Matthew 4:18-23

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.” vs. 23

Since Jesus’ ministry did not focus on baptism, he concentrated on a teaching, preaching, and healing ministry that brought him to many villages in Galilee and beyond. It was obviously the kind of mission that was more than he could handle by himself, and from the beginning he gathered a group of disciples who would join in his effort, and eventually, in carrying his message on their own. He seems to have deliberately chosen what we might call “blue-collar” men and women for what he called a fishing expedition. They were working people, not priests or scribes, and they seem to have been chosen for their ordinariness. They knew the struggles of the poor in this broken world, and could be expected to know the needs of hurting people. They were doubtlessly attracted by the good news of the coming peaceable kingdom and relished passing on the message of forgiveness to those who had been excluded by current religious practices. While they didn’t always understand the implications of his teachings, they remembered his stories and parables, and looked forward to their private times when he would explain the mysteries of faith. Their life as disciples was not easy and over time they learned the cost of discipleship, but they never forgot what a privilege it was to have been called.

Thought for the Day: When did I become conscious of my call?