to do so, but the gospel itself is written anonymously. Tradition has attached the name Matthew to this gospel, and it is possible that the author used some sayings that came from the apostle Matthew in writing the gospel, but we don’t really know. So it’s not really accurate to say that Matthew is the author, even though it is convenient to do so.
Anyway, the gospel was written in Antioch, which was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, a place of some Roman power but very little religious power. Christianity came to Antioch a generation or two earlier, after a number of people fled from Jerusalem following the martyrdom of Stephen, an event which we can read about in the book of Acts.
A significant thing about Antioch is that Antioch was the first place where Gentiles were welcomed into the Jesus movement without being required to undergo the Jewish rite of circumcision. In other words, it was in Antioch that the movement became something more than a sect within Judaism. It was in Antioch that the way of Jesus expanded beyond the Jewish faith. And, it was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first referred to as “Christians.”
It was a generation later that the temple was destroyed, throwing the Jewish world into turmoil. There were persecutions. There was uncertainty regarding the direction of the Jesus movement within Judaism, including questions over the relation of Jews and Gentiles within the movement which were still not fully resolved.
Before the destruction of the temple, if anyone had pictured what a successful Jesus movement would look like in the years to come, this is not what they would have pictured! The Jesus movement had been exiled from Jerusalem, away from the center of religious power. It was being completely transformed into something different than it was as it became an increasingly Gentile movement; and not everyone was comfortable with that.
Can you imagine how unsettling it would be to be part of a church that was experiencing such change and transformation? Can you imagine being part of a church that you don’t even recognize anymore?
Actually, we can, can’t we?
Our church today is not what people fifty years ago pictured. That’s true for Bixby Knolls Christian Church, and that’s true for the wider church. In fact, the church today even has some of the same struggles, such as who to include and how they should be included. And as we find ourselves being pulled by society in so many directions, we find it increasingly hard to hang on to our commitment to the church and our faith.
Being a Christian, living a Christian life, has become more challenging and confusing. In an age of war, Christians are called to live for peace. In an age of consumerism, Christians are called to serve – well – a different master. In an age of individualism, Christians are called to live in community. In an age of “I’m right, you’re wrong,” Christians are called to live with mutual love and understanding. In an age of rushing from one place to another, Christians are called to stop and help the neighbor on the side of the road.
Christians today are living a life that is every bit as confusing and uncertain as the life lived by the Christians in Antioch. In many ways, Christians today feel like they are living in exile – outcasts, misfits – at least when viewed by the more influential and powerful members of our 21st century American society.
Matthew’s gospel was written for such a time as this. It was written to show that, in times like these, God is present, active, working to bring about the salvation and healing of the nations.
Since before Christmas, most of our Sunday scriptures have taken us through the beginning of Matthew’s gospel. As we’ve seen, it all starts for Matthew with a genealogy that is full of its own twists and turns, a genealogy in which the lineage of Jesus is traced not through the expected first-born sons, but through a hodge-podge of second- and third-born sons, illegitimate sons, some daughters, and misfits of every kind.
As we’ve seen, Matthew’s gospel shows that the birth of Jesus took place under some very unusual circumstances, circumstances that even Joseph had a hard time accepting, until an angel told him that God’s Spirit was in the midst of all these strange events.
As we’ve seen, even Jesus’ life began in exile. Forced to leave his home in Bethlehem as an infant, his family fled to Egypt, then settled in Nazareth, a city with a not-so-good reputation.
As we’ve seen, it was out in the wilderness, the desert, where Jesus responded to the message of John the Baptist. It was there, beyond the outskirts, that he was baptized; and it was there that he received the assurance of God through a voice that pronounced him “beloved.”
Speaking of John the Baptist, instead of being exalted for the work he did, John the Baptist was thrown in prison. When Jesus heard that, he left Nazareth; but instead of heading to Jerusalem, home of the temple, the center of religious power, he withdrew even further into Galilee. He was still (one could say) in exile from the powers in Jerusalem.
And the people he chose to follow him – a group of Galilean fishermen – had no religious credentials. Religiously speaking, they were misfits and outcasts, just like Jesus.
Before Jesus, during all the years of the prophets, if anyone had pictured what the Messiah would look like, this is not what they would have pictured. If anyone would have pictured who his followers would be, this is not who they would have pictured.
In writing his gospel, Matthew is saying: “Hey, it’s all OK. Things may not be going the way you expected them to, but that doesn’t mean that God is not present. It doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. Look at the story of Jesus; practically nothing happened the way people expected it to happen. Nothing happened the way it was “supposed to” happen. Nothing went right, and yet, in the end, everything was right. Everything was good.
Because God was present through it all.
To prove his point, Matthew quotes a number of scriptures, mostly the prophets. Matthew does this far more than any of the other gospel writers. Matthew does this to show that, even though what happened wasn’t what we expected, perhaps we should have expected it.
For example: Jesus withdrew to Galilee. No one expected him to be so far from the center of power. But Matthew says, “No, look: this fulfills what Isaiah said: ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali…’” (and if you’re thinking, “land of who?”, that’s the point; it’s the land of the lesser known tribes, the lesser known children of Jacob. Basically, it’s nowhere important. That’s where Jesus is, and the prophets saw that.) “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles…”
(And remember, the people of Antioch knew a thing or two about Gentiles!)
…It’s all OK! As they say, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Jesus is still the king. Jesus is still the one authorized to proclaim the immanence of God’s kingdom, even if he does work from the outskirts, even if he is himself an outcast, even if his followers are a bunch of misfits.
Then, as if to further prove his point, Matthew describes the call of the first disciples. Just look how they respond to Jesus! They don’t ask him who he is. They don’t respond to his call to “follow me” by asking, “follow you where?” They don’t get their affairs in order before following; their response is immediate. That can’t be something they agreed to on their own. People don’t just drop everything, leave their homes, and follow some weirdo from Nazareth (of all places) without knowing anything about him or what he stands for.
Clearly, God’s spirit is at work here. In Matthew’s gospel, this is, in fact, the first of Jesus’ miracles, getting these fishermen to leave everything and immediately follow him. In Matthew’s gospel, this miracle is a sign of God’s kingdom. And it happened in Galilee. Not Jerusalem. Not someplace expected or important. Galilee.
And it was followed by still more miracles, more signs of the kingdom: Jesus brought healing and wholeness. To the people. Of Galilee.
That’s where God is: in Galilee. In Antioch. Among the outcasts. Among those who aren’t a part of the “in” crowd. Among those who haven’t quite figured things out.
And that’s pretty much everyone, isn’t it? Except for maybe the Pharisees and Saducees; they had everything all figured out. But for the rest of us: well, we know that life can be a little messy sometimes. We know that things don’t always work out the way we expect them to. We know that our present reality is not always what we would have pictured for ourselves.
We know this.
And God knows this, too. Things don’t always go according to our plans, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going according to God’s plans. Your present situation may not be what you expected or even hoped for, but that doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you.
God is working among you even now; working in you to complete the transformation that began when you first felt the Spirit leading you in the way of Jesus. God will not abandon you or forsake you. God will complete the good work that was begun in you.
Matthew’s gospel is a reminder of this, so that you might keep the faith, not lose hope, and live the life God intends for you: a life of blessing, a life of wholeness, a life of following God’s call.
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