Breaking the Word

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.  He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. (Mt 4: 18-22)

In the present story Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave behind the nets and their father. Peter and Andrew were casting their nets in the sea for a catch. While they were in their job – as they were doing their job they leave and follow. (Not after much reflection and prayer and consultation and discernment.) They hear the call and they go at once. So also James and John; they were mending their nets (may be after a catch or getting ready for a catch) and when they were called they leave behind and follow.

In as much as following is important  so also leaving something behind is important Many a times we like to keep something with us ( for security) and try to follow also the invitation. Following demands ( it seems so) a total leaving behind of  things and persons. It is also following a person (JESUS) not an ideology or a principle or a dogma. Following a person seems to be easy. But leaving behind is not so. We like to walk forward (follow), but looking behind and not leaving behind.

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 8: 5-11)

Jesus had authority over diseases. He healed the sick and brought them back to the society. This authority was not limited only over the people of Israel. He exercised his authority over the gentiles too. He had the same authority over the soldiers as well as slaves. When the request was made to Jesus, he was willing to go to the patient to heal him. He was not expecting him to be brought to him. Probably he was aware of the suffering the man would have to undergo and he did not want the other person to suffer more on his account. He took the side of the sufferer and went to the sufferer himself.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the forerunners of faith. Abraham was in fact the model of person with faith in God. Israelites believed themselves to be having the same faith since they were the true descendants of Abraham. No other person (gentile) could have faith greater than the Israelites. Here Jesus praises the gentile of having greater faith than the Israelites.  Faith here, it seems, not defined in terms of religious attitude to life. Here faith means recognizing the authority Jesus possess. Faith like this brings its own reward. As he believed, so it happened.