An Unlikely Hero
One of the enlivening aspects of scripture is how very deep it goes. Often, we start looking carefully at a passage and it yields point after point of reference, so that what we see on the surface becomes enriched by the depths of thought and experience beneath it. Our scriptures today beg such an excavation. How often do we hear the words “Zebulun and Naphtali?” Today we’ve heard them three times.
In today’s Gospel (Matthew 4:12-23) we are at the very start of Jesus’ public ministry. Matthew puts us on the map, in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. Zebulun and Naphtali were two of Jacob’s sons and the patriarchs of two of the 12 tribes of Israel. Their allotted lands were on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew is, of course, quoting the passage from Isaiah (Isaiah 9:1-4) that we heard earlier. That passage is roughly 800 years before Jesus’ time.
We should pause here to consider why a prophet is remembered for 800 years. God’s word given through Isaiah bore God’s people through centuries of hardship. But it’s deeper than that. The Lord’s promise taps into an even older story. We could very easily miss the reference to the “day of Midian.”
The Midianites were a nomadic people that lived to the east and south of Israel, part of modern day Jordan. Scripture says they were the descendants of Abraham and Keturah, his second wife, after Sarah died. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, was a “priest of Midian.”
The Midianites were the first to domesticate the camel, which was a huge technological advantage. They could move very quickly across a large area that was and is scarce in resources. They were nomadic, as the Bedouin peoples are today, so they weren’t ever interested in conquering Israel. But what they did do was wait until the harvest was ripe and collected, then swoop in and steal it and anything else they wanted.
It isn’t very hard to imagine how hard that was on Israel. You’re on foot, they are on camels, you never know when exactly they are going to show up and take or ruin everything you’ve worked so hard to produce, starting with your family and your own life, plus your crops. They prayed to God for help.
Long before there were any hotels and long before there were any Bibles to put into hotel rooms, God called a guy named Gideon. Gideon was the least of his family, the least of his tribe. He was literally the runt of the litter, yet God called him to lead Israel in this time of trouble.
This story is told in Judges chapter seven: Gideon, in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, raises an army of about 32,000 men to face the combined armies of the Midianites and Amelikites. But the Lord says, no, that is too many. Why? Because the Lord doesn’t want anyone in Israel to think they had won on the merits of their own strength.
So the Lord says, “Send home anyone who is afraid.” Gideon does – 22,000 leave and 10,000 remain.
But the Lord says that is still too many. He has Gideon winnow it down to 300 men. 300 to fight an overwhelming army of two combined enemies. They do, and they win. And there was no doubt this was accomplished in the Lord’s strength, a testimony to the God of Israel. That’s a very important thing to remember for centuries – that God moves in unexpected and unlikely ways.
Five hundred years later, in Isaiah’s time, Israel, specifically the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, is under threat by two Syrian kings. The Lord sends word to the prophet Isaiah who reminds Israel of those days of Midian. Their shared memory of the Lord’s might, working through Gideon and against great odds in the same region, gives them hope in their hour of despair. And it does work out.
As we move forward to Jesus’ time 800 years later, we should ask why that writing from Isaiah had been preserved all those centuries, why the story of Gideon had been preserved from hundreds of years before that, and why it touches us here today.
Here is the thing: ***Because it is true – not just in the sense that these things happened to these people at these points in history. The evil one is always showing up, always finding ways to harass and raid and rob the very basis for life from God’s people. When Jesus shows up in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, he was every bit as unlikely as Gideon. But when he shows up, the real victory has begun. God’s victory is breaking into the world for each and every person.
And his victory is going to come through ways that seem unlikely and unfamiliar, unless you remember what God did long ago.
Our first call is to repentance. We have no desire or need to change what is perfect. If everything looks fine, we tend to just roll with it. It’s when we look at ourselves honestly and carefully that we know everything is not fine. Compared to the standard of perfection that is God, we are convicted. We say, “I agree. That’s not acceptable. I see it and I’ve got to do something, anything, everything, to make it right. And I cannot do it myself. I need you, Jesus, to do it.”
Jesus adds, "for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” He is not referring to yet another resolving of a contemporary crisis like the Midianite raiders or the Syrian kings. The Kingdom of God is much more than that. It is meant to reach all people. And not just those living in that time, but people across all times. To do that, he enlists help, and that is where we find our second call.
When Jesus called his disciples, they appeared every bit as unlikely as Gideon to become leaders, especially given the scope and scale of God’s Kingdom. Fishermen?
We see throughout scripture that God calls the most unlikely people to serve him, at least unlikely to our view. Why, then, should any of us be surprised that he is calling us as well?! If a runt of the litter like Gideon, why not you? If a handful of fishermen, why not you?
Life is hard and the world is a tough place. And you are right at the center of it. You are at the center of your universe. And if you want to change it for the better, then you’re going to have to change you first. And as you grow stronger in your emerging, improving self, you grow more capacity to be a vital influence on those around you.
It’s not just you. But make no mistake, it is you. Repent. Be open to God showing you where and how you need to change and grow. Then listen for God’s call. When you hear him, we’ll take some time to confirm your hearing then by all means available and maybe by means you cannot even see, we will get on with it and celebrate God’s presence. That may be some task or project. It may be repairing some relationships. It may be ordained ministry. Whatever it is, once you know, you’ll need to follow it.
Because that’s how this works. Part of my role is to help you practice and understand your faith a bit better, day by day and week by week. But the call always comes from Him. So let’s get on with the work God is always giving us to do.
AMEN