Now, that metaphor, fish for people, could be taken a lot of ways. Not all of them pleasant.
We are the Light on the Ridge proclaiming the love of Jesus in thought, word, and deed
We are the Light on the Ridge proclaiming the love of Jesus in thought, word, and deed
Sermons on Matthew (Page 4)
But the most important thing that happens in this gospel reading is in verse 24: when Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, echoes Isaiah’s hope in the root of Jesse, who will bring God’s mercy and favor even to the Gentiles. The foreigners will have hope in the one God has appointed. Most Jews taught that Gentiles, foreigners, had been cut off from God’s promises. But Paul is clear…
Jesus warns about a thief. The thief will come in the night. Not when it’s the middle of the day and we are looking right out the window. Not when we are ready. Jesus is talking about the second coming of the Son of Man.
“The harvest is plentiful,” Jesus said. There is abundance in the harvest. But the gospel contains other examples of abundance. The needs of the many are evident. And plentiful.
The Wise Men were different than the people they came to visit, and yet they came seeking, and they offered gifts.