ordinary time The Sánchez Archives

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Year A

By
Patricia Datchuck Sánchez

Darkness and Light

ISAIAH 8:23-9:3
1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-13, 17
MATTHEW 4:12-23

Except for those who live in the polar regions of our planet, most of the peoples of this earth experience day and night on a daily basis. In addition to the routine occurrences of sunrise and sunset, there are other experiences of light and darkness which may lend themselves to a fuller understanding of this week’s scripture readings.

Eclipses of the sun and moon, misconstrued and feared by the ancients, encapsulate the experience of darkness and light into a few minutes. Before these phenomena were understood by scientists, eclipses were regarded as portents of evil, offering cosmic commentary regarding some earthly crisis.

Survivors of World War I and II will recall the dreaded blackouts whereby every window was darkened or covered to prevent enemy planes from detecting a target for their bombs. Europeans, particularly in France and Great Britain sometimes spent weeks at a time hidden under the pall of darkness, waiting for the day of their relief and liberation.

In November of 1965, a power failure plunged seven northeastern U.S. states and Ontario, Canada, into a darkness which lasted for more than thirteen hours. About thirty million people living in eighty thousand square miles of territory were affected. In 1977 another less severe power failure darkened New York City for fifty-two minutes. Losses due to accidents and looting were in excess of one billion dollars.

From another perspective, many towns and cities, in an attempt to deter would-be criminals or miscreants have launched “Light the Night” campaigns. Residents in such cities as Toronto Canada and Oakland California agreed to leave their porch or outside lights burning overnight; as a result, crime has been greatly reduced.

Prisoners of war, and political detainees often recount the fact that a large part of their suffering was due to the deprivation of light. Terry Anderson, a journalist for the Associated press, was seized and held hostage in Lebanon for seven years; blindfolded during almost all of that time, Anderson described his experience in this way, “Deepest, darkness, fumblings, uncertainties are frightening. More frightening is the darkness of the mind, when outside light make no impression and inner lights go dim. . .” (Den of Lions, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York: 1993). All of these varied human experiences of darkness and light and others like them can be drawn together to form a backdrop for this week’s liturgy. Herein and throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures light and darkness serve as symbols for good and evil. As such, darkness and light are juxtaposed in both the first reading from Isaiah and the gospel pericope from Matthew. In the Isaian text, the prophet promised that his people would see an end to the darkness of oppression and separation. In the gospel, Matthew portrayed the ministry of Jesus and his disciples as the long awaited light which fulfilled Isaiah’s promise and dispelled the night.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, counsels all believers concerning the unity which should characterize the Christian community. Factions, wrangling and pettiness serve only to darken the world’s awareness of Christ whereas harmony, love and mutual respect reveal him and the church as both light and life.

Each of us brings to this celebration the experiences of darkness and light which constitute who we are, before God, and before one another. At this celebration, each of us is graced with the light of God’s forgiveness and salvation. From this celebration, each of us is sent forth with the challenge to be light for others.

ISAIAH 8:23-9:3

During the reigns of Israel’s most powerful kings, David and Solomon, the nation enjoyed a period of prosperity and prestige which some historians have called its “golden age”. David had been successful in uniting both the northern and southern tribes in a covenantal allegiance. Without having to contend with the rivalry and tribalism which could only dissipate its strength, the nation became a force to be reckoned with. As such, Israel, under David’s leadership was successful in virtually all of its military campaigns, against the Aramaic states, the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Amalekites and Philistines.

Solomon’s reign succeeded in enhancing Israel’s reputation internationally. He established trade routes with Africa, Asia, Arabia and Asia Minor (Turkey), generating substantial revenue for the kingdom. “Wiser than all other men”, Solomon was said to be “exceptional” with “knowledge as vast as the sand on the seashore” such that he was “famous throughout the neighboring nations” (1 Kings 5:9,11). However, no sooner had Solomon died than the bright light which he and his father had succeeding in igniting flickered and grew dim.

Due in part to the people’s dissatisfaction with Solomon’s programs of enforced labor and excessive taxation (both of which financed his extensive building projects) and due to the inability of his sons to maintain unity, the kingdom was eventually divided, never to be one again. Jeroboam became king of Israel to the north and Rehoboam led the smaller southern kingdom of Judah. The next two hundred years were spent warring and squabbling over territorial rights and by the late eighth century B.C.E., darkness prevailed in Israel. Assyria, its northern neighbor, led by Tiglath Pileser III began its conquest of Israel in 732 B.C.E.; the territories held by the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali were the first to fall. Eventually the entire kingdom was lost to Assyria (by 722 B.C.E.). Many of its leading citizens were deported; these were replaced by foreigners from Assyria, Mesopotamia, etc.

Isaiah the prophet, a citizen of Jerusalem and adviser to the kings of Judah (ca. 740-700 B.C.E.), witnessed the demise of the north and understood it as just punishment for sin. But to those who were experiencing the degradation (8:23) of conquest, the prophet offered consolation. This pericope is part of a longer messianic prophecy (8:23-9:6) wherein Isaiah focused his contemporaries’ hopes on a future, ideal messiah (anointed one) whose reign would rout the Assyrian occupation forces and reunite the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. His reign would bring light and joy such that darkness would be dispelled. By referencing the day of Midian (9:3) the prophet reminded his hearers of another period of oppression, much earlier in their history (Judges 7:1-8:3). After years of abuse at the hands of the Midianites, the Lord appointed Gideon, who, with an army which God told him to reduce from 33,000 to 300 men, succeeded in trouncing their oppressors.

Probably, Isaiah’s hope for a “new Gideon” were pinned on the next king to take the throne in Judah, viz. Hezekiah, son of Ahaz. But, as is reflected in today’s gospel, Christians understood that the pall of darkness which hung over Israel and Judah was to be lifted only by the person and mission of Jesus.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-13, 17

Because private homes or house churches were the first centers of Christianity and because most homes were not built to accommodate more than the family members and a limited number of guests, it is reasonable to assume that gatherings of all the Christians in a certain city or locale were rare. As Jerome Murphy-O’Connor has explained, “the difficulty of getting the whole church together regularly in one place goes a long way towards explaining the theological divisions within the Corinthian community. It seems likely that the various groups mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:12 would regularly have met separately. Such relative isolation would have meant that each group had a chance to develop its own theology, and virtually assured that it took good root before being confronted by other opinions.” (St. Paul’s Corinth, Texts and Archaeology, Michael Glazier, Inc., Wilmington: 1983).

News of the factiousness among the house churches in Corinth reached Paul via members of Chloe’s household (vs. 11) while the apostle was working in Ephesus. Addressing the Corinthians as brothers (vs. 10) Paul reminded them of the familial love which should characterize their relationships with one another. In his appeal for unity, Paul made use of some interesting Greek phrases. When calling his readers “to agree in what you say” (vs. 10), he employed a term commonly used when two hostile parties reach an accord. Paul described the factions (vs. 11) in Corinth as schismata, a word which ordinarily described the tears or rips in a garment. By virtue of their baptism into Christ, all believers are clothed with the same garments of grace and salvation. Inner strife should not destroy the union forged in the sacrament of initiation. Paul’s appeal “to be united in mind and judgment” (vs. 10) was expressed by a medical word which referred to the knitting together of bones that have been fractured or the healing of a joint which had suffered dislocation. Later in his letter, Paul would expand upon the same physical metaphors to further elucidate the unity which should exist within the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

Identifying the factions in Corinth by their slogans, Paul named at least four distinct groups. Some said, “I belong to Paul” (vs. 12). These were probably loyal converts of the apostle who resented criticism of his message and preaching (2 Corinthians 10:10, 11:16). Others distinguished themselves as belonging to Apollos (vs. 11), a well educated Greek-speaking Jew from Alexandria whose eloquence probably appealed to the sophisticates of Corinth. Other Corinthian Christians who may have preferred a more conservative life-style and continued to observe certain Jewish practices may have claimed, “I belong to Cephas” (Peter). Still others said, “I belong to Christ” (vs. 12), but since Paul categorizes this group with the other three, it may be that the Christ they claimed was not the Christ whom Paul had preached. Certain Corinthian believers focused on a supra-human Christ, as a Lord of Glory (2:8) to whom they related by ‘wisdom’. (Jerome Murphy O’Connor, 1 Corinthians, Michael Glazier, Inc., Wilmington: 1982). But Paul had preached Christ crucified, who was to be accepted, not by mere wisdom and intellect, but by faith (2:1-5).

Paul called the factions of Corinth of the first century C.E. and he continues to call all the denominations of Christians today to resolve their differences in Christ who was crucified for all of us and in whom each of us has been baptized.

MATTHEW 4:12-23

Location! Location! Location! For most successful people, this is the key. Business persons understand that a good or prime location is absolutely essential; if clients cannot easily access the provided services, then success is virtually impossible. Those wishing to embark on a profitable venture usually study the demographics of an area in order to find an optimum base of operations. To do otherwise invites failure. But as is usually the case when comparing the way of the world with the plans of its maker, the opposite, and often least expected, holds true.

For all practical purposes, Jesus should have begun his ministry in Jerusalem, the capital city of the Roman province of Palestinium. In that location, he could have contacted a great number of people in a relatively short period of time. Or, following the lead of the Essene community and/or his cousin John the Baptizer, Jesus could have chosen a desert location for his mission. But as is indicated in this gospel selection from Matthew, Jesus chose to inaugurate his mission in Galilee, an area also known as the Galilee of the Gentiles (nations) because of the fact that the area was encircled (Galilee comes from the word galil which means circle) by gentile nations. As Benedict Viviano has noted, “Galilee was, by Matthew’s day at least half gentile in population, half pagan in cult (cf. the Venus of Dan) and bilingual, using Greek and Aramaic.” (“Matthew” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice hall, Englewood Cliffs: 1990).

Taking residence (the Greek verb katoikein means to acquire a house) in Capernaum by the sea (Sea of Galilee), Jesus began to preach in the very territories which had been the first to fall to the Assyrians almost eight centuries before. “It is precisely to Jews living in this spiritual shadow-land, an earthly Sheol, that the eschatological light of Jesus the Messiah is now shining.” (John P. Meier, Matthew, Michael Glazier, Inc., Wilmington: 1983). That Matthew understood this location for the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry as being in accord with God’s saving plan is shown by his formula citation from the prophet Isaiah (2:23 = Isaiah 8:23-9:1, today’s first reading).

Finally, Isaiah’s promise of an end to the darkness had come to fulfillment. Jesus, by his words and works brought to the world the light which dispelled the darkness of oppression and the overshadowing of death. His message was, and still is, a simple one. “Reform your lives! The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (vs. 17). Those who would hear it and heed it would thereby be able to throw off the darkness of sin and its consequences so as to live in the light of the good news Jesus offered.

The first ones to accept Jesus’ challenge, viz. Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John offer an example of the decisiveness and wholehearted commitment which are elemental to the life of the disciple. In time, Jesus’ ministry of teaching, preaching and healing would be theirs (Matthew 10, 28:20).

Today, the church which professes Jesus as the light of salvation, and emulates those first disciples, is called to exercise similar service. There are many problems and issues which darken our world . . . prejudice, war, abuse, social injustice, hunger, poverty, ignorance, greed, anger, vengeance, apathy, etc. As long as these overshadow anyone of us, all of us are still collaborators with darkness. Scripture’s living word calls us once again today to tend to our mission of illuminating the world.

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